TREAT!!! Well, we did it. We broke our own trend, defied the onlookers, went against the grain of our more conservative peers, promised to do penance on our return, AND TOOK OUR KIDS "TRICK OR TREAT" ING!!! And guess what - we had a blast=) The last time we went was 7 years ago when Logan was a 6 month old pumpkin, Zach a 7 year old pirate, and Monica a 9 year old Marine=)
After that we went to several of the homes of church families but I didn't take many pictures. The kids had a great time piling in and out and in and out and in and out of the Expedition as we traveled from one stop to the next. For Monica the shock on their faces was better than the candy! Look at this girl!!!!!!!!!
We had a great time getting all the kids dressed and ready but when I see this picture it scares me into thankfulness that this is not the REAL her=) She painted all the faces but her own....I did that one! We even found a gold sequin that we stuck on the side of her nose with liquid band-aid to make it look like a piercing....she had waaaay to much fun planning and doing this!
Like I said I didn't take many pics so here is a shot of each of the kids.
Jesse as the Incredible Hulk (face painting by Monica) ~
Alana as a princess, what else! (face painting by Mommy) ~
Logan as Spiderman (incredible face painting by Monica) ~
Zach as a military man in need of a shave, although he was also identified as a 'bootlegger' (5 o'clock shadow by Zachery) ~
Monica as a 'punk' (face painting by Mommy) ~
(I realize this is a picture that will make the grandparents cringe, but it's what's on the inside that counts, right?)
So....trick or treat, anyone?
The answer is - go outside, get an old can, fill it with leaves and papers, ask your mom for the lighter, and have five, fun-filled minutes playing with fire! Supervised, of course=)
(Pastor Matt, the packing peanuts went immediately into the trash!)
And one final present from Mommy and Daddy, more clothes but, thankfully, also a toy=)
As for the rest of what has been happening this last week/weekend.....Well, there have been a few things but I either a) haven't had my camera, or b) haven't felt inspired to post. A big thing the last couple days has been getting back into the school routine. Monica has started 12th grade!!!! Of course that involves a lot of computer work and lesson planning and preparing of report cards and different things like that on my end, but on her end there are some changes as well. She is excited and glad to have a fresh start on new subjects, but not nearly as excited as she is about this being her last year of school! She finished 11th grade with A's on all her finals and is looking forward to the next 3 quarters where the classes will be a bit easier. Just a few months from now she will be leaving us for Northland!!! But not before spending her last birthday at home, her last Christmas living at home, her last summer as a foot loose and fancy free high schooler - It is exciting and fun but, as the time draws closer, it gets a bit sadder and scarier as well...=(
And while the South Dakota fall is far less vibrant that the New England fall it is still fun to enjoy. So out we went to rake some leaves and just bask in the glory of fall....ok, so that sounds a bit melodramatic, but we did have fun=)
Fun, fun, fun!
Even Boomer got his picture taken, although he didn't stay still and pose nearly as nicely.
He took a little longer to sleep through the night than his sister but he really was laid back and a good baby to have around. Happy whether he was left to entertain himself alone or with a crowd.
He was everybody's baby, loved by his two brothers and his two sisters.
And the birthday's began to tick by as he turned one...
And with each passing year he became more of an individual, letting us know that he would not be like Monica, or Zachery, or Logan, or Alana....he would be like Jesse. And, let's be honest here, while his antics are a wee bit on the bad side (!),
he's earned his place in our hearts and we still love him to pieces!
Happy birthday sweet boy - I love you=)
We all sat down to some smoked chicken tacos, another benefit of having Matthew and his smoker around=) It was VERY yummy!
That morning Alana was not feeling that well so I stayed home from church with her and, as a result, had time to make up a birthday cake. Chocolate cake roll with a cream chocolate filling....quite tasty, if I do say so myself=) And no, she did not turn 6, but I didn't have that many candles!
Since we missed the picture of the actual blowing out of the candles, she posed for another shot=)
The the rest of the afternoon was spent catching up on some computer time, lounging on the couch, the birthday girl getting lots of phone calls....
Jodie and Rachel came out as well - Logan has thought Jodie was pretty special for quite some time so he had fun sitting on the couch and chatting with her. He even invited her to come and live with us, offering to go sleep in the garage so that she could have his bed....=)
The Blue Bison is probably the coolest hangout place in town and they serve sandwiches, soups, ice creams, coffee's.....definitely a favorite place of the 
The place was crowded with people but, thankfully, the kids all behaved very well and mostly stayed 
And here are is the work crew.... Except for the girl in glasses (who I do not know) they are all former 
