October Story

Pictures tell the best stories. So, once upon a time...

Aaron made claws for himself with origami paper.

Derek took Kaleb along to help with harvest.

A full view of the tractor and grain cart with Derek and Kaleb inside.

Aaron and I walked Ginger at sunset and marveled at the beautiful sky.

Braylen set out his cereal bowl for the morning. :)

Our neighbor let us snuggle his new puppy. Her name is Maia.

These cookies last about 2 days around here, if that.

Playing football with their cousins on a pretty fall day

Ginger and I went for a walk one day to enjoy the beauty of fall.

Pretty Ginger

Leaves

More leaves

Braylen and I saw this tree in the park when we had lunch last week.

Kneeling down to see what the fountain looked like when he was small.
This is our park we used to visit when he was little.

The marathon kids at school--Aaron is in a yellow shirt, second row from the top.
He's standing right in front of a girl with curly black hair.

Kaleb repaired his bleacher seat and Aaron shared his duct tape.
These seats sure have been useful this fall.

A close-up of Braylen on the bass drum at his last band competition.

Since October 23rd our family has been fighting nasty sicknesses. Aaron was hit first, then me, and then Derek. Kaleb told me he had a sore throat Wednesday afternoon and he went downhill fast. Poor Kaleb had it the hardest, since his fever spiked higher than ours and he's the only one to be sick to his stomach. Yesterday was a long, hard day for us. I'm still not better, and frankly, I'm sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. After supper last night I realized tomorrow it's Halloween and we still needed to carve our pumpkins. When I mentioned it to the boys, Aaron got the table ready and I brought the pumpkins inside. In the end I was really glad we did it.

Carving pumpkins

When I glanced at this picture I thought I saw my brother.
Braylen reminds me so much of his uncle at this age.

Derek and I love Aaron's look: footy jammies and bear slippers.

Kaleb's pumpkin is always traditional and happy--like him. :)

Aaron's pumpkin, on the other hand, is different every year.

On Halloween Kaleb felt much better and was able to go to school. I am so glad, since he had such a great costume to wear this year! He dressed up like Uncle Si and did the perfect job imitating Si's voice, walk, and mannerisms. We both agreed it's his best costume ever. Aaron dressed up like a Lions football player, since the Lions is his favorite NFL team. Braylen walked with us and we enjoyed having him along. Derek was working but he found us on our trick-or-treat route.

Halloween 2014

Uncle Si and that cup of tea.

"Braylen, Kaleb, and Aaron"

I love having our nieces come trick-or-treating with us.
One of them even borrowed a football helmet this year.

Wow, that is MORE than enough pictures from this month.

The End :)

Oh, October!

The month is almost over, but what a fun month it's been! The weather is warm, the leaves have been absolutely spectacular this year, and we're busy but blessed.

Derek changed shifts this month, and we're all adjusting to it. The first quarter of the school year has ended, and the boys sure are thriving in their schools. I am thankful for that. Freshman football has ended, while marching band ends after tonight's performance. It's sad to see these events end, but I know it would be unrealistic for Braylen to continue marching into the winter. And so we'll transition out of these things and into new seasons. Derek's been helping some friends of ours with their harvest, and I've been subbing at the school when I can--seems like we always need more money these days. Derek took Kaleb and Aaron to ride with him in the tractor, one at a time, and those were special times. He also took Kaleb target shooting. Yes, hunting season will be here very soon.

This past week Derek and I were able to get away together for an afternoon, since Braylen's last football game was out of town. It was a fast trip, but SO great to be able to do together. We talked about plans for Christmas, and all the changes happening in our home as our kids keep getting older. Kaleb and Aaron impressed us with their ability to stay home and be responsible. Thanks to Grandma, they didn't have to eat dinner on their own. But they were able to spend the evening at home alone and were ready for bed when we came back. I can hardly remember the days when we needed to arrange for a babysitter. That is a huge thing to be thankful for with older kids. :)

This is our last week mowing lawns...finally...and we are all ready for that chore to end. Aaron is fighting a cold and has some laryngitis. I feel bad for him, but his voice sounds cute. :) Halloween costumes are ready and I think this is the funniest costume Kaleb's ever had. He is so good at impersonations--both vocal and in character--so this year's costume works really well for him.

On Tuesday we had a bit of a family emergency involving our extended family here in town. All is okay now, but I just want a record of this moment in my blog. So often we make plans to do this or that, go here and go there, and yet it can all change in an instant. It makes me take a step back and ask myself what really matters--and what really doesn't. What is fulfilling and what is just filling my time?

Like last month, half of my pictures are on my phone. So here's what I have for today's post. Next time I'll post the phone pictures. And I have one funny from Aaron. I used to have more--why do they have to grow up and not give me funnies anymore?!! Oh well, here's one at least!

Aaron and Derek were looking at the stars in the sky while out at the farm. Aaron says to Derek, "I can see John the Baptist!" Derek asks him where in the sky does he see John the Baptist? Aaron replies, "See, Dad? There's his belt." Derek looks up and says, "You mean, Orion?" Aaron says, "Oh yeah, I get those guys confused." :) HA!

Aaron finished his full marathon this fall! 26.2 miles! (not all at once of course)
He is the first one in our family to do that.

Kaleb made this tote bag in Family Consumer Science Class. He got an A+!

The Drumline played for an elementary school in town on National Walk to School Day.

The team takes a knee after a home victory. Braylen is #24.

Happy :)

Ready for a night of marching

At this football game two of Derek's cousins were refereeing the game.
One of them is pictured here next to Braylen. This was our favorite game of the season.

The refs couldn't make our picture, but our other family attending Braylen's game could!

This is how the boys huddled before plays. Every time.

Braylen ready for the ball.

Finally, a picture with me. :)

One afternoon I turned these apples from our tree at the lake into...

...applesauce! This is my second batch.

This time he stands by the football sign.

Kaleb made this banana bread in FCS Class. Yum!

Yesterday Aaron received his trophy for running his marathon. 

And that's it!