Quade played soccer this year.
Quade had been talking about getting a cat for such a long time. He wanted an orange kitty and he was going to name him Grasshopper. So I ran across some cats that needed a home and of course we couldn't just get one cat. Jet is the black one and Lovey is the orange one. Super sweet kitties. But while we were gone on our Mimication we lost Lovey. My poor country kids are so cold to losing animals. They of course asked about it but it wasn't a big deal for them. I'm still crossing my fingers that she will wonder back home some day.
When Austyn got her new bike for her Birthday, we transformed her old one into a new bike for Quade. Green is his favorite color, so we made him a John Deere bicycle. He is such a brave boy.
Every year Austyn's school has a Jog-A-Thon fundraiser. It is so cute and I love that her school always lets Quade participate in all the activities.
This is Quade on his unofficial first day of preschool. I've been subbing at Austyns school and when I work in the preschool I get to bring Quade along. He loves it and does so good.
Austyn enjoyed dressing up in her Halloween clothes in October.
We got to go to a little rodeo with some great friends. The kids love rodeos and they look so cute all cowboyed up.
The kids and Jordan's pumpkins. Austyn designed and drew her own face on her pumpkin and Quade went with his favorite person, Spider-Man. Jordan always does such a good job carving the pumpkins.
I was so heartbroken that the kids didn't want me to make their costumes this year. They didn't even want me to spruce them up. But they still were the cutest Batman and Batgirl around.
Austyn chose not to do soccer and wanted to volleyball instead. She is over the moon about it. I love watching her light up when it's time for practice and then talk about how much she loves it for days after.
Mimication 2016 was at the Great Wolf Lodge! My Mom is the absolute best mom and Mimi in the world. We stayed for one night and unbeknownst to us there was a Santa convention going on while we were there! How amazing is that! Every time you turned around there was a Santa and Mrs. Clause. The kids got a kick out of talking to each one.
Our next stop was Driftwood Shores in Florence for a night. The kids love it there. We were the only ones in the pool, so they could be crazy and loud. And it's just relaxing to be ocean front. It's my favorite place. After we left there, we went to Alsea and stayed a final night with some family from Reno. They have an amazing home right on the river. The kids were amazing as usual, and it was just relaxing and great to be with just my Mom.
Austyn is excelling in school. She is still priding herself with great behavior and the benefits it gets her in school. Her retention level for her age is outstanding. She picked this crazy pilgrim book from the library (very boring) and when I finished reading it, she could recite the correct dates and even the smallest details. I was blown away. I even had to thumb back through to check her accuracy. Her honesty and kindness are still some of her best qualities. However, we are beginning to see some drama/girly/hormonal craziness creeping in on us. I'm scared to death. I've never had many girl friends for just this reason and I am not looking forward to a full blown hormonal girl in the next 3-5 years. God help me!
Quade is growing up. I look at him and wonder where the time went. He's not a baby anymore. He's trying to wipe his own butt, doesn't use a booster seat at the dinner table anymore, has a big boy bike, and is just so independent. He also has taken leaps and bounds with controlling his temper. He might be one of the funniest 3 year olds there is. He has such a huge personality for his age and the funniest part is that he thinks and knows he is funny.
Jordan is a week or so away from his written exam. Then he will take his practical test and be done with this modules in his ODP. He will then start working (acting in capacity) as a captain for a year. Then his huge promotional test is next November. It will be nice when this module is over and he can take a break from studying for 6 months or so. He went Elk hunting with all the guys in my family. They we unsuccessful but had a great camping trip. He is looking forward to working on and fixing up his old Dodge truck when he's done testing in December. He also signed up for the Stairclimb in Seattle again in March.
And as for me, I'm trying to cherish and enjoy every moment with the kids that I can. It's going too fast, and I am so fortunate to have the opportunity to be at home with them and be involved with so much of their activities. I've been struggling lately with my back again. Recently I found out it's herniated again. And the vertebrae has shifted back causing the spinal canal to be narrowed at that point. Which is in turn causing bilateral sciatica down both legs. Not fun. Makes for a very inpatient and cranky mommy and wife. I'm on a journey to heal myself. I'm trying some new methods and am very excited and hopeful that they will be as successful as the research claims it to be. Wish me luck and a few prayers wouldn't hurt either. As this year is coming to an end I always like to look back and reflect on my New Years resolutions. It was a goal to focus on my health/back issues. Well for 6 months I was good, and then it snowballed out of control when I fell off the wagon. It really showed me how my lifestyle needs to change to make me feel better. Which when I feel good I can be a good mom, wife, and person. And that's what's important to me.
That's it for us in the last month or so. I'm really looking forward to the Holidays as usual. And hoping for some snow this year!! Austyn is a full blown reader now, so I have to hide the Christmas list and ads for things already. I hope you all have a great and relaxing Thanksgiving.
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