How to be Super-Mom:

Thank you Nestle!

Ben:

Today Ben cleaned his room without getting any spankings. (Yes. It's that exciting.) I come in to see, and I'm giving him lots of congratulations.

He runs out of the room yelling "Yay Ben!", goes straight to the snack drawer and stuffs a cookie down his throat before I can even catch up with him! "Woo hoo!" says he.

. . . .But the cookie reward isn't just for him. He gave one to Sara for pooping in the toilet the other day. Which she's been doing for a good 2 1/2 years now. Now if only he could do that! That would be an exciting day.

Kayte's arm

Kayte only has to wear her brace to school for the next three days and then she gets to take if off forever - yay!
This is what the arm looked like when we first took her brace off, five weeks after it happened:

Skinny little thing, isn't it?
The swelling in the lower arm went down quickly, in the first couple of days. She is just now starting to get a lot more mobility and strength back. She is asking about her violin. . .time to get back to it!

Perks.

So Joe went to a cryptography musuem when he was in DC last week, and he brought back some super-cool paraphenalia. The kids were at the table for literally an hour, working out their codes and clues. Nicely done Joe.

Fall.

If only it could be fall all year long. . .

Right on Schedule.

Joe was out of town last week. Seems to me, in the past year or so, that every single time Joe heads out of town on business, one (or more) of my kids start puking. It's like they have an aversion to his travel. The day before he left, Sara came down with a fever. Sure 'nuff, says I. Right on time.

But the next day, she was fine! And Joe hopped on a plane and headed three time zones away. The next morning was the big SPEECH MEET. Which the kids had been working on for two months. I got up early, got the kids and myself all showered and pretty, fed them breakfast. Two minutes before we hurry out the door, Sara doubles over in pain. Ugh!

The babysitter is cancelled, all the kids are loaded into the car (Sara with a big huge bowl) and we head out to drop the two olders at school. I was soooo super-bummed to miss out. And the kids were going to be completely parent-less for the big day. So I decided to get out the trusty DVD player. Propped it up, waited until the very possible last minute, jetted into the school to watch Kayte, then Will. They both did awesome! Scored red ribbons! Will did it exactly like he did for Joe and I! (Apparently standing in front of his parents and reciting a poem is exactly as crippling as standing in front of a room full of his classmates and their parents!) Kayte's was decidedly toned down from rehearsal, but still really great!

I hurried back to the car, having been gone a good 15 minutes, and there was poor little Sara, feeling much better, with a messy bowl on her lap. What a tough little cookie, and a poor third child! By lunchtime she was stellar, her bouncy little self.

I don't know what is up with my kids lately. They've been run down and completely exhausted. It is time to crack down on our sleeping schedules a little bit!

So we survived one more absence from Joe. He isn't allowed to leave again for at least 6 months. I'm just not cut out for it. And apparently neither is he. The one other teeny little side-effect of Joe's travel is strep throat. He is already 4 hours into his first dose of antibiotics. He should probably just have that called in before he boards a plane.

At least we know what to expect.

Hard Worker.

While Joe was away last week, Will took it upon himself to rake up the infinite amount of leaves in the backyard as a big surprise. He was so determined to get it done in time. . . .too bad he has to go to school everyday.


As Will was running frantic, Sara was leisurely hanging in the background picking up one leaf at a time, carefully inspecting it before tucking it away to show off at school.

He's such a good boy. I'm not just saying it. He really is.

Cousin Henry

Isn't he perfectly lovable?

Trifecta!

Wallowa Mountains

Where better to celebrate a perfect fall, than out in the mountains? We headed out for our annual trek to Oregon last weekend. The kids were giddy, of course, and the drive didn't seem long at all. . .we must be getting used to it! The weather was perfect: sunny and crisp!

These boys are growing up too!

We hit all of our favorite spots. The bear got mauled, of course. He is getting seriously outsized.

Walk to the park.
(Notice her shoes are on the wrong feet. That's perfectly normal.)

