Walk to School!

We participated in Walk to School Day (again, something we do every day anyway) with a big group of kids and parents from Paige and Owen's elementary school. Every year it drives me a little crazy to drive to a location so we can walk to school even though it would be shorter to walk from our house but it's fun and special to be with friends and McGruff the Crime Dog:) We even had a police/ambulance/fire truck escort this year!

Leaves!

The kids took it upon themselves to rake up some leaves over the weekend so I knew I needed to document it. Coincidentally, they were also playing in leaves exactly three years ago to the day (see last picture!)

No time to put on clothes! Raking in their pajamas!

Enjoying their hard work later in the day

Three years ago!

5.5!

Paige turned 5 1/2 last week! She got to start the day off with pancakes, had an awesome day at school and then joined Owen at a friends house where they feasted on ice cream.  Here are a couple pictures from her day!

Zucchini sprinkle pancakes!

Having fun on the way to school!

Breakfast with Dad

The kids got to join Pat for a special Dad breakfast at school last week. It was the first one of the year and they were super excited to hang out with him and get some yummy breakfast! I wasn't there but a friend was photographing the event and I snagged these from her.

Bucketfiller!

Owen won the Super Bucket Filler award for his class in September! So proud of him!

Sidelines

Wondering what happens on the sidelines during Owen's games? Sometimes this kind of stuff-

Paige put on ALL of the sunglasses she could find

Paige also practiced braiding my hair (with some assistance!)

Soccer!

Owen's team is having a great season! I'm still having trouble getting usable action shots but Owen's been doing some awesome stuff on the field. We got a team picture last weekend and it seemed like most of the boys had put in some extra special effort on their hair which was super adorable!

Action shot during warm-ups!

Look at these boys! So handsome!

Explorers

I requested a bike ride last weekend and everyone was happy to oblige (yay!) but only if it included three different stops requested by three different people. So...the bike ride was also an exploring adventure. Everyone wins!

Party!

Owen and Paige went to a birthday party over the weekend and Pat and I hung around to chat with our own friends and witness the chaotic joy that erupts when a boy turns 9. There was a whole lot of silliness going on but it all went off without injury (unlike last time...).

These three! 

Paige was a special guest because she is friends with the birthday boy's sister!

The group!

Owen and the birthday boy

The Circus

The kids set up a circus for me and Pat one day last week and I was so busy enjoying the results of their creativity that I only got this picture a few days later of the entrance. There was a seal balancing a ball on its head and a juggling station too!

Homework!

I don't remember what my spelling words were in third grade but I don't think they were this tough! One of Owen's spelling homework options is to use scrabble tiles to spell out his words. He took it a step further and wove them together like a real Scrabble game.

Race Day!

I ran my favorite half marathon earlier this month in beautiful weather with my parents! I missed out on the last one I signed up for because of my appendix so even though I wasn't super excited every day I had to train for this one, I felt really great about finishing. There may have been some tears...

Haircuts!

Owen needed a haircut but didn't want one and Paige wanted a haircut but didn't need one. So, even the only one was excited about walking into the hair salon, two excited kids came out. Although they were a little shy about modeling afterward!

Soccer Action!

Then and Now

Community Garden

Our local community garden had a family fun day a couple weeks ago so we decided to check it out. It was brutally hot but we made it through part of a scavenger hunt, some balloon animals, face painting and refreshments before we left!

Owen and Paige saw their friend there and they worked on the scavenger hunt together.

Butterfly!

Pirate!

Eggplant

Oh, eggplant. Why does no one like you? I do! I can't find an eggplant recipe that my family enjoys but I can say with certainty that I loved this one! It was a little fussy to make but totally worth it! Grilled Eggplant and Smoked Mozzarella Melts

Oktoberfest

We almost skipped Oktoberfest this year because it was so HOT! We went anyway with some friends and lasted longer than I thought. In fact, I think the adults were ready to leave before the kids! We hit all the usual spots but the kids were most excited about the glockenspiel and the wiener dog races.

Waiting for the glockenspiel show

Waiting for the marionette show

Eating some very hot strudel

Waiting for the dog races. The air in the barn was not moving but once the races started the kids perked right back up.

Cousins!

I can't believe I haven't posted this picture yet! It's one of my favorites of Owen and Paige playing with their cousins.

Watch Me!

The kids' school had a celebration to start the year off, complete with an ice cream truck, playground activity and um...dancing! Here's a couple pictures of Owen and his friend getting down.

School!

Paige and Owen's teachers are super communicators this year! I've already received a couple pictures during the day of stuff that has been happening in their classes and I love it! The kids aren't always the best with the details so showing them the picture and asking a question about what's happening helps give a starting off point for them to share!

Owen's class had to bring in a soil samples and then they searched through them to see what they could find. He's all the way in the back by the board, hard at work. 

This is Paige's whole class on orange day!

New Classes

School has started and so have Paige's dance classes! She's doing an acro class and another longer class that covers tap, ballet and jazz.

Practicing handstands

Tapping away!

Buddies

Owen and one of his best friends didn't get the same teacher this year but their classes line up right next to each other so they get a chance to catch up every morning! They met in first grade and you can see him in the background of a picture in this post before they even knew each other. I showed them the picture and they graciously posed for me so I could get an updated shot:)

Just chatting

New 3rd grade picture!

They realized I didn't have a second grade picture so they had me take this picture and pretended it was a year ago!