SPOOKY ending to October

We went for the traditional Halloween this year...Frankenstein, Mummy Mommy, Draculette, and of course our Wolf-Man!! Scary, huh?

Ayden really got into character as he bonded with his kin.

Claire, as always, is always the most "in character" and was convincingly spooky!

Earlier in the day the kiddos were at school and had some fun Fall festivities (this is an eyeball relay race to the cauldron) to accompany "Scary Hair Day"! Claire had FIVE pony tails, all in assorted colors!

Ayden's project was to dress a banana in costume and create a fun environment for the banana character to live in. His "I'm bananas for bananas!" monkey banana box won the funniest in the class! Way to go Ayden! He looks pretty proud!

As you may have noticed, Ayden is wearing a red mohawk for crazy hair day. It sort of was messy from the wind after recess, but still LOTS of fun!

New NEWS: early Oct.

Racing Racing and Racing!

This month has been a big and fun month full of events...

except for Ayden:( BUT he has been a GREAT spectator!

Claire at her race in Marysville where she won 2nd (see the 1st pic of her on the podium?)!

Jason has had an awesome season of cyclocross!

He has placed well and has had LOTS of fun during this year...

the best part is that he has had very few scrapes and bruises which always makes me happy:)

Hey, every race needs a good cow-bell-ringer!

I have raced as well. You may be surprised to know that I ran my very first 5K this month!

I have never considered myself a runner but had a lot of fun "training" and am going to do another on Thanksgiving morning! The kids are going to run too!

They are my biggest fans and my biggest inspiration:)

As you can see, Ayden has been SUCH a great sport about not racing this season. His arm is nearly healed and he can start doing more now as long as he wears his brace. This is Ayden running along side Claire during one of her cyclocross races! What a great brother:)

Jason races about 120 guys in this race...and was able to finish in 27th place. I think that is pretty awesome! I am really proud of my entire family and our drive to enjoy different activities/sports individually and together! I love our appreciation and support for each other!

Most of all I just enjoy having fun with my favorite kids (that includes Jason:)

Gettysburg

The kids had off school today so we decided to go on a little road trip. This huge tree is one that stood when Abraham Lincoln passed through Gettysburg and later delivered the Gettysburg address in 1863. Claire was very impressed and collected leaves and a walnut from under the tree, so she could share them with her class:)

We invested in a bus tour that is designed specifically for kids...it was well worth it. Jim, our guide, was very knowledgable and lots of fun. He drives the old 1930's style mini-bus around the battlefields sharing facts and stories about the surroundings. Below is the Eternal Flame of Peace.

The tour was complete with musket loading lessons! It wasn't as easy as you might think! So much of the lessons we learned were unbelievable. The men serving in this war had such drive and must have been very skilled in order to survive.



Jason was so fast he would have moved up the ranks to become a sharp shooter! Who knew?

We then fell in line to learn how to load a canon. That's even more work than the musket!

Little Round Top and Devil's Den were definitely the most fun in terms of adventure. We learned of the charges up the hill(s), and the battle itself, but climbing the rocks kind of made Claire and Ayden's day complete!
Unfortunately or fortunately our day was cut short in order for Ayden to make his Dr's appt. to get his cast off! It truly was a great experience and lots of fun. We will go back soon and explore some more for sure.
p.s. Ayden now has a splint for 2 weeks while the bone finishes the healing process, and then 3 more weeks of the splint when playing sports or being active:( It'll be over soon!! He's doing so well!

WHAT A WEEK!!

Let's start from the beginning....

Last Saturday was the kick-off to a new flag football season. YAY, Ayden. He caught everything that was thrown to him, deflected a pass while on defense, and put the heat on a few guys who were trying to protect their flags! It was a lot of fun for us as well as Ayden:)

By the looks of my little urban cowgirl you can see we had some special plans in mind for Saturday afternoon. A woman Jason works with invited us to ride her pony. It was like Claire's dream come true...literally. She LOVED every second and can't wait to return.
Ayden took a shot on the pony when CLaire was willing to give her up! It wasn' t easy. Claire insisted she walk with the horse while Ayden rode, because she just couldn't stand being any distance from Ishy (the pony). He didn't seem to mind and let Claire do all the talking:)
Although Ayden liked riding he wasn't quite as enthused or impressed as Claire who continually talked, patted, praised, and smiled at Ishy. It was too darn cute.
By the end of the afternoon she was "on her own" with Ishy. GOOD JOB CLAIRE! She was really willing to try something new without any fear and OODLES of confidence. THANKS so much to Karen for introducing Claire to riding. Now for the big question, "Daddy, when can we get a pony?"

I am skipping ahead to Tuesday, only because the beginning of the week had a few WHOPPERS! However, Tuesday was incredibly exciting as Claire earned second place in the 1/2 mile run held through our rec. center. She raced other 2nd grade girls and did a FABULOUS job.

NOW, if you look closely you will notice why Sunday was a doozy. Ayden broke his arm while using a stool to reach the string to his ceiling fan. Yep, it wasn't the trampoline, wasn't his skateboard, basketball, football, biking.....it was a stool:( Sorry kiddo.

IF that weren't enough, our good friend Tyla took a spill on her skooter Tuesday afternoon and broke her knee cap! What is happening on Hampden Rd? Wrap your kids in bubble wrap this week...I have a feeling the next few weeks will be interesting as we try to play cast friendly games/activities in the neighborhood! These are the memories we will laugh about later, right?

Lots of Activity!

AHHH! What a beautiful weekend...nothing too scheduled, nothing too strenuous, just relaxing and lots of fun! It really doesn't get better than being with my family:)

The kids have wanted to visit Lancaster County Skate Park for quite some time so today was the perfect day to do it! The skate park is pretty big, a little intimidating and totally ours...almost no one else was there:)

Like I said, it was pretty big! Especially depending on your perspective!!

It's a good thing these kids don't have confidence issues:P

They just gave it their best shot!

Ayden was truly in his element.

He aspires to be an expert skateboarders someday.

I think he is off to a good start!

Claire did a little rollerblading AND skateboarding!

She is pretty darn good at both:)

Everyone became VERY brave into the afternoon.

Of course, Jason had to show off some of his "moves". Let's say just it was entertaining!

Among the arguments they may have, I have observed Ayden and Claire becoming each others friend and support system:) I don't think there is anything greater for a parent to see!

When we are not trying something new, we are squeezing in our favorite Summer Activity...SWIMMING.....with two of our favorite kiddos, Trent and Eli (my nephews).

Swimming just isn't swimming without a good battle!

Last but not least, this week has brought the first day of the 2010 school year! The girls in the "hood" were ready to go 20 minutes ahead of time! RIDICULOUS!

They can't spend too many hours apart without going through withdrawal!

Ayden had other things on his mind...

when is recess, when is gym class, and how long is the bus ride again?

These are pictures that we will keep forever... what a good group of kids. I feel so fortunate to have neighbors that appreciate each other! These kids couldn't be more different but are all able to get along and have fun! Cute, cute cute!