Catching up and gearing up!

Catching up seems to be an ongoing challenge these days. I wonder if I will ever be caught up? Not even sure what that really means! Anyway, Carter played flag football again this year through I9 sports with a couple of kids from his baseball team as well as some new teammates. Jeremy had so much fun coaching last year ( I am being serious!) that he opted to coach again with a little help from Coach King, Carter's baseball coach. They easily won their division, outscoring their opponents 185-42. They ended the season with a 7-1 record, losing their only game in the championship game of the 2 divisions. The Championship game is played in Ankeny on the old high school field with AstroTurf and all! Not sure what next year will bring as the the option is there to play tackle (he could have started that this year) with Carter expressing interest in trying this. I'm not so sure Jeremy and I are up for that? 

I realized I never posted the kids school pictures! I never take these too seriously since we always do family pictures but I think the turned out pretty good! 

So I truly win rotten mother of the year award! You'd never know it by the big smile on this girl's face! I got a call on a FRIDAY afternoon from the school nurse that Claire had come in from recess because she had fallen off the monkey bars. The nurse had her stay inside for the next recess and had given me some info on where I could take her over the weekend if she complained of any pain. I picked her up from school, she seemed fine and really wanted to go to her friend's birthday party at Backyard Adventures that night. I mean I am an OT right? I did my ROM checks, she was fine! I dropped her off and when I came back to pick her up, she was sitting by herself saying her wrist hurt. Aww..You'll be okay, let's go home and put some ice on it! SATURDAY she helped me scoop snow (Jeremy and Carter were gone for the weekend at a wrestling tournament in Oklahoma) but only complained slightly of her wrist hurting. Aww..You'll be okay, lets ice it. So SUNDAY Jeremy and Carter get home with Carter needing to go to the Dr to get a clearance note for his ringworm (gotta love dirty wrestling mats) so at the last minute I had her go along with the boys so the Dr could check out her arm. Yep, sure enough, 2 days later, only because of ringworm, did we realize, yes her wrist was truly broken!  MONDAY they put a pretty pink cast on it! Luckily she thinks this is pretty cool and loves all the extra attention she has gotten! Both her gymnastics coach and dance teacher have been kind enough to modify their programs for her so she can still participate in her activities. She goes in tomorrow to have it taken off after 4 weeks! It is getting pretty ripe so I'll be glad to have it gone! Yep, rotten mom of the year! 

Although I didn't take any pictures, we celebrated Thanksgiving this year by hosting the dinner at our house! This is the first time we have done this and I think we may have started a new tradition. I have to admit I cheated somewhat and ordered it all from Hyvee!!! It was the best Thanksgiving ever! No grocery shopping, no hours spent in the kitchen cooking, and no dishes to wash! We ordered a hot carved turkey dinner for 12 people with all the fixings for way less than you could have bought all the groceries for and it was YUMMY! Later that afternoon Jeremy and the kids and I along with my mom and sister checked out one of our favorite holiday pastimes, The Festival of Lights and Trees! This is a fundraiser for Blank Children's Hospital with some of the most gorgeous trees! There is always a scavenger hunt for kids to find certain things on the trees as well as a ton of kids activities. This is our traditional kick off to the Christmas season! 

Case's favorite treat, filled with Teddy Bears

Carter picked the "Elf" tree as his fav this year!

And of course, we are still mesmerized by Frozen! 

Santa was there thank goodness because this may be the only chance we have to see him! 

What has also become a Christmas tradition gearing up for the holidays is the annual ugly Christmas sweater party hosted by our friends the Sorensen's for neighbors in our old hood. These are some before pics with our friends the Buschers. The kids all get to have their own party filled with pizza and movies while the adults stagger across the street for some adult beverages and lots of laughs! It's so good to see all of our old neighbors! 

Last Friday I was able to spend the morning with Claire and her class at the Des Moines Playhouse to watch the production of the Gingerbread Man. I felt so thankful her teacher asked if I could join them! 

Friday night was also a big night for Case as Kids Company held their annual preschool Christmas program. I wasn't sure how he would do with this but he was a rock star and belted out the words to every song. So funny because all week I asked him what they were singing and he kept saying, " I don't know" He knew! Little smarty pants! 

