Fall Festival

The pumpkin party was so much fun for all. The day was filled with Chili, hot dogs, sack races, bobbing for apples and lots of fun with friends. Sarah and Lance ate their apple hands free in about 20 seconds...it was quite impressive. Corinne took a diving leap to win the moms sack race. Branden won the dad sack race and everyone ended in a pile from tripping over one another at the end. As you can see from the pictures the pumpkin carving was pretty intense using tools and everything, but the winner of that was actually a classic little pumpkin carved by the Opilinki family. Here are some pictures from that day. In the past couple weeks we also went to a chili cook off with the Ehrhardts. We went to a couple of fall festivals with jump houses and hayrides with the Ehrhardts. We love all of the free festivals I think the Ehrhardt do too. If we are invited we are there especially if there is a meal involved. No cooking and cleaning and spending money for one meal is a MIRACLE!

Funny Comments

Two nights ago we made dinner for another family that likes country cookin, but I don't cook this way so the food I cooked my children had never had before. Half way through dinner Annaliese said to me in the sweetest most sincere voice "Thanks mom for making this yukky dinner." Branden and I just laughed!
When I was putting her to bed the same night she had scraped her foot and had a little piece of skin hanging off and she looked down and saw the flap of skin and said "So mom are peoples made of paper on the inside."
Another cute conversation btwn Tristan and Annaliese was about Gold Fish and what they are made of. The conclusion is that they are made of Gold, but they are not real fish.

The Ice Box

Yesterday the kids and I went to Kroger to pick up a few things for dinner with our neighbors last night. I have been venturing out to the grocery store with all four in tow and most times it is a bit frustrating, but always a great accomplishment. Yesterday we made it through Kroger and I was checking out with a sigh of relief and a feeling of achievement. There was only one licked apple a bunch of grapes misplaced and many things touched...so needless to say a very successful grocery trip...no major meltdowns, no broken things, not lost children. As I was checking out I heard someone behind me say "Whose kids are those!" This is not something you like to hear when you have four curious, energy filled children 4yrs old and under with you in a grocery store. So my first thought is it better not be my children, or else... and I look and see Finn starting to get a bit fussy in the buggy and Gavin still sitting in the front seat of the cart, but Annaliese and Tristan were not in site so I turn to see my two lovely darlings sitting inside the ice machines munching on some ice and laughing. Yes it was my children and the humility that had to follow the comment of "Whose kids are those, and my reply had to be they are mine! Oh the rage, the frustration the embarrassment! Immediately I draw from my emotions and and my reactions to these events are as if the kids are doing to me and on purpose. It is a very self centered way of receiving their behavior, but I think most of us do it and that is why our emotions rise up and control our actions at this point. It is a great teaching moment for proper behavior in a grocery store...who would have thought you would have to teach your children not to sit in an ice machine and eat ice! Anyways putting aside my ego and not caring about what others think of me...because it totally doesn't matter and making it a teaching moment meant removing my emotions from the situation and taking care of it right then and there. So instead of letting every emotion guide my decisions and actions and pulling them by their hair to the car Tristan and Annaliese where given a certain amount of time off of bedtime, which is a major deal at our house because we have game nights, movie nights, reading night etc...so they will miss out on some activity and hear us as we are doing the activity. Both of them realized they had done something wrong and we proceeded to our car. Everyday is filled with a certain amount of chaos and some more than others.

One other funny story from yesterday and then I have to go and do my house work! Ava was over yesterday and they were upstairs playing. Katherine and I were talking when we heard Ava kind of whimpering/crying and she comes down the stairs with shaving cream all over her head . Gavin had gotten the shaving cream out and sprayed it on Ava!

