Pooh Sticks

(Today Clara was sitting on the ground. In an instant, she was crying sad, hard tears. I asked her what happened? She replied, sobbing, "My face fell on the ground!" How does this happen? When one is sitting, on the ground? I'm speechless). 

So let's call this a #tbt post, even though it's not Thursday, and this day only happened a week or so ago, not decades. It's obviously not from today, because in these pictures you can see lovely green grass and leaves on the ground, where if you looked outside my house today, you would see a depressingly white winter wonderland. In November. Ugh. 

We picked James up from school and headed straight to the Kellogg Forest. The forest might be my most favorite place on earth. You can sprinkle my ashes here when I die. I just love this forest-y place. The trees and quiet bring peace to my soul. We went on a hike, and on our way home picked up McDonalds for dinner (#winning) and watched Planes: Fire and Rescue while eating that totally healthy and well-balanced dinner since it had just come out on DVD (#evenmorewinning). It was a day that I want to mentally "pin" in my mind for a very long time. (P.S. how many more technological references could one paragraph have?)

Seconds after this picture was snapped, James fell in the water. Awesome. 

Wet pants. And shoes. And I still made him walk in them. 

Benny Ben Ben!

These shoes make me smile. 

Pooh Stick Bridge 

We upped our Pooh Stick game this round. Don't mess with us. We will destroy you. 

The end!

Tricks and Treats

"It's time to go trick or treating...

It's time to go trick or treating...

It's time to go trick or treating....

for Halloween is here!"

That's a little Wee Sing song that has been in my head this whole month of October. It's also the song that Bethy likes to sing all the time, in her sweet, little angel voice. And yesterday, Halloween was here! 

It was a busy but fun filled day. We took James to school (and then took the trip to his school two other times that morning, one, to bring him his backpack which he had left at home, and two, to bring him  his costume, which (you guessed it!) he had left at home) and then went to story time at the library. The girls dressed up in their costumes and did some cute little crafts. Story time is good for my soul. After our time at the library, we had a quick lunch, got Clara to preschool, and dropped the two littles off at a friend's house for naptime so I was able to go to the kid's schools for their Halloween festivities. James' school had a Halloween parade and Clara's preschool did trunk or treating. Once all the running around was done, it was finally time for trick or treating! Though it snowed in the afternoon and was so so so so cold, it was a fun-filled, candy coming out of our ears night. 

Ben the Golfer, Clara the Witch, James the TMNT, and Bethy the Squirrel

This one house down the road from us goes ALL. OUT. 

Seriously, they rocked the casbah with their costumes and decorations!

It doesn't look as cold as it actually was, I promise! 

Clara and James are here trick or treating with their buddy Andrew, a shark. 

On Kindess

Yesterday I was talking to Clara about different parts of preschool. I was asking who she played, what she played, things she learns, etc. I was ending our talk with what I normally tell our kids when they are at school, to always be kind to everyone, all the time. I said that kindness is the most important thing that you need to do and remember when you are at school.

She replied, "Yes, that. And to always push your chair into the table so no one trips over the legs."

So in Clara's mind,  being to kind to all the dear children God created in your classroom is on the same playing field as making sure you take care of your chair once you are done sitting in it. Basically.

Ordinary Life

"So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life- your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking around life- and place it before God as an offering." Romans 12:1-2 (The Message)

I just randomly logged onto Biblegateway this afternoon and this was the verse of the day. I really like how The Message words its interpretation of Biblical verses, it sometimes hits more to home than a more traditional (NIV) interpretation would. Today I was going to post these pictures about exactly what this verse is talking about, my everyday life. It got me thinking, that hopefully, somehow, my small existence with my kids and backyard and firetrucks and haunted houses is a good sweet offering. I haven't been doing as much quiet time and Bible reading as I have wanted to lately, and well, I don't know. I honestly don't know where this train of thought is going...but I think that all my time connecting with my kids and family and nature sometimes connects me more to God than reading a verse in Exodus. Or something like that. Even though I totally know that reading the Bible is a necessity in a growing relationship with Him. I just hope that sometimes in life seasons when that might be lacking, that sweet offering can still be offered.  I know I am not making any sense, but it is cathartic to at least write this out here!

This past weekend was gloriously, perfectly fall. For Michigan, it was sunshiny and warm, a rarity in this state in October. I think the high was 73!?! Leaves were on the ground, beckoning any passersby to come in and play. So we did. A local firehouse was also having it's annual kid friendly haunted house, so we went to that too. Any place that gives out free candy is a place my family will visit. 

When's the use of having so many kids if we don't make 'em work?

Joy. Pure kid joy!

Ready....

Throw! 

James tied two leaf steams together and called them "leaf buddies." Dave and I each received one. 

Jumping Delby!

At the haunted house. It looks so faded because there was a lot of smoke in there from 

the smoke machines! 

This skeleton's favorite candy

Yes, I totally bribed them with candy for this shot. 

And here it is! A picture of Bethy throwing a fit. It might look peaceful, but she was actually crying out here in this spot for quiet a while when I was loading everyone else into the car. 

Twenty-four Hours

I am clearly going to win Mom of the Year this year. I am currently feeding my kids Nutella straight from the jar while also trying to shush them so I can just fart around on the iPad. #winning. I was trying to sneak my spoonfuls of Nutella without them noticing, since they were watching a movie, but apparently I am a loud Nutella eater, so they caught on. 

Moving on...here's some pictures from the past twenty four hours. We did some fun things. I was thinking again how these pictures show a pretty rocking time for my kids. However, they don't tell the whole story. I don't have pictures of Bethy throwing multiple fits, probably due to the fact that she has not been taking nap this week. I don't have pictures of me struggling to force her into the carseat while she screams so we.can.just.go.to.storytime. I don't have pictures of James eating lunch in his room by himself because he was feeling sad. (I still don't know why? Later he came up to tell me his bucket was "a quarter of a half full" and the only way to fill it up was if I played Planes Fire and Rescue with him later. Now, however, he is dancing to "Happy" since it's on the soundtrack of the movie we're watching. So I don't know what to think....) 

The past twenty four hours included storytime and then grocery shopping. We made little puppets for halloween. At night, my good friend Bri called us over to have pizza. Dave is at his last cross country meet for the season. Soon, when the littles wake up, we're going to a haunted house hosted by the fire station. 

But the past twenty fours hours were so good. And just because there were some bad moments, by the end of the day, more was put into the "good" bucket than the "bad." That's what counts, right? I just felt that I had to share that disclaimer before all these supposed "perfect day" pictures give the wrong impression. 

We made Halloween puppets. James had a pretty rockin' Ninja Turtle one. 

Just take note of the color of the marker Bethy is holding. 

Clara made a pumpkin puppet.

Clearly, this is the face you make when impersonating your paper bag pumpkin puppet. 

It took us forty eleven attempts to get a good picture of James and his puppet. Isn't the oldest one supposed to obey picture taking orders best? 

Blurry. Dangit. 

Puppet? No where to be seen. 

Okay, this is sorta fun, but I can't see Leonardo's face!

There we are...!

Bethy thought she was the puppet, and colored her face instead of the paper bag. I told you to pay attention to the color, and here is purple allll over.

James made a haunted house this morning. 

"James' Haunted House

Beware where you step

Beware of the spooks

Beware of the tricks

Hope you come out alive!"

The haunted house. He is a zombie about to attack!

A girl just needs her morning coffee. 

Ben, stuck under the couch. 

What happened in your twenty four hours?