October 2017

My new method of blogging is "try to keep up with photos" so I'm looking through my pictures where I left off and will attempt to give a decent review of "what's up" in each month.  The following features October of 2017!

This was "crazy hair night" apparently at Awana.  She was the perfect candidate for "back-combing".

yikes.

implementation of jobs to do around the house daily 

appreciating the tiny water droplets on the grass!

we helped Rachel with her "decorate the pumpkin" competition at her office - she made a giant gumball machine out of hers.

one of Eli's tomatoes from his plant that Mama Row helped him care for.

thanking the people who let us use their garden space for tomatoes

fall fire!

Grandma Dee visited!

banana splits :)

 Decorating pumpkins

Vanessa's inspiration was Miraculous

the railings went up! Successful project!

I can't get over how bright these leaves are

Dave's halloween costume ON Eli the dinosaur.  Weirdness.

a glimpse of my Bible study notes as I followed Paul on one of his missionary journeys

random October pic

trick or treating crew.  Elmores joined us.

Dave attempting to drink out of his cup with his costume....oh the hilarity!

Treehouse update

The siding is up on four of the walls.  It looks so amazing!  Great job Dave :)

Eli climbed a tree

He kept saying "I can't believe I'm in a TREE."  We waited at a nearby park while Violet had band one day.

Calvin's "Life during the Ice Age" project

Calvin was so inspired by a book we read for school called "Life in the Great Ice Age" that he took it upon himself to craft a live scene of what he learned.  There is a cave with fire to keep out the animals, a river, beaver, a fallen tree, a bearskin stretched out, meat drying over a log, and more.  I didn't tell him to do this, he just did it himself!

Awana 2017

First night!

Eli - sparks! First year
Vanessa - third year of Sparks! 2nd grade.
Calvin - 2nd year of T&T (4th grade)
Violet - 4th and last year of T&T (6th grade)

This was taken 9/24/17 - campfire night

Eli's first "long" bike ride...3.3 miles.

The kids love stopping at these fitness stations along the biking trail. 

Violet was a great helper to Eli on this ride - hopping off her bike to help give him a boost when he couldn't make the long uphill stretches.

NLXF - end of my second 10-week session

Rachel completed a 10 week session with me!!  She did so good, too!

We attended the "party at the end of the session" on Saturday evening and got a nice surprise.  The trainers choose people for different awards, and Rachel and I won one of them together!  It is called "Do Better Be Better" award and we both won a free 10-week session and a cash prize of $250 we split.  The trainers noticed how we'd improved together, and even noted that we'd invited our dad to start NLXF in Mason City.

Rachel and I with Matt, Luke and Danielle.

This is Danielle (formerly Clark) with Rachel and I.  She's a Mason City tumbling buddy!  Her husband, Matt, is one of the NLXF trainers.

TO BE FAIR AND HONEST -- this is how I look after most workouts.  This was at the end of a kick-boxing gauntlet on Friday and I was absolutely wiped.  I didn't mean to take this pic, actually...I was trying to send a snapchat to Rachel and ended up taking a normal pic on my phone.  It makes me laugh so I kept it.

Labor Day Weekend in Ohio visiting Butler and Barcus families

We aren't always the happiest travelers but this photo makes it look like so!

We stopped at Linette's grave before we got there to show the kids

Dave and Georgia

Violet and Ruthie

Uncle Tim managing all three swings!

Vanessa and Ruthie

the sun was SO bright!

trampoline selfie

Dave with Violet and Georgia

Calvin LOVED holding baby Georgia!

hot tub = swimming fun

Georgia was telling me a story....

Violet feeding Georgia

Tim and Deb babysat all six kids so we could go out with Kala and Adam!

Violet and Ruthie

climbing a structure at a nearby par

Family photo shoot by Uncle Tim in Ohio

Tim said "I'll take your family's pic in the river here!" So we tried finding a place...it wasn't so easy to get there.

Tim and Violet

ouchie rocks!

getting all situated

freeze and smile!