And the winner is...

The first party she was a ballerina. The second, a Greek goddess. In the end, for Halloween E was a Gold Medal Winner from the London Games. Thanks Kage for the idea. We didn't see anyone else in the costume.

 

Showing off her gold

Wearing the flag proudly (I need to sew that back on JR's Scout uniform)

The ribbon does say "London 2012" but it is in black, very hard to see.

Easy to see the USA on her back. 

Our neighbors always do a great job of Halloween. This year they did the Zombie Apocalypse. It was amazing! They had the emergency broadcast beep with a warning about the dead coming back to life. There was trash all over their yard, "toxic waste", what looked like bodies wrapped in garbage bags. They even had a car crashed into a tree with the hood up and smoke pouring out. The best part was there were about 10 young men dressed as zombies trapped in a cage and following people around the yard. They were creepy and committed to being zombies! (notice the 80's girl and Dorothy running to be part of the fun) 

I took this pictures early before the fun started. There was always a crowd and it was impossible to get a clear shot.

All Hallow's Eve

Here is the preview of this year's costumes and pumpkins.

The 3 youngest. E has dressed up twice so far and is a different costume every time. Hopefully, I will get a picture of her in some costume.

 

Dorothy and Toto 

 

Dorothy far from Kansas- H

 

S calls herself "Ginger", our friend's dog. 

Rocking it awesome- our 80's girl R

 

Carving our jack-o-lanterns: disco ball, funky pumpkin with glasses, and kitty 

Super S 

A Penny Saved...

R has been saving her money. Well, her gifted cards from her Great-grandparents and other money for almost 2 years and was finally able to buy an Itouch like she has been wanting. I am so proud of her for learning to sacrifice what she wants at the moment to get what she really wants in the end.

It's Autumntime

Autumn time in my family means birthdays. The most recent was my dad. He turned 70. This summer when all of us kids were together we had a family birthday and this amazing cake.

My mom thought that all of us kids that live close should get together to celebrate closer to my dad's actual birthday. We decided while we were all together we would go to the pumpkin patch--a family favorite.

 

Here are all the cousins that went to the pumpkin patch on the hay pyramid. What a group of Cuties and handsome gentlemen! 

 

JR and S enjoying the train ride at the pumpkin patch. There was also a boat that we rode over the pond with creatures popping out of the water. 

 

S loved the pumpkin patch. The other girls did too. They were just harder to get to stop so I couldn't take a picture of them. 

Political Ponderings

First off, I know some of you feel really strong one way or the other. This is simply my opinion. I am putting it on my blog because only my closet friends read my blog as compared to FB were I have "friends" I haven't spoken to in over 20 years.

Last night I watched the Vice Presidential debates because I truly wanted to see what each sides platforms were. As I watched I became very frustrated with Joe Biden manners. He was huffing and puffing. He was quite rude. Then, both candidates started interrupting each other. Next, the moderator even began interrupting. It was kind of a circus. We all need to remember, just because we all don't agree that doesn't give us license to be uncivil.

Luckily, I am use to a little chaos and tried ignoring that aspect. I quickly became frustrated with Mr. Biden again for depth of material he covered. The moderator asked a question I really wanted to know both sides plan for. Mr. Biden never even gave a plan. Instead, he spent the whole time tearing down the Romney/Ryan plan. Perhaps, he is right. The plan may be horrible, but I want to hear your ideas. I don't want to hear what you think of someone else's idea. That is my job as a voter. I need to hear both sides points and plans. Then, I have the privilege of making my own mind up and voting accordingly.

Did you watch the debate? What did you think? I read reviews online to see if I was off base. According to one review,if you are liberal you thought Biden was smiling, if you thought he looked smirky you are a conservative. I didn't think it was a happy smile. That is for sure.

Another Beginning

That is right, school days are here again!

This year, E starts middle school. Oh My! She does look beautiful and confident as she heads off in to the unknown.

R is headed to 4th grade. She has Mrs. Wright and Miss Hannah.

 

H is starting 2nd grade. It is her first time having teachers that no one else has had. We have heard great things about Ms Birkes and Ms Swidrek. It should be a wonderful year. 

 

E with her walking buddy, MMS. 

 

R's friend, BJJ, is in her class again this year. 

 

H with MKJ,they are in the oppose class of the team teachers. 

 

All the girls, plus MMS, on the first day. 

 

The one token picture I took as I dropped the girls off. (I didn't drop off E. They told us not to walk our middle schoolers; that they were old enough to do it themselves. Hello, that is baby you are talking about) 

Projects, Performances, and Field trips

I am not sure how your end of the school year is, but our last month is filled to the brim with end of the year wrap up stuff. A big thanks to my friends and neighbors. I still wasn't able to lift S at this point. So, in order for me to attend they would come pick the two of us up and attend with us, or watch S so I could attend. It was a group effort. E even didn't tell me about some of her events because she thought it was too much work. So mature and sad at the same time.

H as a butterfly in her music class performance(JR took us)

E's state float- It's Louisiana y'all!

R on a field trip to a play (Thanks to Nic for the pic)

H's field trip got rained out so the teachers invited the parents to a picnic as a make up.

H's field day

R's cultural festival. She represented Denmark.

I am missing pictures from E's marimba concert and R's class play.