October

We still have Nala, and the kids still like her.  Nala turned 7 this month.

 Another scout camping trip to Rucker lake.

 I needed some pumpkins for fall decorations, so we went to the pumpkin patch to get some.

 Even picking pumpkins my kid's personalities come out.  Noah picks one quickly and doesn't care too much about the look of it, as long as he can carry it easily to the tractor.

 Grant picks the biggest one he can find and then still wants to keep looking just in case there is a better one.  Even though he can barely carry it, he won't sacrifice getting a less than perfect and smaller one. Oh dear!

 Ava wants an unusual one, but doesn't want to spend a lot of time looking. 

 Noah is CONSTANTLY making things.  This is his scrap wood, water bottle and rubber band guitar.  He can actually play some songs on it.

 Activity days this month we did sewing.  First activity was learning the basics and then sewing little hand warmers.  The girls loved it.

 Noah collecting samples at the creek for microscopy.

 Since I had the sewing machine out for activity days this month, my kids started making all sorts of sewing projects.  Grant and Ava made little shoulder bags.

 Noah and Grant made some reversible beanies.

 I finished up a bunch of projects my mom has sent me throughout the years that I just never made. :/

 Lots of hand warmers.

 Summer garden ripped out and winter garden planted.

 Ward Halloween party.  Grant and Noah are hunters and I have no idea what Ava is - an FBI agent maybe??

 I've been spending many hours working on Connie's 'question history'.  Finally finished it!!!

 Another Noah creation (Grant helped at the end) - a pizza oven. :)

 

They put a bunch of big rocks in a circle and then used mud and tiny rocks to build up the walls.  Oh yes, it was a mess.

 

 Then they covered it with our old wheelbarrow.  We made pizza's in it one night and it worked pretty well.  Built a fire in it and then added a pizza stone on top.

 Second activity days was sewing aprons.  My mom had them all cut out and ironed for me, so it was pretty simple to pull off.  My mom is amazing.

 I went to a witches night out dinner with some friends.  This is the only picture I got. :/

 Grant's turn for date night.  He chose a trampoline/ninja warrior place.  He wanted Ava and Noah to come, so they got to tag along on his date.  I even jumped with them.  Not easy to climb out of those pits when you're out of shape and old. 

 Had a slightly windy day, so Ava and Grant made kites.  Used a lot of duck tape and they didn't work that well. :?

 Halloween night.  Ava switched it up AGAIN.  She was a 'light person'.  Her costume choices are interesting.

 The boys stuck with camouflage hunters.

 Top to bottom: Grant, Noah, Ava and Grant

 They don't let me go trick-or-treating with them anymore. :(  Their goal was to fill their pillowcases with candy.  They came pretty close.  SOOOOOO MUUUUUCH SUUUUUGAR!!!!

 Watched Hocus Pocus at a friends house after trick-or-treating.

Another example of my kid's personality traits.  How they sort and eat their candy. Any guesses who this is?  Sorted by candy type and labeled.  

I feel like time with my kids is just racing by and I'm trying to slow it down; it's not working.  Sort of like walking up a descending escalator.  This year I've really been trying my best to cherish these fleeting moments (I don't really cherish the fighting and hard parenting moments, but I know it can't be all roses and no thorns) and not think as much about how little time I have left with them at home.