Pumpkin Patch

The Mom's Club took the kiddos to the Pumpkin Patch on Sat. It was SO much fun! The pictures/smiles tell the story. . .

Have you seen. . .

We had a run-away recently. . . We got a phone call from the police department while we were out running errands that our dog was out visiting. Apparently our nearby accountant's office graciously welcomed our wandering canine into the safety of their office. We would have been able to pick her up there, but Lloyd's connections with the police department made this too good an opportunity for them to pass up. The animal control officer beat us to the accountant's office and took Scout into custody. And returned her for the whole neighborhood to see:-) Needless to say, we've had a long talk with all of our offspring about leaving the side gate open.

Fun Night at Family Funworks

Our nearby Family Funworks (mini-golf, go-kart, batting cage, bumper car, playplace, video arcade mecca) held its annual Pastor Appreciation day. They give pastors and their familes free-access to just about everything. The only down side was the torrential downpour that kept us inside and limited our options. However, we still had a great time meeting up with Dave & Jen (college/seminary friends) and their girls. We had a blast at Family Funworks and then enjoyed pizza together afterwards.

Anika and Ella are kindred spirits and so enjoyed chatting (and telling jokes) over their pizza:

Pomegranate Girl

I don't know if there is an age-appropriate rating for pomegranates but Kathryn LOVES them. I think she even inspired Anika, who was initally skeptical.

Garage Fun

When the truck is out of the garage, it is a fun place to play. Lloyd lubed up the wheels on his old skateboard and the kids are loving it!

Sk8rs:

Anika showing off (notice the pads; she made Andrew mix-n-match):

Drew is pretty fearless:

Sidewalk Fun

I mentioned in an earlier post that Andrew is showing some interest in writing. Here is his name! YEAH, DREW! These are outlines of the kids' bodies.

Reprise, Deja vu, Take Two, The Sequel. . .

Do you ever put something on your TO DO list that never seems to get done? Like fill in the mud pit in the back yard. . .

Catch me if you can. . .Where do I even start? Those socks just went right in the trash.

Breezes, Bubbles, & Backyards

Everything is letters in our house as Anika continues with her kindergarten education. We talk about what letters things start with, ended with, and contain within; we do sight words, memory verses, patterns, & estimating. I've spelled so many "books" for Anika that I've almost taken to spelling out everything that I s-a-y. (And for those who remember how much this former English teacher struggled with spelling this is quite a feat!) I'm so grateful that Andrew seem to be showing an interest in letters now too! (Yeah, big sisters!) However, life as been pretty uneventful around here so I haven't had much to blog about. Here's a little taste of our afternoons while Kathryn naps. We've been enjoying the beautiful cool breezes (yeah, fall!!!) and blowing bubbles in our backyard!

(The kids had just tried on their new jammies and they were SO comfy that they wanted to stay in them!)

Go, Cubs, Go!!!!

What a game! I can't believe it has taken me so long to get these up. We had a fabulous time at a Cubs vs. Giants game. The Cubs pulled out a 3-2 victory in the last out of the ninth. (Nail bitter for sure! I screamed myself hoarse.)

Beautiful AT&T Park in San Fran.

Our seats were in the upper deck but right behind home plate. The TV cameras were right next to us.

The fog comes rolling in . . .

Happy!

This Coke bottle holds a slide -- next summer we'll have to take the kids so they can enjoy it.

Blankie Babes!

A little morning snuggle:

What we've been up to. . .

I'm embarassed about how long it has been since I've posted. I just haven't seemed to get "update the blog" into our new schedule:-) Life at the Wicker house (with one in school) is setting into a routine. Anika comes home with something new everyday, it seems.

Hopscotch:

If Mom & Dad won't put a swing in the backyard, then kids will improvise something. (Thanks, Anne!)