And last but not least, we had a very special visitor in our neighborhood this past weekend! Santa came by on the Clive fire truck handing out candy canes and taking last minute requests! Thanks to our neighbor Sonya to alerting us he was coming! If it weren't for her we would have missed him the last 2 years! 

 I have to say I think I am ready for Christmas! House decorated ( we added another tree this year to make 6!) Christmas cards sent, presents all bought and mostly wrapped! AND.....Santa is bringing gifts this year that don't have to be put together at midnight on Christmas eve! Woo hoo! Maybe I am caught up? :) 

Fall fun and trick or treat!

I can't express how much I love fall! The turning leaves, cool weather (although it has been unseasonable warm this fall...shorts and tshirts in October?) caramel apples, pumpkin anything, warm cider donuts (shh..don't tell Jeremy) jumping pillows, and Reese's peanut butter cups that I steal from the kids candy buckets all make this my favorite time of the year! This year I took the little two back to Howell's for an afternoon of fun. We hadn't been there in a couple of years and it has changed quite a bit! 

This was a new area they had set up and this was by far the kids favorite! They had set up a "mud pie" station filled with all kinds of old kitchen equipment and utensils with bins of sand, dirt, bedding, wood chips, etc that the kids could create not so yummy treats. 

One our way home we made a detour to an orchard we hadn't been to before, Wills Family Orchard, just outside of Adel. We grabbed some yummy apples and of course, apple cider donuts! 

Thank goodness for early outs (I don't always say this!) We were able to make a quick trip to our favorite orchard, Center Grove in Cambridge on an early out day before having to hurry home to start the night's activities. 

Case wasn't so sure about this giant slide, so Carter was kind enough to take him down a couple of times before he braved it on his own! 

Case wasn't so sure about this giant pit of corn either and chose to watch from the sidelines until he got tired of all 3 of us badgering him to get it! I think he liked it! I always tell the kids the story of Carter sticking a piece of corn up his nose on his preschool trip here when he was 3 and we didn't find it until 3 months later, all moldy in his nose. I think it scares them enough to not stick corn in any orifices! :) 

Jumping pillow workout! 

TRICK OR TREAT!!

The Saturday before Halloween I took the younger two to Hyvee for a Halloween party. They had a blast decorating cookies and pumpkins and gathering goodies at the different stations! Case left this goggles on the whole time and I couldn't help but laugh at him! 

Beggar's Night

Elsa, Raphael, and scary gladiator? 

We were invited over to our old neighborhood by our friend's the Reed's so the boy's could trick or treat together. 

Hunter, Duke, Carter

 Case got to go out again at preschool on Halloween to the local business' and this time chose the fireman costume. He is the one next to the Hulk. If you look closely, I think he is checking out the princess to his right!  Maybe he is trying to rescue her! 

Pumpkins!!

The Berry pumpkin patch was bountiful again this year! Every year since Carter was just a baby, Grandma and Grandpa Berry and the kids have planted a pumpkin patch out at the farm. Each year it gets a little bigger with a few new varieties of pumpkins and gourds. I'm not sure who enjoys this more, the kids or grandma and grandpa. We don't get back as much as we would like to help out with the weeding, etc, but grandma and grandpa are always quick to give us updates on how the patch is coming along! Going to check on the patch is always the first thing the kids do when we do get back! I love that these city kids get a little lesson in farming too! 

If I could only pick this one up! 

Claire picked out this really cool green warted pumpkin!

 The last couple of years we have opted to paint our pumpkins. Mostly, for my sake, as this is the more kid friendly option, and I'm not stuck carving all the pumpkins by myself! The only downfall to this is no roasted pumpkin seeds! 

The beginnings of Carter's Frankenstein pumpkin!

 Claire working on our family "F" pumpkin

Not really sure what Case's is suppose to be, but that's what happens when a 3 year old gets a hold  of paint and some random stickers! 

 Claire's Frozen pumpkin! She did this all by herself and it turned out great! 

 Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for hosting the best pumpkin patch around!