Fall!!

Just wanted to post some pictures of Halloween and Thanksgiving.  Erica and Emma were punks (just bought them wigs and let them come up with the rest of their costumes).  Chase was silver Ironman and loved the guns that came with them more than anything.  Leah was a fairy and so I sprayed her hair pink and everyone died over how cute it was.  Erica wants me to dye it pink permanently.  I love the costume part of Halloween but hate the candy part.  Luckily, it poured rain when it came time to go trick or treating and no one got much booty.  It was great.

Thanksgiving was spent at Tracy's and we just returned yesterday.  We came home a day early to beat a snow storm and we were bummed we had to shorten the trip.  Luckily, we had done all the fun stuff the day before.  We had high tea at some random place in Broomfield.  The girls thought it was absolutely fabulous and we all had a great time.  I think we will make it a tradition.  We also went to the American Girl Doll store and the girls had their dolls hair done.  I also got a lot of Christmas shopping done.  Good Times.

Back from Carolina--kids ready to move there

So I haven't had the chance until now to blog about our trip to North Carolina.  This weekend Tracy and her family came from Colorado so I used it as an excuse to have a big family birthday party for Ronnie.  We had a gigantic turnout and everyone stayed for a quite a while so I think it was a success.  We made beanie weanies (a Tovey tradition, quickly becoming a Green tradition as well) and BTS cake.  I always underestimate how much work those parties are.  I think I will take a break at least until Thanksgiving.  The kids a great time of course, using the weekend with no church as an excuse for sleepovers with cousins.

Anyway, backing up a bit to our trip to see Jane and Jeff!!

We had no idea that we would have so much fun.  The kids were fascinated by the plane ride and were surprisingly good.  We were armed with what Cam calls "shut-em-ups" -- more specifically -- ipods and DS's--so those made the trip very pleasant.

Chase is a turtle

We arrived in Raleigh and about suffocated walking out of the airport from the humidity.  I don't know if I ever got used to it the entire time we were there!  Jane and her kids were waiting for us outside and we had a great reunion!  We piled into her van and she took us to the car rental place.  Then we followed here home.

We spent the next day hanging out and Jane took us around her town and to their mall.  We ate at Moe's and Jane shoplifted.  It was fun!  You will have to ask her for the details.  Kate led the way in catching frogs in their backyard, opening our kids eyes to a completely new world.

Jeff was doing a little dance for me

The day after that we took off and went to the beach.  We had a three-hour drive of seeing tobacco and cotton fields--and of course a stop at the Piggly Wiggly.  It was so neat to see a completely different kind of landscape from what we are used to.  We were also pumped that a stop at Hardee's was so readily available.

Leah and Ruby

Jeff's parent's beach house was absolutely amazing.  Cam drooled over all of Jeff's Mom's art she had hanging.  I loved all the fruit paintings.  Meg and Randy came down from Maryland with us to party for the weekend so that was an extra special treat.

Cam boogeying

The kids loved everything about the house and the beach.  We spent one afternoon catching crabs out on their little pier and Randy boiled them up that night.  Chase claimed he caught the biggest crab of all.  We also loved, loved, loved the beach!  I think we spent 4 days there!  Kate taught Emma to catch hermit crabs, the kids learned to boogey board, Cam built sandcastles, and I learned to relax!  We probably could have spent 4 more days there.


The first night we were there, Leah was eaten alive by mosquitoes.  Actually, we all got it pretty bad that first night by the pool.  We learned our lesson very quickly to arm ourselves with bug repellant.
 

We counted over 25 bites on her back!

Erica and Jackson

We also ate awesome seafood.  My favorites were a toss-up between the night we grilled our own fish and the time Jane took us to get some shrimp burgers.  I still dream of the shrimp burgers.

One day Jane took us to Fort Macon which was on one end of the Island.  I had no idea Civil War forts still existed.  This one was fascinating--even though the little kids running around with the high ledges everywhere freaked me out.  The soldiers had to share twin-sized beds!!!  The entire thing was way interesting.

Emma and Kate

All the kids getting ready to crab

By the end of our week there, the kids were not ready to go home, which they usually are after an entire week together.  They would not be opposed to moving there I think.  They had such a good time with their cousins Connor, Tanner, Jackson, and Kate.  My favorite was watching Jackson take such good care of Leah.  They were two peas in a pod.

