Cache turned 8 on October 17th.
We have monthly baptisms, so he was baptized November 5th.
He was the only one baptized this day and everything went well. David forgot towels, but our friend, Thamina, had some blankets in her trunk. Cache said the water was warm and he only had to be dunked once, so it was a success!
The kids had no school (teacher work days or something like that) in early November.
David took the day off and drove the big boys a few hours to shark tooth beach. They spent the day combing the beach and ice cold water to find shark teeth. Meanwhile, I took the twins and Sarah to Great Country Farm. They are so cute!
We were the only ones on the whole tractor ride. After Halloween, they let you pick a pumpkin to smash or take home. We missed pumpkins this year. Somehow it was too early, then it was too late and I couldn't find pumpkins anywhere.
There were so many great pumpkins, squashes, everything. We had so much fun running through the fields and finding the perfect pumpkin...which soon became our favorite 10 pumpkins!
We came back right at the perfect time for the pig races.
We met up with our friends, the Tikalskys.
After the pig races, we hurried to the zip line pumpkin drop.
They punch a hole in your pumpkin, fill it with water... then attach 3 huge screws. They hoist it up the zip line and let it go! The pumpkins then smash against the pole at the bottom of the line and splat everywhere!
Next activity, mini golf.
Joshua and Tyler Tikalsky.
Today, if you brought a canned food, you received a free ($2) ticket to ride the cow train. For some reason, kids go crazy for the cow train. Saddle up!
This was the new feature at the farm this year.
Aaron Tikalsky
Then round and round the turtle scooters they go!
Have I mentioned what a beautiful November day it is!
Then up and down the giant slides!
Love this kid!
This was another new feature.
This was Declan realizing he could just go up the stairs on the right.
Accidental picture, but worth showing off my new waterproof shoes that I love.
Declan the adorable.
Sweet Xander.
Final activity...the corn maze.
Hurray, we all made it out alive!
Time to put up the Christmas lights. David let the boys on the roof for some reason...I'm guessing it's a rite of passage for a boy. The twins were super excited to go up...the big boys were super scared.
We finally got Easton to go up with his bike helmet on. Yep, apparently that would save him from harm with a 10 foot fall.
Easton is sticking with the piano. Most days against his will, but as parents say, one day he will thank me. I love our electric piano. We have recently started using the headphones...not all the time, but once in a while...and it's beautiful.
I love this box.
VOID FILLER
It came inside another box with an item I ordered.
It was truly a void filler.
So many thoughts on this, so many applications.
If only we all had void fillers. If only it was that simple!
Introducing...the new and improved Easton!
He can see!
And yet another rite of passage. Seriously, I'm not quite sure how father's keep their kids alive. I looked out the window and saw Declan hanging inside the hoop. The kids like to hold onto it, then raise the hoop up. I told Easton to at least move the trampoline beneath him to minimize damage.
I bought a ton of these great puzzles from a garage sale this summer for 50 cents each. The boys and David have been working on some. I dumped this one out and no one started it, so I did. I thought maybe this would be good therapy to just sit and do a puzzle. I was wrong. This thing haunted me until I finished it. The kids needed things and I said no, I'm doing my puzzle. It was torturous. But a little wonderful. And in the end, I conquered it. No more therapy for me.
Cache and Declan are good buddies. Declan is our lightweight, so he loves to be carried around still.
Cache, the big, strong brother, loves to do it!
Happy 6th Birthday Xander and Declan!
On their list of birthday games...duck duck goose, tag, hide and seek, freeze dance, and a pinata.
Love these kids! I also love that each has a girl hanging on their arm!!!
Over Thanksgiving break we took a drive to Roosevelt Island. This is our second time, and each time we go, I think 'we should do this more often'.
There's Roosevelt in the background.
You can see the memorial in the middle. Then we head down the little path to the outer circle and around the outer loop. We haven't taken the inner trails yet.
The boys just got handsome new haircuts (at the barber for the first time in their lives!)
Cache is really into catching marshmallows in his mouth lately.
We assume these are full of water in the summer. We have only come when they are empty and open for racing around the circle.
I really don't want them to fall in the water and get wet and cold...but alas...
boys will be boys and this is me letting go.
That's Georgetown in the background.
Such great bark on this tree.
These are the faces they give me every time...then I have to yell, 'give me your good smiles'...and sometimes a few of them listen.
Another cool tree with decomposing bark.
Yeah, I guess I will keep them. They are pretty cute.
A water taxi that takes people on dinner / site seeing trips.
Please, please don't fall.
I thought I would try to take some pictures for our family wall.
We have a few family pictures and pictures of each kid that we try to update each year.
Merry Christmas (this was decided for our Christmas card)
I was inspired by all these trees. I've seen cool collages where people find letters in nature or shapes/corners of buildings. Here are my efforts...Y,b,U, L,V,h,n,X,K,T
I know it's horrible to cut into trees, but this tree is pretty cool.
It's hard for us to pass up a quality 'balance beam'.
And for our final performance,
each boy will take turns jumping off the dirt mound and sticking the landing!
