Been awhile

Sorry it has been awhile since my last post- how can one be busy and not that productive? I feel like I have had no time- yet I do not have much to show for it. I'll catch you up on the last month (!) since my last post.

Apple picking and photos
We had a great time apple picking and were able to get some awesome photos (look for them on our Christmas card). A friends daughter took them and she is a great photographer (you can see her work and some of our photos, although not sure this years are up yet, here Carrie Marine Photographics ). The weather was very cool but sunny so we flew our kite as well. Afterwards we purchased some baked goods from the great bakery and headed home. We have enjoyed eating the fruits of our labor (ok it was fairly easy picking) with Charlie's apple crisp and pies.

Halloween
We had a wonderful time as usual at my friend's Trick or Trunk party (now that girl is busy and productive- luv ya Heather!). Hannah was Minnie Mouse, Owen was a tiger (handmade by my Mom for a cousin a few years ago) and Izzy was Eeyore (now all 3 children have been my beloved Eeyore). The idea is for toys, crafts, games and "healthier" treats, instead of loads of candy. The night before this, Charlie and I went to another friend's house for a Halloween party. They had their house completely decked out- it was really neat. Plus hanging out with friends (especially our friends!) and playing games is always a fun evening in my book.

On Halloween Eve, Hannah and Owen, had their church choir Halloween party- Hannah as Minnie again, Owen as a red Power Ranger this time and Izzy still Eeyore. Halloween day was party time at school- Hannah went as Jasmine and Owen as a Pirate (we have a lot of hand me down costumes and dress up clothes in case you could not tell)- they loaded up on candy! Then we did the traditional Trick or Treating (Hannah was Aurora and Owen was the Power Ranger again). We invited a friend of Hannah's from school and her parents over to join us and we had a great time and they got even more candy. I sorted through it all -leaving them about 15 pieces each (and a few for Charlie and I) and brought the rest into work (I seriously think I brought in 4 pounds of candy!). They had more taken away when they were caught sneaking it (brought a much smaller load into work) and only have about 3 pieces each left. Glad that is all over for another year.

Hannah
Hannah had a cold with a cough that lasted about 2 weeks, now just a stuffy nose. Hannah is doing extremely well at school- her reading ability is amazing and her teachers adore her (wonder where she gets that from?). I think she is bored on occasion- but overall likes school. She is even starting to enjoy PE- a class she used to say "I don't like PE, but I try my best". She is still singing in the church choir, but no longer taking gymnastics- she dropped out and we will wait another year before signing her up for anything again.

Owen
No croup episodes and he has actually been fairly healthy this month- a slight runny nose is all (probably just jinxed us). He's doing well in school as well. We are having his speech evaluated for his mild lisp and trouble with some letters- although they all tell me he is fine and it's normal at his age- I just want to be sure. His writing is going really well- he can write out the whole alphabet and numbers 1-5 with very little help. He is even starting to spell a few words and recognize/read some. He is singing in choir and took over Hannah's gymnastics. He will probably continue it and still do the Tumblebus at school too.

Izzy
Favorite new thing to do is climb. Everything is an opportunity to climb- beds, couches, chairs, boxes- you name it- she'll try to get to the top of it. She has taken a few tumbles and is presently sporting a nice bruise above her right eye from going over backwards in her rocking chair (someday she will learn to sit and not stand on it). She is getting over a horrible staph infection on her bum- which caused a nasty red, bumpy, itchy rash. It's resolving thanks to oral and topical medications-but talk about a guilty mom moment as we tried to treat it like any diaper rash for a week before going to the doctors. She is not saying as much as Hannah did at this age, but she is smart and knows exactly what you are talking about. She wants to be very independent and do everything her self- so we are experiencing a few tantrums. She is still at home until Charlie gets some steady full time work.
Charlie
Has a part time job!!! He is working from home doing web editing for travel site. It takes all the hotel's special packages, breaks them down and tells you if it is truly a deal or not. He's happy to have a job- but is still pursuing teaching. He has been fingerprinted and can now get on the sub list. He takes his Praxis I in December. I still am in shock that he wants to teach junior high math! He is singing still as well and just keeping this household stable.

Me
I'm hanging in there. On the work front I'm doing about 1 extra shift a month- so not too bad. We are looking for a part time doctor to help us out- we will definitely need help once spring rolls around next year and we start our "busier" time of the year with tourists and summer folk. The slower pace has helped me catch up on all my administrative tasks though- I only have doctor evaluations to do now, but those entail developing a whole new evaluation process, so will take some time.

Went through some old toys and had a toy swap with some moms from the MOMS group- scored a pop up tent for the kids to play with in the house, a soft sorting toy for Izzy and some new books. I'm all set (except for a few small stocking stuffer things) for Christmas. Yep that's right I have all my shopping done (it helps that older nieces and nephews just get money and gift cards and I'm going in with my sisters for my parents and younger nieces and nephews). I'm working on some homemade gifts for teachers and friends- so those still need to be done. Still have to order the Christmas cards too- my goal is to actually get them out on time this year!

Joined a Biggest Loser competition on my scrappy message board. I'm not huge and I am ok with how I look right now- but in all honesty I could lose about 25#. So I'm watching what I eat (difficult to do this time of year, plus all the goodies that get brought into work), starting to exercise again (hope to get running again soon- taking it slow and just walking on the treadmill for now) and will start the free weights again too. Plus for some fun we did get a Fit for our Wii.

I guess that is everything- we'll see how I do with updating now that the Holiday season is upon us- don't hold your breath!