Pre-K Halloween Party

Jadon wore his Halloween costume to school today. It turns out that lots of little boys like Spiderman. Jadon passed treats out to his friends and they had a little parade.

Jadon is becoming good friends with the boy to his left, Luke. They also go to Awanas together on Wednesday nights.

It's been a challenge having our dining room blocked off for a couple weeks, but we finally painted and opened it back up. There's still a lot to do, but we're happy with the results so far.

Dining Room: Under Construction

Two weekends ago Brian started major renovations on our dining room. For the past several years we used a curtain to hide a hole in the wall, which was a window before we renovated our mudroom. The first thing Brian did was to run a couple PVC pipes in this area, from the attic to basement. Then he rewired the room. His brother and mom helped him strip the paneling off the walls and tiles off the ceiling. A few days later Brant also helped him hang dry wall on the ceiling. Brian has done a lot of patchwork since then and he's getting ready to prime and paint this weekend. I can't wait to see bright, smooth walls!

Babysitting

Babysitting Brecken and Micah 3 afternoons a week continues to go well. We have mostly good days. The best part is that Jadon and Brecken play so well together. They love to dress up, go on scavenger hunts around the neighborhood, and race to the end of the street. They also make up little 3 yr. old games. When Leah's not following them around, she's watching and interacting with Micah.

Jadon is really into superheroes. In this picture he's wearing his new Spiderman costume.

We had some beautiful fall days this week and played outside a lot.

The kids really liked these "Ants on a Log", celery with peanut butter and raisins.

Chicago Marathon

On Sunday, my parents and I headed downtown to cheer Jeff on in the Chicago Marathon. We saw him at mile 13 and then headed over to mile 18. At that point I jumped in with him and ran the last 8 miles. My parents headed over to the finish line. Jeff was pushing really hard through the pain and kept up a great pace. The course was really fun. We ran through little Mexico and Chinatown, and the cheering fans helped a lot. Jeff finished in 3:48 and I was SO proud of him. Jordyn's sister Megan also ran it (her 13th marathon!) and so the Frelks and Pinses celebrated both runners at Jeff and Jordyn's house after the race. It was such a fun day and I will always treasure sharing that experience with my brother.

"What does love look like?" It was a cold morning, but we wouldn't have missed it.

Jeff's "Retirement Party". "Once was enough."

Fall Fun at Grandma's

On Friday, Brant and Amie came to Sterling with the kids to visit Deb and us. We all went to Selmi's Pumpkin Patch, out for lunch, and then home for naps. In the afternoon, we went over to Grandma's house to play and carve a pumpkin. Then we enjoyed our first dinner in Deb's house, which is almost finished being renovated.

Only Kylie had the "guts" to handle the seeds and slime. She helped me and Amie separate the seeds which we baked.

Hello kitty!

Kylie read the farting dog book to Jadon and Leah. It was a big hit with Jadon, imagine that.

"Camping" at the Goldmoor

We were supposed to go camping this past weekend, but changed our plans when we realized it would be cold and drizzly most of the time. Instead we stayed at Jeff and Charity's new residence, the Goldmoor. It is an upscale bed and breakfast located just outside of Galena near the Chestnut Ski Resort. Jeff and Charity are the new night innkeepers. They have a spacious apartment, which they graciously opened up to all 7 of us, me and Brian, Sarah and Greg, Julie, Jessica, and Adam. We "camped out" there, but also got to enjoy the great outdoors. It was a fun weekend with friends and a nice break from parenting. My parents watched Jadon and Leah all weekend. Thanks Mom and Dad and Jeff and Charity!

Jeff and Charity live here now! What?!

Brian, Abby, Julie, Jessica, Greg, Sarah, Adam, Jeff, and Charity at the Apple River Canyon State Park.

Where's Jessica and Sarah?

We went on a Scavenger Hunt in downtown Galena. The girls won, oh yeah!

Selmi's

Last week, the kids and I met up with our friends at Selmi's Farm, a fun little pumpkin patch and petting zoo in town.

Peek-a-boo Leah!

Leah waving a "hello" to the goats.