Goodbye October

We finished off my favorite month with a bang.  First, Taylor and Mark made another  batch of their famous Banana Mushy Bread.






Then the kids wrote thank you cards to everyone who gave them something for their birthdays.  This was not a small task and I was so very proud of them.  (Morgan didn't want to be left out so she drew pictures while they were writing.)


We celebrated our friend, Maeve's first birthday.  She was born on Halloween last year.


Morgan took the opportunity to wear a second costume.  She was the cutest little witch and even had a witch laugh to go with it.  (It was reserved for home use only)




Taylor and Mark had a Father Daughter Dance at school that night.  It had a Hawaiian theme.  This is what we came up with.




The kids and I carved pumpkins after church.  Charlie drew the eyes, Morgan drew the nose, and Taylor drew the mouth.


Then Charlie and I carved another one when we got home.




Morgan's first trip to the dentist was a huge success.  No cavities and no tears.












Taylor started a little Halloween bedtime ritual the last week of October.  We sang and prayed by the light of this Jack-O-Lantern in her room.






I had the pleasure of attending all three kids' Halloween parties at school.











Halloween night was WET.  But we had a great time!!

October Madness

October has always been my favorite month of the year.  Nothing quite compares to an Ohio fall.  I remember in college how the entire campus changed from green to beautiful golds, reds and oranges.  I remember in high school going to football games and mixers.  And I remember many Halloween nights as a child running from door to door receiving more candy than I knew what to do with.  In my adult life, October became even more special with the birth of my first two children.  With all the beautiful changes happening outside, two birthdays to celebrate and one holiday filled with happy children in adorable costumes, it's no wonder that I've always taken the most photographs during this autumn month.  Here are the latest:

I always go through the kids' toys before their birthday and christmas to assess what they have, donate many, and determine what they might need.  Charlie decided he was through with his trains.  Morgan rescued them from their box and now enjoys playing with them armed with paper clips to stick to their magnetic ends.




This is a new toy from Grandmama called Laser Pegs.


It met both kids' approval.


We had a birthday celebration at home and invited family and friends.


Having full confidence in her mother's cake decorating abilities, Taylor submitted this design for her eighth birthday cake.


Here was the result.


Having a little too much confidence in his mother's cake decorating abilities, Charlie submitted this design.


I did the best I could.


It was a great evening spent with those who love my children.












Morgan even got a new book from Grandpa which she happily shared with her pal, Lucy.


Jacob looked like this the entire night.


One of Charlie's toys was Monopoly, the board game.  The kids are already quite familiar with the game and took to this instantly.  We played an entire game in four sittings one Sunday.  Daddy won.


I am taking yet another photography workshop.  This one on posing.  Taylor was my model for week one.


















I have been wanting to capture this moment on film for a while.  Frequently I get Morgan up early so we can have time to leisurely read before breakfast and before preschool.  It's one of the best parts of the week.


Although sometimes she is still sleeping and looks too sweet to bother.




Speaking of Morgan, here are a few photos taken by her teacher during preschool.








And in other news,  I finally took the kids to the bank to officially open their savings accounts.  They had been saving part of their allowance each week and also received some cash for their birthdays.  I am so happy to have the opportunity to instill in them the idea of saving some money every time you get paid.


I hope everyone enjoys the rest of this fantastic month!