Busy Fall Weekends

It seems as if Fall is filled with lots of fun and lots of things to do. Everyone is trying to get all of the outside fun in before Winter comes so there are lots of activities. This past weekend we had a birthday party at the bowling alley for Lizzie Donnelly a friend of the kids. Everyone had so much fun! Annaliese and Gavin had never bowled before. On Saturday Tristan and Branden had a father son camp out birthday party for one of Tristans best buddies Andrew. Tristan had an awesome time and so did Branden. The night was filled with a bonfire, hikes through the woods, soccer and tackle football in the dark, smores, hots dogs and so much more. Annaliese, Gavin, Finn and I went to the neighborhood picnic. Annaliese got her face painted and her and Gavin got balloon swords and hats and jumped on an inflatable at the picnic. We had a lot of fun getting to know more neighbors! Annaliese and I then proceeded to have a special night together. She said she wanted to go to the mall, dance her balleration, paint her toes and fingers, have coffee and cookies and watch a movie. Well there was no way we were going to get all of that in, but we did accomplish a few on her wish list. I have no idea where she got the mall and coffee thing. We don't shop at the mall and don't drink coffee. She is in need of some church dresses so we went to Goodwill because I have not been able to find any on Craigs list or at yard sales so we went to Goodwill and when we pulled up she said I wanted to go to the new mall not the old one! Too funny! We did find one beautiful church dress (she loves the super full dresses that are super fancy!) and she was so happy. We then came home and put the boys to bed. She helped me make cookies and then we went upstairs to watch Cinderella and as we were watching I painted her toes and fingers pink! She was in heaven!
On Sunday we went to pray at an abortion clinic with the kids as a part of the 40 days for life campaign. It is halfway done, but we plan on trying to go once a week in response to our call as parents as written in the catechism. "The family should live in such a way that its members learn to care and take responsibility for the young, the old, the sick, the handicapped, and the poor." 2208 Catchism.

Soccer

Annaliese started her first season of soccer about two months ago and she is on the Pink Princesses. She had trouble getting into it, but now that she scored her first two goals of the season last game I think she is ready to go. Annaliese runs down the field smiling and looking to see if we are watching her. There is a huge difference between the girls and the boys. The girls whine and cry so much more that they are hot or cold, tired, hungry and thirsty! The most exciting part of the game is the snack at the end. As you can see from Gavins face he always benefits from the snacks as well! You can see in the pics below that Tristan stands behind the goal Annaliese is scoring at in order to tell her to run faster. He shares his wisdom about soccer with her and she always looks for his approval of all that she does. Tristan is an amazing soccer player. He is on the Golden Dragons this season and has two wonderful coaches. He hustles so much and is really starting to understand how to play the game by passing and playing defense. He is the youngest at 4yrs out there and is playing with six year olds this season, but he is keeping up with them. He scored this past weekend and had a couple of assists. He tries so hard and is such a great listener and an avid learner. And Finn...well he normally just sleeps!

Gavin's Second Birthday

Gavin celebrated his second birthday when our families were in town. It was a great day! On his actual birthday the 8th we went to Chuck E Cheese to play some games and ride some rides with the Ehrhardts! It is hard to believe he is two. He is the funniest little guy. Well he is not little by any means at 36 pounds he has some of the largest thighs, broad shoulders and a huge rib cage for a two year old. You pick him up and it feels as if you are picking up a pile of bricks. He is our line backer! He is full of energy and lots of facial expressions. We think because he is so late to talk he has to make up for it in facial expressions! He is the messiest of any child I have ever seen he is afraid of nothing and jumps from everything even if he will land flat on his face. He loves breakfast and can eat up to six eggs if you let him and four or so serving of oatmeal and loves to drink green smoothies. He loves cherry berry bars and bananas. His favorite toy is a car and he loves Lightning McQueen. He could play outside all day and loves to get dirty. He poops about six times a day on average. He loves to squawk when he is mad, sad or happy and throws really wonderful temper tantrums that include beating his head on objects. He is the most irrational and passionate little thing. He LOVES to dance and will start dancing to any music he hears. He is attached to a paci and a pink blanket...yes it is pink and it was Annalieses and Gavin has claimed it. He is a boy who needs and loves touch and affection from everyone, but me especially. He is a mommas boy. He started jumping out of his crib and after a few hard spills we moved him to a toddler bed, but as you can see in the pics below we find him somewhere different just about every night. He has ended up sleeping on the steps in kneeling positions a couple of times at the bottom of the stairs and there are more and i wish I would have taken pics of all, but here are two of the latest ones.

Finnians Baptism

Finnian was baptized on October 4th at 10am in the Old Church at St. Phillips. Grandparents, aunts, uncles and one cousin were able to come from Atlanta for the big day! They drove up to spend the special day with us! As I have more children this day becomes more and more special and its not about everything being totally perfect or the pictures turning out great, but it is much deeper and goes past the exterior to a deep interior gratitude for this beautiful sacrament. Finnian's original sin has been removed and he is now sealed with an indelible spiritual mark that cannot be removed. "No sin can erase this mark, even if sin prevents Baptism from bearing the fruits of salvation." 1272 Catechism. Baptism begins new life in Christ, confirmation strengthens this life in Christ and the Eucharist nourishes it! Thanks to Kristi and Patrick Bentley for being Finns God Parents!