Halloween

I was hoping to do the Star Wars theme with the kids, but Audrey insisted on being Strawberry Shortcake. It's not the first time she's foiled my plans. However, I couldn't be disappointed because she had such a huge smile on her face about being Strawberry Shortcake.

We started the evening off at the Jones'. Jennifer came up with an awesome dinner and dessert idea for the kids. I will definitely be using this one in the future. The finger was made out of string cheese and fruit leather, just incase you were wondering.

Picture Time!

The Baby

Jacob

 The Preschoolers

Audrey &Luke

 The Kindergarteners

 Shelby, Alex & Ethan

The Second Graders

Jacob & Drew

The kids had a blast Trick or Treating with the Jones' and Simmon's in their neighborhood. When we got back to our house we were shocked by the number of people. It was like a parade going through our neighborhood. Thankfully we live up on a hill so a lot of people don't come up to our court. Doug took the kids back out when we got home and there was someone dressed up as Darth Vader that Jacob and Ethan had a sword fight with. The kids had some great memories and a lot of candy!

Last Soccer Games of the Season

It was a great season!

The kids loved playing and we can't wait until next year since Audrey will be playing too!

Picking Pumpkins

It was a little windy, a little dusty, but they got their pumpkins in time for Halloween.

Open Heart Surgeries

Doug flew home on Thursday to be there for his mom's open heart surgery this morning. The doctor said everything went well and she should be awake tomorrow. My younger sister told me yesterday that she will be having open heart surgery on December 6th, so my family is preparing to face the same challenge Doug's family is facing right now. However, we know that God is in control of all things. He uses every trial in our lives to try and bring us closer to Him and it is only when we realize that trusting in ourselves is not enough that we are able to see God standing there waiting for us to put our trust in Him.

Columbus Day

Doug had the day off and The Magic House in St. Louis opened their doors to homeschooling families that morning. They do this once a month, but I had not been able to go to their home school days until today. We all had such a wonderful time because it wasn't overly crowded so it was easy to see everything we wanted to see. We even found a Lewis and Clark Trail on the bottom floor that was a lot of fun. At the kid's swim lessons that afternoon we realized Audrey was getting sick because she wasn't able to finish her class. By the evening her and Doug were running fevers. I don't know if Doug is going to make it into work today, but I do know that soup and bread will be on the menu for dinner tonight.

Apologia Live in Chicago

My dear friend, Jennifer, flew out from Washington to meet me in Chicago for the Apologia Live Conference in Chicago. It was a women's retreat for homeschooling moms. Our entire trip was amazing from start to finish. Even if there hadn't been a conference to go to spending time with Jennifer would have been worth it all on it's own. We had a fabulous time touring Chicago before and after the conference. The highlight of our time in the city was a walking tour of their Modern Skyscrapers. But, on Sunday we knew we couldn't go home without going to the top of Willis Tower (formally known as Sears Tower). It is the tallest building in the United States and your ears actually pop as you're going to the top because of the speed of the elevator. When we weren't sightseeing or at the conference we were talking nonstop until late into the night all three nights we were there. The conference was also incredible. I really didn't know what to expect, but I was inspired and rejuevenated throughout the conference. I realized towards the end that as homeschooling moms we aren't only impacting the hearts of our children, we're are also changing our hearts by being faithful to Christ's call on our lives. I had always looked at my role as an investment in the next generation, but now I realize that God is also changing my generation too.