Halloween Party

Ahoy mateys! Take a gander at this rowdy band of pirates who came ashore for merrymaking and pillaging.

Ye better not cross these scallywags!

The pirate booty found with this crew would blow a man down.

This scurvy dog and his wench are sure to hornswaggle the lads right out of their treasure (especially the M&Ms).

The Karate Kids

Last Friday, Jacob and Emma finished their first 8-week session of Karate. They have enjoyed it very much and have done well. This past week was their test for the next belt. They are signed up to continue for the next 8-week session as well. It was very fun to watch them. They practiced at home and actually looked quite good.

Emma has also been very busy with her pastels. She decided to do some portraits. She LOVES art and can't get enough creativity. She's our little Picasso.

Three Little Pigs

The other morning, Emma got her crafty on. She went into the classroom and created some houses and a script for her version of "The Three Little Pigs". She was very excited to perform it, so we video taped it. She is so darn cute. It's about 5 minutes long, so grab some popcorn. But it's worth it.

Without further adieu....

Tag

8 TV Shows I Love to Watch:

1. 30 Rock
2. Friday Night Lights
3. The Office
4. The Dog Whisperer
5. Seinfeld (I've seen them all)
6. Gilmore Girls (I've got the last 2 seasons on DVD - I NEED the whole series)
7. Arrested Development (Bring this show back!)
8. Scrubs

8 Things that happened yesterday:

1. Cleaned up another child's vomit
2. Finished the laundry (it took me 2 days)
3. Hosted a playdate
4. Looked at a live single-celled organism under our microscope
5. Split dinner with my hubby at Abuelo's
6. Shopped at Meijer (it's like Target)
7. Stayed up too late lesson planning
8. Slept on the couch because of my spastic bed partner

8 Favorite Places to Eat:

1. Mom's house (mine or Rick's)
2. Abuelo's (great salsa)
3. Olive Garden (soup, salad, and breadsticks)
4. Chili's (Fajitas for 2 on Monday nights)
5. Blimpie (it's not in Ohio)
6. Sweet Tomatoes (again, it's not in Ohio)
7. Chipotle
8. Los Compadres (waaaaa)

8 Things I'm Looking forward to:

1. The end of Fall 1 session at the Y
2. My parent's visit in November
3. My birthday
4. Thanksgiving
5. Rick's parents' visit in December
6. Christmas
7. Owning my own house again
8. Moving back to Arizona

8 Things on My Wish List:

1. School Supplies (too many to list)
2. A trip home
3. A yard boy
4. The end of residency
5. A workout buddy
6. A mild Ohio winter
7. Books (again, too many to list)
8. Unlimited amount of $ on an I-tunes gift card

8 People I tag:

1. Bon
2. Sheila
3. Dusty
4. Heidi
5. Les
6. Amanda
7. Jesika
8. Whit

Shelby's Costume

We finally lugged the Halloween box up the basement stairs so we could decorate. Shelby was so thrilled when we found her costumes:



While stringing our lights on the front porch we stumbled onto an old bird's nest. A tiny egg was still inside (I feel a science investigation coming on).


I find it funny that a bird would want to make a home in a silk plant. No wonder it abandoned the nest.

Sweet Conversations

I must write down some of the sweet things Jacob said following General Conference this past weekend. Right after the last prayer of the last Sunday session, Jacob announced, "I want to try harder to be a better person."

Isn't he the sweetest? I responded, "That is exactly how we are supposed to feel after listening to the prophet and apostles. I feel that way too Buddy."

This morning, Jacob told me that he had been feeling bad about not saying his morning prayers regularly. After offering a sincere prayer, he reported feeling different, in a GOOD way. He asked, "Mom, do you ever tell Heavenly Father that you love him?"

"I sure do...all the time." I answered.

Jake grinned and said, "I told Heavenly Father that this morning in my prayer too."

I love this boy and I'm excited to see him developing his own testimony.

Relief In Sight

I met my replacement while teaching at the Y this morning (yay)! She seems great and is willing to start next week. I talked with my boss and she agreed to make the switch earlier than planned so that I can focus my attention on homeschooling. This could not happen at a better time because I am burning out!

Today I woke up at 5:00 to workout at the Y before the kids woke up. I returned home at 7:30 to shower and ready the kids. Then, I drove us all back to the Y to teach preschool (yes, Jake and Emma go to preschool with me). After a quick lunch of PB&J sandwiches, we plunged into our studies at 12:30. We worked diligently until 4:30 when we had to rush back to the Y a 3rd time for swim lessons (and lesson planning for me). I had dinner on the table by 6:30, then spent the rest of the evening preparing for my Tuesday and Wednesday classes. I haven't even thought about what I'm doing with Jake and Em tomorrow...

Time for bed!