Fall festivals and family fun define October in our house.
The beginning of the month we were still roasting in the 90's. Thankfully, a strong wind blew in more fall like temps so we could finally enjoy sweaters and socks! We ended the month in the uppper 60's. The boys took advantage of the cooler temps to enjoy a bonfire with hotdogs and marshmallows one night.
This month we had parent teacher conferences. Jeff was gone for two nights to give updates to the parents of his students. I attended the girls conferences. Both Marie and Anna are doing great in school! They both received all "A's" and high praise for their good attitudes and work ethic. We are so proud of them for having an outstanding start to the school year! The boys also finished the first quarter with all "A's" and are ahead in their studies.
We did our annual family photo shoot this month. It is still a challenge to get all 7 of us looking at the camera with smiles on our faces. The girls are always easily distracted but this year the boys took turns "photo-bombing" some of the pics as well. I didn't know whether to laugh or hit them upside the head! You will have to check out the slideshow for some of the "better" pics. Many did not make the cut!
At this month's dental check-up, the dentist discovered an infection and an abscess in Anna's upper gums. She refuses to wiggle her teeth out and it became a big problem when her adult teeth couldn't get through. Long story - short, the dentist pulled out four of Anna's baby teeth. The days leading up to the appointment were filled with drama but she was a trooper when the time came to have the procedure. I couldn't go back with her and hold her hand but she was brave and didn't fight the dentist. She will have a silly smile for a week or two until her adult teeth finish coming in. Thankfully it is a perfect time of year for a jack-o-lantern smile.
In other news, Jeff was honored again for being chosen as a finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science. He was given a certificate at the School Board Meeting, was sent a letter by our Attorney General, and was honored at a Science Conference he attended at Arkansas Tech University.
The last week of the month was filled with lots of fun activities. Marie and Anna each entered a pumpkin in their school's story book character pumpkin decorating contest. Marie did a penguin from Mr. Popper's Penguins and Anna painted Clifford the Big Red Dog. Neither won but both had a ton of fun. Eden also painted her pumpkin this year to look like a cat. None of the girls missed having to scoop out pumpkin guts! There were also dress up days at school. Marie chose to be Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Anna decided to go as Little Red Riding Hood. Eden went as Super Woman. All came home with tons of candy!
We also celebrated Eli's early birthday twice. We enjoyed a trip to the Ozark Pool where we met up with the Andersons and Nana and Papa. Tons of fun was had and the birthday donuts for Eli and Seth were well received by all the kids! We also had a party with Nana and Papa. Eli chose bacon burgers from our local butcher for his birthday dinner. It was complimented with home-made fries and two kinds of dump cake: cherry and strawberry-rhubarb. Thank you Nana! So far, he has received money for his birthday as he was saving up for an Oculus Virtual Reality Player. Eli is a godly young man who enjoys swim team, board games, food, and anything else competitive. We are so thankful for the young man he is maturing into!
Marie was honored this month to have a piece of her artwork displayed. It has been hanging in a local art gallery for the past month. She is a great artist and it was exciting for her to have a piece of her artwork up for public show.
Finally, we enjoyed two fall festivals. The first is put on by our church for a local facility that helps disabled kids. Jeff and the kids helped set up the games and run the maze. The following evening we enjoyed the fall festival our church hosts for our elementary kids and the neighborhood kids. It is always a lot of high intensity fun and chaos with LOTS of candy. The kids love it! The boys youth group hosted another fun event. They played Office Chair Mario Cart. Picture kids in rolling office chairs, running through an obstacle course, trying not to get hit with noodles, run over "turtle shells" or miss valuable coins. Such a creative and fun time!
We hope that your fall has brought cooler temps and fun times with family and friends. We are so thankful for our Creator who faithfully brings the change in seasons! We look forward to November and celebrating during a season of thankfulness.
Click the link below to see this month's slideshow:
