Extended Family News!!!!--MUST READ

I am so proud of my "baby" brother Ryan! He has really put a lot of heart into the Teen Weight Loss Program at Mt. Ararat High School. It only takes one person to make a huge difference in a persons life, and he has truely done a wonderful job helping teens through his role as a Physical Education Teacher. It would be so nice to see all teachers have his enthusiasm and passion for their students. I am very proud of you Ryan. Watch the video clip above for yourself. PS Also a BIG CONGRATULATIONS TO RYAN & ERIN ON YOUR PREGNANCY!!!

Saturday Fun

This morning the kids decided to play cowboy/cowgirl, and combine it with being detectives. So I played "Blues Clues combined with Scooby Doo" (sorta). I made up hints on sticky notes and stuck them all around the upstairs. Then I told the kids a story about something mising. 1st story: "Mommy is missing a sock and I have reason to believe one of your animal friends might have taken it. Can you follow the clues and figure out who took my sock and find out where they hid it?" Off they went on a little scavenger hunt. Once they found all of the clues, they had to try and solve the mystery. They had so much fun that I made up a second story and added more clues to lengthen the game while I took a shower. It worked too! 2nd story: "Mommy is missing a very special bracelet that Riley made for me. I think somebody might have tried to borrow it and forgot to put it back." The kids had to find 7 clues and then piece the clues together. This was really neat to play with the kids and the 5 minutes it took me to hide an item, write out the clues, and then hide them was worth the 15-20 minutes it took the kids to play the game.

Star Gazing

Ever since I moved into our home, I have thoroughly enjoyed my front porch; especially during Autumn! When Camden was a year old and I was pregnant with Riley, Camden and I would sit outside and look at the stars, snuggle, talk, and tell stories, we would wait for Dad to come home, and almost always Camden would sit outside until he fell asleep. Last night was our first night this Autumn of star gazing and we celebrated with hot cocoa and pumpkin dip (see my favorite recipes). Both kiddos fell asleep all bundled up in their blankets...did I mention it got down to 38 degrees?!

Family Outing

While Kevin's parents were visiting we went down to one of our Fall family favorite spots for a fun day of wagon rides, corn mazes, pony rides, and of course APPLES!

The Chief Pinning Ceremony

Here are the ceremony photos!