Getting ready for Christmas. . .

Work Party

Our Tree this year!  Thanks to pinterest we have a new tree skirt and I got the advent wrap book idea there as well.  So far the kids have loved getting reacquainted with our old Christmas books one at a time.

 The kids ornaments this year were less exciting for them but more exciting for me.  oh well. . . next year I will go back to getting the younger kids ornaments that have to do with what they have liked over the past year.  This year I just bought ones that would match the tree and they got to hang up all of their past year ornaments on trees and wreaths in their bedrooms.

Savannah's piano recital

 She did great and played Minuet in G by Bach and The Night Before Christmas.

As we were leaving for Wade's work party Abbie didn't want to miss the opportunity for her own photo op, scratches and all.  (She face planted on the sidewalk running away from me.)

Peaches

It has been a few years since my bottling chili's failure.  So, I thought I'd try again.  This time I enlisted the entire family.  We went to the church farm and picked bushels of peaches for the cannery and then were able to pick some for ourselves.  NOTE TO SELF- next time EVERYONE has to wear LONG SLEEVE shirts even if it is blazing hot.  We were all sooooooo itchy the whole time picking and the ride home.  (Maybe that is why I remember my cousin Krista hating the feeling of peach skins when our moms would can.)

Then my angel of a friend Jory came and helped me (the whole day) bottle them.  I never would have been able to do it myself along with my two fun helpers at home (Abbie & Ruby).

I ration how many bottles get opened each month just so they will last longer and I will feel like it was all worth it!

Halloween

The Princess and her puppy.  Abbie had fun bossing Ruby around.

Dorothy with her red slippers.

Reece Canode & Max went off on their own this year.  I even gave Max permission to go to the neighborhood next to ours but they didn't venture very far into it.

Brady the ninja.  He was a good sport since his costume of choice was to be an angry bird but we didn't find one in time.

The "Blue Princess".  Stayed out for a couple hours this year trick or treating.  She would walk away from the houses with more candy and scream "It worked!! It worked!". 

Ruby the puppy with Wade.

Brittany Marshall, Jessica Stastny, Brooklyn Andrew, Savannah, & Hanna Webster

(Max had already left before the group picture.)

Handing out the candy at our door.

Pumpkin Carving

Savannah and Max were determined this year to NOT make the YUCK face in the pictures.

Ruby turns ONE!! This is how she spent her birthday month. . .

HIGH CENTERED!!!  Ruby kept getting stuck trying to get toys out of the bucket.  She didn't ever complain or in true Ruby style make any distressed noices at all.  We just noticed every now and then.  She tried using her considerable tougue tricks while trying to free herself to no avail.

We kept the bucket like that all week because it was quite hilarious to watch.  Then we relented and tipped it over for her.  We have to find entertainment where we can!

This is Ruby on her actual birthday.  She woke up with a fever and so we didn't celebrate until a few days later.  (okay it was more like over a week later but she didn't know the difference!)

She learned this month at exactly what pitch of scream her dad will take her home from church (after only 5 minutes) so that she could eat AGAIN and take a nap.  It seems to work every week now:)!

Happy 1st Birthday Ruby LaPreal!!!

She had no trouble at all digging right in!!

Cross Country, Spirit days and helping her mom finish what she starts:)! Savannahs October

Not quite the finished project but after 3 years of talking about it we finally made some progress in the playroom photo collage!

Spirit day!!  Savannah won for red day.  She loves posing for me . .

Her cheering section for District Cross Country meet.  Max had already taken up his cheering position on the other side of the pond.  All of the other meets were HOT!  This last one was Freezing and very WET.  Savannah finished first for her team in all but two races.  She got second in those.  It was tons of fun for me to watch how much she is improving every year.

Savannah & Brooklyn Andrew

Sarah Larsen, Natalie Gonzolas, & Savannah

Football

Max finished up his second football season.  He was a little dissappointed with such a bad record after only losing one game last year.  He still had fun being part of a team.  He played Center, lineman, special teams, and probably other positions that I don't know the name of.