Trick or Treat!

warm and cozy in the house

cold and rainy outside 

but no less enthusiastic!

An hour before heading out, the rain was coming down in sheets and I tried my darndest to talk everyone out of trick or treating.  But they stuck to their guns and we ended up with a semi-warm, no rain night.

Jack ditched us early to go to the Coug game and Ava headed to the carnival, but me and the little kids stuck it out and had an awesome time.

We ended at the Casebolts for a perfect Halloween finish:

 

tuckered out.

Championship Game!

Jack's team ended up in a league tie for first so they played on Halloween for the championship in the Kibbie Dome.

ready to celebrate

game day lunch

Jack, on money D, lining up.

Offense is fun, of course, but I love to watch this kid on defense.

Jack at the bottom of the pile with the tackle.

In the end, we lost by one measly point.  That was rough.

But!  They won the league's award for sportsmanship (for the second year).

So proud of these kids!

Halloween Party!

costume hunting...

Jemma Jane turns Seven!

Strawberry floats for school.

Humble Burger for dinner.

This girl is such a delight.

She has a HUGE heart, especially for her little brother.

She is just sweet sunshine every day.

Henry reads!

And the best part?

He giggles after almost every word.

making coffee for her daddy

a boy and his dog

Homecoming parade.

I'm always happy to come around the corner and see this guy:

Teacher work day

means a day off to enjoy the last of a pretty awesome fall:

we hit three parks and a pizza place.

Success.

Fun(ny)

I was a driver for Ava's class trip to the roller skating rink.

Looking good (and confident).

For a minute.

Then:

hanging tight to the wall.

Oh, junior high.

Saturday market (and berry french toast)!

Jack's first steelhead!

The next night he got another one!

Fall sports mean...

sleep when you can,

however you can.

That brings us to October!

Grandma's birthday cruise!

Henry in swim trunks, Grandma in hat and sweater.

We love this last trip of the fall.

All the grandkids!

dancing with Grandpa...

last one.

seriously, this kid.

Jack.

#26, QB with the handoff.

Jack is in year two of Thrasher football.  

Last year was rough.  The team was almost all third graders and they were outsized and beaten up at every single game.  But they played hard and I thought once their bodies caught up with their hearts, they'd be unstoppable.  And this year they were!  Same group of boys, practiced every night for two hours, and were rewarded with a huge win at this first game.  And they just kept on winning.

I love to watch him out there--he is so smart and has such a good handle on the game, that sometimes I forget he's still just a nine year old boy who, after every game, I can usually find right here:

2nd dinner.

Between football, volleyball, and cross country, we find ourselves eating at the oddest hours.  My favorite is dinner at 4:30, with a bowl of cereal before bed.

Can't go wrong with that.

Jemma's first ever mile run

killin it.

Ava.

This girl absolutely killed it this fall.

She got up with the sun for 6:30 am cross country practice, worked her tail off in her first quarter of junior high, started the nights with volleyball practice and finished them off with homework.

Then did it all again the next day.

One of her favorite meets--passing people like crazy going up this hill.

SO MUCH FUN watching her on the course and on the court!

It's not easy navigating junior high but she's doing it with strength and grace and a whole lot of fun.

Henry's birthday party!

Feelin' the love.

Henry's our only good-weather birthday so he gets a big bash every year.  And let me tell you, it is not wasted on this kid.  He plans everything, from the lights in the trees to the fireworks at the end. 

And he appreciates every single bit of it.