Boo!

Stealing a couple of nice days before the snow will eventually fly, we biked to a park close by our house where Aliya has learned to do the spider with mom. You're never too old for the swings.

 "Did I scare you mom?" We don't need Halloween to say that one around here. We don't typically do scary…check out these little innocent girls. Inspired by the Wise Owl, Hoot, in the play Snow White and the Seven Dwarves of the Forest this summer, Madison, the Owl.

Straight from 1812, Caroline the American Girl look-a-likes.

 "Mom, next year, we're going to all be Little House on the Prairie. Madison will be Mary, Breanne will be Laura and Aliya will be Carrie. You can be Grace and stay home." Nice to know I can pass for a baby..I digress. Sweet as ever, a blonde middle girl, Breanne. AKA, Laura Ingalls Wilder.

And even carving pumpkins around here is girly. Check out Minnie Mouse

and Cinderella's Pumpkin Carriage. Of course Cinderella's friends Belle and Aurora joined in for the ride. Now we just need mice…or not.

Spicing it up

I never understood how a woman wouldn't "have time" to paint her toenails. Seriously, how long could that possibly take? Sometimes we eat our words. I get it. I bewilders me how having 3 growing children take more time that 3 toddler and babies. Just the same, we keep rolling and I try to constantly remind myself that the most important thing I can do is be with Jesus.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't as proud as a peacock of Aliya's first quilting project. We learned about Noah and God's promise to him then made a rainbow quilt reminding us of God's Promises. 

"Sewing is fun," Aliya decided. She's eagerly awaiting her next project but mom's been keeping the machine busy getting costumes ready for Halloween.
 The "big girls" are busy with piano & playing with Kendall (Breanne's passions) and dance & guitar (Madison's passions). They are excellent students and had great reports from their teachers at conferences. All three girls were able to spend the long break from school at Grandma Barb's last weekend. It was excellent for all parties involved I believe.

Returning home from Grandma's is probably totally boring. Aliya tried to spice things up a bit by Mexicanizing our football food this past Monday night (wasn't THAT a HORRIBLE football game!). Here she is measuring out ingredients for Mexican hot chocolate and also treated us with Mexican cookies. Maybe her recipes weren't immediate family favorites, BUT it's the process that makes memories, right?