All in all, we had a blast.  Jane and Jeff were amazingly tireless hosts (Jeff had to teach early morning seminary all week too!)  And the Hendersons were the BEST for letting us use their beach house!  I hope that we can go back some time soon!

Goin' to Carolina physically, not just in my mind!!

Yay!  Post #2!  On a role!

Cam's give his final for his class on Wednesday but has quickly started to prepare for teaching at ITT.  If all goes to plan he will be teaching at both places this next term.  I tell him he is a bit crazy, but he apparently thinks he can handle it.  Who am I?  Just his wife apparently.  He gets a several week break from Neumont so that should help the craziness a bit.  Hopefully, this term will be a little less hectic than last.

Not a lot happened this week.  I took Erica and Emma to the dentist on Wednesday.  Emma and I got a clean bill, but Erica needed a tooth pulled and had two cavities.  My awesome dentist was able to do right then which left Erica a little shell shocked.  She was not expecting that little bonus at the dentist.  Cam went the next day and needs a new cap.  sigh.

On Thursday I took Leah to the fire station for with her preschool.  Let's face it, it was not nearly as exciting as when I took Chase last year.  He almost peed his pants he loved it so much.  Leah said her favorite part was playing on the playground.  She did get to eat a sack lunch which she was super excited about.

                                    

                                      

The kids have all been busy with school, soccer, piano, and what not.  I have been busy in the yard trying to de-weed before we leave for a week.  I think my new favorite chore is mowing the lawn.  It beats laundry or mopping any day.

Cam also took Chase on the Father and Sons camp out on Friday.  Unfortunately, I don't think he took any pictures.  Chase had the time of his life and kept telling Cam that this was the happiest day of his life.  The highlight was the candy cannon of which I still haven't grasped the concept. Oh, the mystery of the Father and Son camp out.

Also on Friday night I went to dinner and a movie with some of my girlfriends while the girls hung out with Andrea watching movies and making chocolate cake.  I brought my friends back to my house and we ended up talking until 3 in the morning.  I haven't done that since college.

Anyway,  See you in Carolina!!!

Let's see how long this lasts

I am not much with the words, I mostly like to be sarcastic and make fun of what other people say.  Other times I like to quote movies and think I am the most hilarious person in the world.  I mostly want to post pictures of the kids and make a few comments about what we have been doing lately.  Nothing earth shattering.  See?  Fragment sentences.  All over the place!!  I am no good at this.

Chase's first day of school

Leah on her first day

Both Chase and Leah had his and her first days of school.  Chase went into kindergarten and Leah into preschool.  I am one of those parents who generally cheers when it's time to go back to school but I actually got a little verklempt when it came time for these two to go.  They are both so little to me!  Thank goodness for sunglasses which allowed me to just let it all out as I drove away.  Both marched right into their classrooms like champs.  For those 4 hours per week when Leah is at school I am finding I don't know what to do with myself.

Erica and Emma the pros

Erica and Emma started 5th and 3rd grades respectively.  Do you like my "hurry and capture the moment with my cell phone before you run into school" picture?  Both seem to like their teachers (Erica has two teachers for reasons too boring to tell--but she seems to be okay with that).  Emma is making a lot of new friends this year and Erica is happy to stick with her good friends that she has had over the years.  They are taking sewing classes which they LOVE more than anything I have ever signed them up for.  They are telling ME it's time to get in the car rather than the other way around.  I have found that I am unable to teach my children anything so it is way better to pay someone else to do it.

Emma recently got contacts rendering those glasses obsolete.  She is getting better at letting my put them in and she can now get them out on her own.  She seems to be born to be blind and have to wear contacts.

Erica, Emma, and Chase are also playing soccer this fall.  YAY!  Saturdays are definitely full for us for the next few weeks.  Me--the sunblock nazi--completely forgot it or an umbrella this last Saturday and we all got burned.

So between soccer practices and games, sewing classes, activity days, piano, homework, and Cam not coming home until 8:30 every night, things are pretty crazy right now.  Do I know any differently?  No.  As I always tell Cam-- "hey, at least you get to come AT ALL!!"

Here are some pictures of our little outing today.  We  went up to Cascade springs and walked around a bit and them came home to relax for the rest of the day.  Chase managed to buy over $300 worth of apps on my iphone, Emma broke the key off in the door to our RV, and it cost $6 to get into the canyon!!  Sunday somehow became the most expensive day of the week.