Happy Halloween!

Aren't they adorable!?!?!? This Halloween was different than the previous nine Halloweens. Yes, decorations were put up, a pumpkin was carved and costumes were worn.

What made this year different is that I was told I had to stay home and let Rachel go off trick or treating with just her friends!

This is how I felt watching my baby go off to wander the whole neighborhood with no adult supervision! I did call her cell phone to check on her every 15 minutes or so.

Then I put this on and scared some kids! Only one or two. I kind of felt bad. But only a little. It is Halloween, after all!

Ferris was none to pleased about being left behind either. He sat on the front porch with me through three hours of trick or treating, patiently waiting for the next group of kids to come and say hello to him.

But now Rachel is safe and sound at a friend's house having dinner and I'm sure a little candy. And I'm trying to accept the fact that my trick or treating days are over.

Pre-Halloween

This is my neighbor's son at the bus stop this morning. How cute that he's dressed just like Ferris! Rachel wore her costume to school, too. Pictures of her will be up tomorrow. Her class had a party today. One of their activities was for each group (4 or 5 desks make up a group) to decorate one of the kids in that group as a mummy with all kinds of crazy accessories. Rachel was the mummy for her group, and they won! I know she wore a coconut bra as part of it, and maybe a cowboy hat. A room mom took pictures, so I'm hoping to get a copy.

This was on one of our neighbor's front yards. Very cool!

I've had more work this week than I have in months. That's a good thing, and I hope it keeps happening, but between long jobs and cheerleading/tumbling, I haven't been taking many pictures. I'll try to do better next week.

Happy Birthday, Grandma. We love and miss you very much!

Yes, we took Ferris to my grandmother's funeral in March of '08. And yes, she would have loved it. She loved animals. I can remember at her and Grandpa's apartment in Harrisburg when I was growing up she would feed all the critters that came around. Chipmunks, squirrels, even the moles. You name it, she fed it. It was always fun to sit and watch them come up to the patio to eat.

My grandparents meant a lot to me, and played a huge part in my childhood. When my mom started working when I was very young, Grandma would be at our house first thing in the morning. She'd be there to meet us after school. She was there when our dog Whiskers decided to chase the mailman one morning. She threw a bag of garbage at him. Whiskers; not the mailman. I can still picture it, and it still makes me laugh. She took me to Grandpa's therapy, and made me peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and cut them in quarters. It's because of her that I love to bake. All my friends even used to call her Grandma. She was the best, and I'm so glad I had her around as long as I did. Love you, Grandma!

A Friend's Birthday

We went out with my good friend Kim and her family to celebrate her son's 18th birthday. We went to Texas Roadhouse, which of course required Nick to have his picture taken on the saddle. For his birthday, Nick got a tattoo of a Celtic cross on his right shoulder blade.
Kim and I have been friends for about five years, beginning when our girls started cheering together. She's a good friend, and I was honored to be included in Nick's birthday celebration.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NICK!!!!!~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Cheerleading

This is where Rachel goes three or four times a week for cheerleading and/or tumbling. Tonight she was there for five hours. They bring a choreographer in to teach them the dance portion of their routine, and he's only there for one night per team. Actually Rachel's team got out a half hour early because they were so quick picking up the moves. By 9:00 they looked pretty good. I can't wait to see them at their first competition in January.

Boo!

Ferris can be the most patient dog in the world sometimes. Rachel got these glasses at Zack's party over the weekend. They're WAY too small for her head, but guess who they fit perfectly! I tried them on Violet, but she was going to rip them to shreds the second they touched her.
So I think these will go very nicely with Ferris' skeleton costume. :)

Homework with a Friend

Rachel and a friend did homework together today. I like it when she does homework with a friend, because if Rachel is having trouble figuring something out, especially in math, they can usually work together and figure it out. Today they were figuring out averages. They had to drop the piece of paper, which had lines on it denoting tenths of a second. One had to drop the paper and the other had to catch it between her fingers, and they marked down how many tenths of a second it took for them to grab it. They did that ten times each and figured the average reaction time to grab the paper. They also had language homework, subject/predicate stuff.
Yes, they both have Phillies shirts on. It was Phillies day at school since there is another playoff game tonight.

Chilly at the Bus Stop

Ferris at the bus stop, wearing his Phillies jacket, waiting for Rachel. This was the day before the rain started. We had rain for four days. Rachel and I were supposed to go on the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation with our neighbors this morning. Their son was diagnosed last year with both diabetes and celiac disease. Rachel was saying her throat was hurting a little, and it was cold and rainy, so we didn't go. Instead I stayed home and cleaned the house all day.

Zack's Birthday

Saturday we went to Harrisburg for my nephew Zack's 4th birthday party. I think in this picture both him and his friend are thinking "clothes? Really?"

Now that's more like it!

Book Fair

There was a book fair at Rachel's school tonight. These are the books she got. The Lemonade War is for her classroom.

While at the school, we looked at her two projects hanging on the walls. This one is her computer class project.

Her scarecrow is the one on the left. The wreaths were pretty cool, but she didn't get to make one of those.

This was the second night this week I went to the school. Monday I went to a math workshop to better understand "Everyday Math," which is how they're teaching math now. I think I understand it, but division has me a little confused. But division the old way had me confused, too.

Sunday Stroll

We went for a walk today in the woods at the back of our neighborhood. There's a pretty lake back there, and if you look closely on the top right corner of the picture there are Canadian geese swimming. The leaves are starting to turn, and I'm hoping to take another walk back there when the fall colors more abundant.

Milkweed pods.

Have I mentioned before that I love fall?

Ssssttttrrrreeetttcchhhh!!!!

Violet and Beavis enjoying some time in the sun.

Beautiful Fall Weather

After school today, Rachel enjoyed the beautiful weather with some friends in our side yard. Temps were in the high 70s to low 80s today. A little warm for me, but cooler weather is coming. I'm ready to enjoy the leaves changing color, break out the blankets and make some hot chocolate. I love this time of year.

Rachel also spent some time working on a friendship bracelet for her friend Bianca, who has a swimming tournament tomorrow.

What season is this?

Whoever came up with the name "Endless Summer" for this hydrangea plant wasn't kidding. It still has new blooms coming in! I'm glad, though. I love these flowers. And yes, I know it's time to trim the old yucky looking blooms.

And yes, I know I've been lax in posting. I've been lazy and just haven't been taking pictures.

Darren Daulton

There was a pep rally for the Phillies today at One Liberty Place in Philadelphia. I was on my way to a job there, but stopped by to see what was going on. Darren Daulton, who played with the Phillies in the '80s and '90s was there signing autographs.