Mother Hen

Our Allie Grace is a born nurturer. Whether we're with Ainsley or Jack, she often steps in to help with them and give them her full attention. Last night Ryan and the kids came over for dinner. I looked outside and Allie was patiently pushing Ainsley on the swing. It didn't surprise me at all, but it did make me smile. I had them stop for a quick picture. Notice that Ainsley only has eyes for Allie in the second picture. So sweet!

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Nathan gets huge doses of Allie's nurturing spirit - whenever the kids play house, she's his mom! And, last week, he cried as we watched the school bus pull away from the bus stop. When I asked him what was wrong, he whimpered, "I want my mommy!" I reminded him that I was right there and he said emphatically, "I want my other mommy! Allies's my best mommy!"

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And since I'm sharing Allie stories, here's a recent quote from Allie Grace. "I like being in the middle, mommy! That way I can be a little sister AND a big sister!" I hope she always feels that way, but I doubt that she will! I'll just be thankful that she enjoys being the middle child right now.

Pumpkin Patch

We headed to the pumpkin patch this afternoon in search of fun. And, despite the 90 degree temperatures, we had a great time! We took a hayride, ran through the hay maze, played in the corn, and picked out cute pumpkins. It was a fun outing! Now, if only it started to FEEL a bit more like FALL...
ready for the hayride...

We pretty much had the hay trailer to ourselves!

Allie is making a "pumpkin pie" with the corn. She and Nathan really enjoyed this part of the pumpkin patch.

Here they pose before we head for home. The pumpkins that the girls are holding are just props. We came home with three small pumpkins (like the one Nathan is holding!).

Pizza Party

Tonight we had "Make Your Own Pizza" night with Ryan and Angie and their kids. Ainsley was ready to cheer for her daddy's favorite team, and even said, "Go Sox!" What a cutie!

The boys enjoyed making their own pizzas. Zachary really liked it and amazed all of us because he ate so much of it! He ate and ate and ate.

Here is the master at work. Phil shapes the best pizza crusts with the dough we buy at Winco.

The beauty of making our own pizzas is that everyone can have exactly what they want. Phil always gets carried away with his toppings, but thoroughly enjoys eating it. Allie usually adds a happy face with pepperoni to her creations. But, no matter what kind of pizza we all made tonight, everyone had fun being together. And that's the best part, isn't it?

Lazy Afternoon

I love Saturdays! We got some work done, and then just enjoyed being home together. Nathan woke up yesterday and said, "This is a whole family day, right?" That's the best part about the weekends - just being together. While I planted flowers, Nathan played in the sprinklers (Phil was testing them to be sure the flowers will get adequate coverage) and the girls wrote stories together on the white board. What a nice afternoon!

Fall Flowers

I've been waiting for the weather to feel more like Fall. Our afternoon temperatures have still been in the high 80's and, to be honest, I'm very ready for cooler weather! I've been putting off planting fall flowers, but decided not to wait any longer. So, on Saturday morning, we piled into Phil's truck and headed for the nursery. We chose plenty of pansies and snapdragons this time around. But the biggest attractions at the nursery weren't flowers - they were cats! We found several tiny kittens playing around the pond, along with a sleepy Mommy resting near the flowers. They certainly kept the kids entertained while we made our decisions! (Unfortunately, Beth discovered that it's best to keep your distance from cats, even if they seem friendly. She received quite a scratch on her hand from a disgruntled cat. She perked up quickly, though, and was none the worse for wear.)

Celebrating October Birthdays...

Today we headed to my parents' house after church to celebrate our family's October birthdays. My dad, my mom and my brother were all born during this wonderful month! We had a tasty lunch, then just enjoyed being together. The kids had a great time playing (both inside and out!) and it was especially nice to see Great-Grandma Tos there too. We sang "Happy Birthday" three consecutive times, then ate chocolate cake and ice cream. What a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon!

Here Zachary and Nathan "help" Grandpa blow out the candles on the cake.

Singing "Happy Birthday" to Grandma...

Grandma read lots of books to Nathan too!

And, yes, my darling husband was snoozing on my parents' couch! As you can tell, he is quite comfortable with my family - and that's a very good thing. But the snoring? Not so much!

Beth's Field Trip to Grant's Grove

Today I went to Kings Canyon National Park with my third grade class. I took my mom's camera and took some pictures. My favorite part of the day was looking at all the murals at the visitor center. Daddy got to come with me!

This is my dad and I at Grant's Grove. We are by a mural.

This is a giant sequoia. It is one of the biggest trees in Grant's Grove!

This is Emma, Taryn and I. We were partners.

This is another one of the giant sequoias. It is very, very, very old!

This is a burnt tree. Fire helps the pinecones release their seeds so new trees can grow.

I had a great day!

by Beth

My Thoughts Exactly...

This morning Allie sleepily wandered in our bedroom in her nightie. She sat on my lap and we cuddled for a few moments. Then I asked, "Did you sleep good last night?" She looked up at me, scowled and then said, "It went too fast!" I guess she wasn't quite ready for the day to begin - and quite frankly, neither was I!

Fun with Jack!

Deb and Jack joined us for lunch today and the boys enjoyed some playtime together. They had a great time and shared very well. Getting them to look at the camera at the same time proved to be a challenge, though! Aren't they cute, though? (This post is for you, Grandma Girard! This is just some of what you can look forward to when you visit in December!)

Encouraging Words

This summer we made "encouragement jars" with Sculpey clay. We each made one and then put them all together, along with a paper holder, and then baked them. Since then, we have been busy writing and receiving notes from each other. Last week, I received two notes - one from each of the girls. Allie had used the alphabet stamps to write me a sweet note (which you can see below) and Beth made me a beautiful card with the following letter:

"Dear Mom, You are so kind to me when I am sad. I love you so much and I never want to leave your side! Love, Beth"

Both these notes just make me smile. What a blessing to be able to encourage each other in a variety of ways!

Sweet Tooth

Today Allie and I enjoyed some time together, just the two of us. We walked to Rite Aid for an ice cream treat and enjoyed the cooler temperatures (finally!). Allie has such a sweet tooth and loves ice cream! We talked the entire way there and back - at least when our mouths weren't full! Being with Allie reminded me how important it is to spend time with each of our kids one-on-one. They are each so unique and so special!