The Wednesday before Halloween the kids went to their AWANA's annual Trunk or Treat with Papa Joe.
Then the next day, the wore their costumes to co-op.
I love that these two had coordinating costumes (and even more that they happily shopped their closets this year).
Harry Potter reading Harry Potter.
We celebrated Papa Joe's birthday at our house. I made his favorite roast for dinner and a carrot cake for dessert.
The kids even put on a show for him to celebrate.
On Friday night, Barry took the boys to the Broken Arrow vs. Jenks football game, and Elisabeth was off at a birthday party. That meant Matt and I got some one on one time with this Cutie. Her request for the evening was dinner at Sams and a trip to Cherry Berry for dessert. Her smile says it all.
She gives us this hilarious evil laugh when she's really happy, and she was laughing the entire time she poured all the toppings on her ice cream.
While we were hanging with Katherine, Elisabeth was rock climbing to celebrate one of her sweet friends' birthdays. So fun!
These girls have developed the sweetest friendship over the last year. They are inseparable any time they're together. Anne and I literally had to pry them apart at the end of the party.
Elisabeth had a blast rock climbing. I was thankful for the pictures Anne sent me. I had a feeling she'd love it and be good at it.
They went to Hideaway for pizza and cupcakes after rock climbing. Elisabeth had the best night!
Matt's department hosted a family pumpkin carving party. Pumpkin carving has never been my thing, so the kids were thrilled for a chance to get to do it.
They all turned out pretty good!
Elisabeth even won first prize in the contest.
We left straight from Matt's work and headed over to Audrey's birthday party. The kids wore their costumes, ate pizza, played outside and rode on a hayride. The perfect Fall birthday!
The kids had picture day at co-op. They are all growing up so fast!
Kyla recently joined Katherine's dance class, and now these two get yet another weekly activity together. They really bonded during their sisters' dance class last year. Elisabeth always says, "What would life be like if I wouldn't have become friends with Nora at Katherine's dance last year?"
I mean, they never have any fun together.
Nathan gave an oral presentation on the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World in his history class. He prepared diligently and gave great information during his presentation. I'm proud of him!
We've had a busy and fun October. Nora and Kyla spent a morning with us, and the girls all played so well together. Play dates are some of our favorite things.
Of course, these girls made crafts together.
The biggest news this Fall is a new member of our family!
Meet Hannah, our Holland Lopp Rabbit.
Samuel has been researching pet rabbits for months. He's checked out dozens of books from the library and had consistently saved his money to have enough to purchase a pet rabbit and cage. Finally, he wore us down and we agreed to it. The things we do for our kids, ha! She is a sweet rabbit and the perfect pet for us- low maintenance, but still interactive and fun.
September was this girl's turn for a date with mom- except we didn't get around to it until October. She didn't seem to mind. We grabbed ice cream at Braums and watched Luck at the movie theater.
It was a super cute movie with a super cute date. She adores quality time with anyone, and I certainly look forward to time alone with her.
We invited the Shondelmyers and Papa Joe over for an OSU watch party. Katherine had recently spent her birthday money on a new toy and insisted on taking a picture with it.
Elisabeth and Kaydence crafted during the game.
And the boys played video games.
Hannah was the star of the show for the afternoon.
Nathan started another season of flag football. He's recently turned into a big time football fan- college, high school, professional, he's a fan of it all and has had a great time playing also.
The other kids always find friends to play with during his games.
Katherine had her Fall dance performance. She did great and was all smiles during the whole dance.
Papa Joe took the boys to Kansas City for a weekend getaway and to see a Kansas City Chiefs game. While they were away, the girls enjoyed a fun girls' weekend. We went shopping and had dinner at the mall, baked and decorated cakes, and watched Princess Diaries 2.
The girls were proud of their cakes.
They also attended our neighborhood Fall Party with our favorite neighbors.
Meanwhile the boys were living their best life going to Lego Land, swimming at the hotel pool, and of course watching the Kansas City Chiefs. They're so proud to say that they've been to an NFL game and neither of their parents have!
Katherine attended her first Pre K field trip to Livesay Orchards. It was my fourth and final Fall Pre K. She had a great time choosing a pumpkin, playing at pumpkin play land and spending time with her sweet friends.
I'm always so thankful for these sweet memories I get to make with my kids.
The busy morning wore her out.
I had front desk duty at co-op during one of Samuel's free hours. He joined me and read in peace and quiet. He recently restarted Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and has been devouring it.
I also got to be mom helper in the kids' zoology class on the day they made the life cycle of a frog out of food. So fun! All their co-op teachers are so creative.
Elisabeth has been begging for a sleepover with Ilona for months, and we were finally able to make it happen. The girls stayed up way too late chatting. They have the sweetest friendship, and I was very proud of Elisabeth for including her little sister in all the sleepover fun.
We went on a CHEER field trip to Pumpkin Town the next afternoon. We're finding a way to fit in all the Fall fun activities.
We traveled to Edmond for Abby's third birthday and spent a couple of hours at Frontier City before her party. We aren't planning to renew our passes, so we were glad to cram in one more visit before they expire.
The kids always look forward to spending time with their cousin. I can't believe she's three!
So a couple of years ago, I purchased tickets for Frozen the Musical that was coming to Tulsa for me and Elisabeth. The show was scheduled for June of 2020. We all know that everything was canceled in June of 2020, and Elisabeth and I were bummed. They rescheduled the show a couple of times, and finally over two years later, we finally got to watch the show. I added a ticket for Katherine, and she ended up being the age Elisabeth would have been for the original date of the show. Crazy!
We were all so excited for a fun girls' night!
I took the girls to Olive Garden before the show.
The show was incredible! It's been several years since I've seen a Broadway show, and I was blown away by all the special effects, lights, stage design etc. I had to come home and google how the special effects worked during the show.