Strike a pose :)

Lots of grandpa/grandma time.

This gets us a little jittery every year. Someday those little shoulders won't be able to squeeze through anymore.

11 grandkids.

They are starting to look all the same size. Except Henry, of course. He will always be the baby :)

The kids spent the entire afternoon prepping their art for the second annual art gallery. Sculptures, water color, and some pop art as well :)

Sawyer-style. The art opening has hors d'ouerves and wine!

Celebrating two October birthdays! So fun!!!

The hazing. Eventually the boys can't help getting up for a closer look. Even though it scares them to death! Ben wanted to 'touch' it, which he does with just one cautious finger. Next year I expect he will be shooting arrows at it!

What a great year! The kids went on a hike with the grandparents up into the mountains a bit. Hopefully we will be backpacking that very spot in the near future with all kids in tow. The kids are getting bigger, so they tend to take up more space, but other than that, they are definitely getting easier to travel with! What a relaxing vacation! Thanks MOM and DAD!

My Kayte.

Wow! Doesn't she look like a second grader! All grown-up!

This year has proven to be a big one for Kayte. She's growing her hair out, learning how to write cursive, just had her first real test at school, and she broke her first bone! She is becoming brave and strong, and more poised and self-controlled. Her wanting to get her ears pierced was a big step for her. She was very fearful of pain. But when I asked her about it, she said to me, "Well, I've had a broken arm, and I've had shots, and Will had stitches and a shot in his owie. I can be brave for the pain!" I love her way of processing her thoughts, and how she loves a good surprise. She is thoughtful and smart and fast! And she knows how to work hard. I'm so proud of my little girl.

Happy 8 years Kayte! What a fun time I've had with you! I love you!

Kayte turns 8!

What a big day! Kayte turned 8 the day we returned from Portland. She had her day mapped out and planned for nearly two months. It started with a 6:30 am wake up call and a trip to the Breakfast Club with her dad for Mickey Mouse pancakes! (I wonder at what age 6:30 won't sound so exciting :) Then, of course, presents! We like to get that out of the way early :)

There was a lot of American Girl. Kayte said that Felicity will now be able to spend her days just trying on clothes, just like the Emperor from the Emperor's New Clothes. Not a bad life.

She also scored her dad's old digital camera, which means we have a new am-pro photographer in the house!

Ah yes. Snacks for school. I'm not so much in to crafty foods. They can be tricky and I was already skeptical of popcorn balls shaped into tulips on a stick! It did not disappoint. It was such a gooey mess, but I managed to arrange some kind of heart-shaped flower on a stick before spilling the bottle of red food coloring all over the kitchen counter and floor. Yes. The project took me all morning. And I don't even have a photo to show for it. (Mostly cause up-close, not so impressive.) But Kayte's friends seemed to like it. Score one for me :)

Bloody mess. It was almost halloweenish.

We brought up some pizza to eat lunch at school with her. She sat for awhile and then headed back to her friends. It is nice to enjoy celebrity status for a day!

After lunch she went shopping with her Grandma Jan to pick out a little present. Kayte wanted to surprise me by getting her ears pierced (I'd been trying to talk her into it for awhile now :), but thankfully, Grandma just bought her some earrings so that Kayte and I could go do it together. Big Mom Moment. I'm really excited!!! And she was so excited to tell me. She'd been savoring that little secret for months and months!

So busy was I with the tulips, I nearly forgot cupcakes for dinner. That, and shrimp pasta, and her Casebolt relations rounded out the evening quite nicely.

Ooo. A pretty trunk for all Felicity's trinkets.

And a matching nightgown!

After dinner, we kidnapped our cousins for a movie night with the dolls. We watched Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken and ate popcorn. The movie had all our favorite stuff: orphans and orphanages, horses, blindness, and some romance :) I forgot how much I liked that flick.

Then Kayte opened her gifts from Sara and Will. She was really sweet. She loves that kind of thing the best.

What a perfect day!