Halloween

As with all holidays, I always plan on having more planned to celebrate the day and it tends to be a last minute effort to make it special. Even though I didn't have all the details planned like I wanted to, I was able to pull some things out of the hat at the last minute.

Ethan (Jango Fett), Jacob (Anakin Skywalker), Audrey (Raggedy Anne) Alex (a Smurf)

All of their costumes needed some repairs or fixing. I had fully intended on doing that weeks before, but on the day of Halloween I was adjusting Jacob and Ethan's belts, sewing Jacobs shirt because the hole for his head wasn't big enough and I completely redid Audrey's hair. Thankfully, I got it all done and didn't make anything look worse because of it.

My last miracle of the night were the cupcakes. I had no idea how I was going to decorate them, but this is what they morphed into. I actually impressed myself for only having 30 minutes to make them into something special. The kids were a little surprised too and their laughter made it all worth it.

The kids of course had a great time trick or treating and got tons of candy. Jacob was also a trooper and sat with Doug at the end of the night to pull everything out of his pumpkin that had chocolate, wheat and peanuts. The only thing I have to say is thank goodness he is our child with IBD. If it was one of the other two I'm not sure how we would survive it.

Game 6 of the World Series

Little did we know when this picture was taken that we were about ready to go to, quite possibly, one of the best baseball games in history.

Our night started off with Doug coming through with a babysitter for us. Then, we rode the train into town and had something to eat at Joe Buck's restaurant.

 The shear fact that it was a World Series game was enough to make it exciting to be there, but as we headed into the final innings things really started to heat up.

There weren't too many empty seats at the Bush Stadium that night. But, believe it or not, there was a couple sitting two rows in front of us that left after the bottom of the seventh inning. The 8th to 11th innings were the most exciting innings anyone could ever be a part of.

 These rally towels should have been called stress towels for this game. I know I was wrapping it around my hand because the game was so intense.

For the final game of the World Series we stayed at home with the kids. It was a fun time as a family!

Pritzker Military Library Liberty Gala

Doug and I had an amazing opportunity to go up to Chicago for a gala we knew nothing about. I know that must sound strange. Why would it be an amazing opportunity if we knew nothing about it? Well, we knew enough to know it was a big deal at $500 a plate, and we were going for free. The Air National Guard is offered tickets each year and the Wing Commander couldn't go so he decided to give them to us. We definitely saw this as a perk for working with the ANG because this definitely wouldn't have happened on the active duty side. We stayed at the Westin along the Magnificent Mile and these were pictures taken from the hotel.

The Jones' watched our kids so we could go. It was so nice to have friends who were willing to do that for us. I actually think this was the first time since having Jacob that we did anything overnight without the kids that was for enjoyment. The only other times we've been gone overnight was to have a baby or search for a house in a marathon weekend.

The funniest thing about our night was when we were at cocktail hour we saw a lady with a kid on her hip. We both said to each other, "She must be related to someone important." Well, we soon found out she was because we were seated at her table which, by the way, was the head table. When Doug and I realized this we were in shock. As the dinner started we quickly found out that Doug was sitting next to the founder of the library and I was sitting next to a Medal of Honor recipient from the Korean War, Hershel "Woody" Williams. This completely happened by accident because there was no assigned seating at the head table, so what were the chances of that?

 This is a picture of us with the founder Ret. Col. John Pritzker of the IL ARNG

 This picture is with Hershel "Woody" Williams. He insisted that I stand in the middle which I thought was sweet. During dinner I found out he was 88 years old. There were quite a few people walking up to him during dinner and I thought to myself "I'm sitting next to this guy and there's people just hoping to have a few minutes to talk to him." That was pretty surreal. 

In addition to sitting next to two amazing people, we received books from the authors who were being awarded that night for books they have written. One was Bitter Victory by Carlo D'Este and the other was Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes. Doug got them personally signed by the authors which we were very excited about. We also met Carl Colby, and his wife, who made the movie of his father called "The Man Nobody Knew, In Search of My Father, CIA Spymaster William Colby".

All in all, it was an amazing night that we will not forget. Everything was so unexpected and those are some of the greatest surprises of all.

Sibling Record

I know it's probably no surprise that the last child learns the quickest. They do have the older siblings to learn from. However, Audrey truly amazed us this week. It started off on Sunday when a neighbor girl told Audrey she was ready to ride her bike without training wheels. When Doug came home on Monday he took her training wheels off and before it was time to come inside she was able to go a few feet on her own. When she got on her bike Tuesday she had a little help from the neighbor girl and then she was off. Then, yesterday, at Ethan's soccer practice, Jacob and Audrey brought their bikes to ride around the school and she was zooming around everywhere. I think the biggest surprise with all of this is she just got her new bike two weeks ago. She hardly ever rode her other bike, so, going to no training wheels so quickly is really amazing!

Columbus Day Weekend

We were so lucky to have my niece Sarah come and visit for the weekend. We ended up doing a lot of stuff over the weekend and it started off with soccer games bright and early Saturday morning. I think she really enjoyed seeing the kids play. I also think they were doing their best for her because they played really well that day.

 After the soccer games we went to see Dolphin Tale. Great movie, but I think Sarah and I might have enjoyed it more than the kids.

I wasn't so good about taking pictures on Saturday, but I made sure I brought my camera when we went to The Arch on Sunday after church.

 The capsule you get to ride in up to the top!

 Looking out over St. Louis and Cardinal's Stadium!

Ethan loves space, so he had to have his picture taken in front of the first man to walk on the moon.

On Monday, Sarah and I went shopping and had a lot of fun. Then she headed back to TCU on Tuesday. It was a great visit and we're looking forward to her coming again.

Nina and Pinta

It just so happens that the Sheldon's and us are studying American history this year and the Nina and Pinta just happen to be in Grafton, IL. So, we took advantage of a great opportunity to see both of the ships. 

It was quite an eye opener to see how small these ships really were and learn more about what they had to endure. Truly amazing!

Autumn, Audrey, Ethan, Annika, Jacob and Micah 

The boys found a pile of wood to climb on, but what do you know? Audrey is right there with them. You could split that girl in half because she can be so girly, but also such a tomboy. A great mix if you ask me!

Air Force Ball

906th ARS Squadron 

The Edwards' and the Lanier's

Jenni's been a huge help with the Spouses Group and Chris is Doug's DO. They are a homeschooling family too and we actually met them when we moved here, so it was funny when we both found out the guys were going from their jobs in TACC to the 906th!

Apple Picking at Eckert's

We had a fun afternoon of going apple picking with the Sheldon's!

 Audrey loves wearing her fake pink hair!

 From left to right: Josiah, Micah, Autumn, Annika, Jacob, Audrey, and Jacob

First Family Camping Trip

So...I got a bit behind on my blog and I've decided to back post everything to keep better track with what's been going on!

Over Memorial Day Weekend we went on our first camping trip with the Jones'. They had a camper, we had a tent. Needless to say, we'll never camp without going with someone who has a camper. It was a fun weekend, but turned out to be colder than expected. Their camper was a nice retreat and it also made cooking much easier. 

The biggest surprise for me was how close the campsites were. We were never so close to other campsites when I went camping as a kid in California. It turned out fine so it wasn't a big deal, but it was definitely a new experience for me.  

Jacob and Alex having fun playing a game that I forgot the name of!

All the kids enjoyed riding their bikes, but I think Ethan had the most fun. 

Oh how technology has changed things. Jeremy was so happy to get the satellite TV working. 

Went for a walk with all the kids and the dog. How did Jeremy and Jen get out of this one??? 

Audrey and Jacob had fun playing in the gravel. 

Me and Jen!