Fall Festivities

Once we returned from Europe, we had one full week of family-time before Chris had to head out to Chicago and work for two full weeks.  We crammed in another trip to Kings Island (where we ran into my girlfriend Ashley and her kiddos) and then went straight to a mini festival at the fire station.

Kings Island

Clearcreek Fire Station

 

Soccer

Hudson has finished his soccer season and we could not have been more proud of this guy!  He not only scored dozens of goals, but also learned how to pass the ball and be a team player.  And Adley was always his #1 cheerleader...unless there were snacks nearby...then she would eat veggie straws and oranges, read Dora or Elsa and play with bows.  Same difference, right?

  

  

Monster Mash

School had their annual Halloween party and the kids had a blast.  It was a Harry Potter theme that included a bouncy slide, a mini petting zoo, a haunted bus, games, food, candy and ice cream.  Aunt Shannon bought the cousin trio PJ Masks costumes while we were in Europe and they all loved it.  Adley is deathly afraid of costumes, even ones that are not hers.  She has a conniption whenever Hud puts on his Ninja Turtle or Captain America costume.  Her princess costume dress was too scary to wear that night, along with the paper wrist band to get into the event.  Sigh.  All she wanted was her Elsa pjs (which look JUST like the costume btw).  Second sigh.  Moments like this pain me as a mother because I have to "pick my battles."  I find it rather annoying and slightly offensive when a two year old attempts to play boss lady.  But I also know it is inconceivable to even attempt to change the mind of a stubborn little girl.  So Elsa pjs it was...

  

Adley and her favorite teachers (Miss Theresa and Miss Brittany) and Hudson with his best bud, Caleb.

 

Even the mamas got in on the fun.  After a group pic, we packed up the kids and took them to Crooked Handle, the local brewery that is in walking distance of the school.  The perfect way to end a Friday evening!

Weekend #2 without Chris in town included Lolly and I taking the cousins to Lovely's Farm, which had it all - a pumpkin patch, donkeys, ice cream and checkers.  There was also a mechanical pony that the kids were obsessed with...we went through many quarters that day!

That evening, LollyPop had the boys and I had a girls night with Claire and Adley.  It was WAY more fun than I anticipated.  These girls were perfection!  No joke - as I would be the first to tell you that my children and Shannon's (sorry girl) rarely fall into this category.  They played together, giggled for hours, and helped each other out, all while never once fighting, hitting or yelling.  It was the cutest thing to watch.  Getting away from those older brothers made them feel ever so special.

 

We played dress up, hide-and-seek and then watched Moana.  Claire was kind enough to narrate the entire movie and tell Adley when to laugh, when to sing and which songs were "for the bubbas" and which ones were for the girls.

 

I assumed the gift of a stress-free, fun-filled evening would come to an end once night time hit.  But both girls slept through the night (in their own beds), didn't wake up till 8 am and played quietly all morning long.  Hudson usually wakes up full-force at 100% by 6:15 am, so this was a small gift from God.  Dare I say perfection again?! 

Chris is finally back in town and we are in full swing with Halloween.  Soccer is done, we are in the midst of swim lessons and before you know it, the holidays will be here.  Now we are just trying to soak in all the goodness of fall festivities, giggly kids and quality family time :)