Happy Halloween!

The girls were so excited to commence pumpkin carving. Evy exclaimed, "This is the best day ever!"

Thirty seconds later they lost interest and said the pumpkin was stinky.

The pumpkin stinks. We're just going to watch Dad.

 

In an attempt to keep them engaged I asked them to color their own pumpkins.

Evy made a kitty face.

My little cowgirls all ready for trick or treat!

It stopped raining about 10 minutes before trick or treat time. It was a damp and cold night.

All aboard the candy express!

Scott took the girls around the neighborhood while I was on candy duty at home.

Five Years Old

For her birthday dinner, Evy requested mac 'n cheese, sliced apples, and French bread.

Guitar from Grandma Joan and Papa Jake

 

The Birthday Interview--Five Years

 

Q: What is your favorite color?

A: Pink and Orange

 

Q: What is your favorite food?

A: Mac 'n Cheese, my favorite bread, and apples

 

Q: Who is your best friend?

A: Heather and Emme

 

Q: What is your favorite thing to do?

A: Ice skate...if I can learn. And ride my bike.

 

Q: What is your favorite song?

A: Carrie Underwood Black Cadillac and Katy Perry Firework

 

Q: What is your favorite treat?

A: Ring Pop

 

Q: What is your favorite drink?

A: Apple Juice and Orange Juice

 

Q: What is your favorite show or movie?

A: Lion King 2 and Aerial

 

Q: What is your favorite toy?

A: New Barbies and my lions Kiara, Kovu and Joey Midas

 

Q: What is your favorite thing to do with your family?

A: Go to the Dubuque Aquarium

 

Q: Where is your favorite place to go?

A: Hotel...Dubuque Water park

 

Q: What is your favorite book?

A: Princess Book and Lion King

 

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?

A: A veterinarian

 

Here's last year's interview.

 



Wild Kratts Party

Evy is loving Wild Kratts on PBS so we went with that theme for her party.

She had her birthday party at a local gymnastics place. Loved spending an hour with her friends bouncing and running.

 

These kids were excited! It finally got quiet when they got their cake and juice boxes.

Present time!

Evy had so much fun at her party and I think her friends did too. We had no crying and no arguing. The kids helped each other out doing the gymnastics apparatus. At one point I looked over and Harper was holding the rope swing so that Savannah could balance herself on the swing. Kathryn helped Charlie do all of the stunts and followed her around like a little babysitter. I was so impressed with these kids. What sweet friends!

Pumpkin Patch

Sass Family Farms is one of our favorites because of the animals.

Evy loved the tire swing. 

Last weekend, we finally got around to doing our annual Pumpkin Patch outing. Last time we went to Sass Family Farms was in 2010 and on that trip Evy got her finger bitten by a chicken. In the above picture she is keeping her fingers out of the chicken coop!

To The Rescue!

The girls are loving Paw Patrol on Nick Jr. At the playground we had to run through several Paw Patrol scenarios.

 

Charlie was Rubble. She would say, "Rubble on the Double!"

Evy was Skye. She would say, "This Pup's gotta fly!"

 

I was assigned the role of Ryder and my job was to say "Paw Patrol to the lookout!" Once I yelled this command Rubble and Skye would slide down the slides to learn about the emergency. We rescued a cat, helped a mama duck find her duckling, and helped a bike rider with their broken bike. On the bike ride home the girls had the following conversation:

 

Charlie: It's an emergency!

Evy: What's your emergency?

Charie: I need cheese and butter!

Evy: That's not really an emergency.

Charlie: I NEED cheese and butter.

Evy: Ok, well you don't really call the Paw Patrol for that, you just go buy it.

 

The Horror!

This morning I did a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Thing. It made Evy cry for 20 minutes. It made me question how my choices would impact Evy's psychological development. Would she hate me forever?

What did I do, you ask?

I made Evy wear this shirt to school. A perfectly adorable, brand new shirt that has 3/4 length sleeves...it was the 3/4 length sleeves that nearly put her over the edge.

I could have easily changed her shirt, but I didn't. Maybe that was the wrong choice, but this type of irrational behavior drives me nuts. Kind of funny since raising kids is just one long loop of irrational behavior.

Gymnastics

Darn it! I snapped this picture at Evy's first gymnastics class, knew it didn't turn out well, meant to take another picture but it didn't happen, and now the gymnastics session is over. Whoops!

Anyway...Evy tried an 8 week gymnastics session this fall. Her favorite part was swinging on the rope swing! She worked on somersaults, cart wheels, upper body strength, and general familiarity with the equipment. We're taking a break from gymnastics now so we can fit in swim lessons but I think Evy will probably want to try it again soon.

Evy:  "Mom, did you get to do gymnastics when you were a kid?"
Me: "No. We didn't have gymnastics classes where I lived."
Evy: "I'm so sorry, Mom."

Birthday Celebration

On Sunday, we celebrated all of the Fall birthdays on Scott's side of the family.

Evy loves a birthday party. Especially when it's her party!

Grammy and Papa surprised Evy with a new bike!

So excited!

Trick candles!

Aunt Julie got Evy a Hello Kitty cookie kit. Evy couldn't wait to make them.

 

These are the cookies that Evy and I decorated.

 

This is the one that Charlie decorated.

M.I.A.

 

I was missing in action last week because we were hanging out in the Honky Tonks in Nashville. Scott had a conference and I tagged along. Thanks to Grammy Sherry and Papa Dick for staying with the girls for 3 nights and Grandma Joan for filling in the end-of-week shift!

 

Only photo taken on the trip. When there aren't cute kids to photograph there is no point.