Fall Fun

Octoberfest

Klondike Park

Augusta, MO

5 MORE DAYS !!!!!!!

http://www2.jdrf.org/site/TR/Walk-MO/Chapter-MetroSaintLouisGreaterMO4336?team_id=16144&pg=team&fr_id=1492

(Follow the link above to join or donate toward this walk.)

15 More Days!!!!!

http://www2.jdrf.org/site/TR/Walk-MO/Chapter-MetroSaintLouisGreaterMO4336?px=1300269&pg=personal&fr_id=1492

Check out the link.  Join the team.  Make a donation.

September So For

It's unbelievable how busy we have been this year.  Both of the kids are at new schools which means new PTO's to become part of, in Beck's case, a new scout group, open house, etc....  This is the first week I have had any free time at all.  Two nights this week have no scheduled meeting only the kids demands on my time.  This year also I have been working at Beck's school a few hours of each day.  It has been going well.  Until this weekend Beck and I had been walking to school together each morning.  A 20 min walk for him and a 40 min walk back and forth for me.  It has been wonderful and, as I was hoping it would, it diverted Beck's anxious feeling he had about school each morning.  Today I drove him to school.  This weekend Bri and I took a two day retreat while Declan and Ariel kept the kids.  We didn't do anything special.  I had the awful summer cold that's going around and Bri was determined to at last get the VW Fastback back on the road.  Sunday morning when Beck got home his foot was swollen and he was walking funny so I brought him to the ER.  He broke a little tiny bone around his arch.  Luckily it wasn't too painful because he had to lay around with his foot propped up on pillows until Tuesday.  Now he has a boot and he is mobile.  He would like to be more mobile but over all he is pretty lucky.  Bri did get the car running and we got to go for a short ride.  (Unfortunately there isn't much room for Beck to prop his foot up in the VW.)  Now the Westfalia has taken the Fastback's place in the garage and when Bri is in town again he will start doing some work to that.  He has lots to do on it.

My baby has become a couch potato.

Last weekend Wendy Mae and I went to Girl Scout Camp.  The girls had lots of fun.  I think it was the best year yet for Wendy and me.  This year she is actually in school with the girls in her troop so her relationship with all the girls have grown but also they are older and more independent.  The parents and leaders were able to relax more.

Now the next big event for us will be the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) Walk, Sept 24th.  I would like if I get a lot of people involved.  You will be seeing a lot of these kind of messages where ever I am on line.  When I first started this I thought I would remind people ounce a month.  I didn't always get around to doing it that often.  Now that I am on the last stretch though and I will really be pushing it.

http://www2.jdrf.org/site/TR/Walk-MO/Chapter-MetroSaintLouisGreaterMO4336?team_id=16144&pg=team&fr_id=1492

You can find our team page and join our team our make a donation.  Don't be left out.  It is really a worthy cause and every penny earned will make a difference in many people's lives.

No Time To Breath

My Moon Flowers.

This seems to be the only thing thriving in this heat.  Will fall ever arrive???  I know it will but as summer heat rares it's ugly head ounce again I have to wonder.  Things have been crazy busy.  Long weekends, weeks and nights have been the tone of things.  I am so ready for this holiday weekend.  Bri and I are going to take a night out for just ourselves.  It has been ages since this has happened.  I have been scrambling this morning to find a little something significant to celebrate with.  I still don't know what the plans will be ounce they evolve, anything will be appreciated.

Back to School

Beck and Walter heading toward school, 8-10-11.

End of a Summer

Well Grandma Camp gave me the time to get the upstairs floors finished.  I feel good about that but that was all I got done.  My porch is still waiting for me I never even got into the city to look for material to upholster the van.  Since Grandma Camp we have been busy with Wendy Mae's B-day, that went on and on and on..... and preparing for school.  School starts next Wednesday.  Schedules, class assignments, bus routes and school supplies have already been taken care of.  We actually squeezed in a trip to Six Flags.  Yesterday, although completely worn out, I had Robin and Abe over and the house was full of the older kids as well as we will celebrated one last time Wendy's B-day.  Cesar, chicken pita pockets, fresh cantaloupe, chocolate pudding pie and apple pie.  I hope everyone finds something that they like.  All I could manage was comfort foods but I think it will be OK.  My crowd is easy.  Today I ounce again have the kids, Dec is at a moped rally, but I don't think it will be all day.  Robin did great yesterday and I hope he does well today again.  I am really wanting a break, a chance to read or knit.  I have found another interesting book which I pick up any chance I get. Although I wish for time to knit on Beck's sweater its just been tough this month and last with all the activities.   The heat has overstayed it's visit and even I, who really loves summer more than any other time of year, am looking forward to fall.  Even just for quiet, kids at school and me doing my own thing.  It has been too long.

This project took along time to finish but ounce I got started it wasn't that bad and I am very happy with the results.

I did some rearranging in the sewing room.  I don't know that it made any better use of the space but it is deff easier on my eyes.  Now this was the project that I worked on while the kids were at Grandma Camp.  This was the only project I worked on.  As soon as the kids got home we started on Birthday mode for Wendy Mae.  She had decided that she wanted to have friends camp out in the valley.  I really thought that the parents wouldn't be keen on me taking the girls out of town, I would definitely think twice about letting one of my kids do that.  Five out of six got permission to go plus two cousins.  Seven girls in the valley over night.  It went well, everyone got along and were at their own homes the next day by noon.  Success!

Wendy planned the whole party herself, menu, activities, everything.  The girls behaved well for her, here they are getting ready to do crafts.

Wendy and Autumn.

All but one of the girls was comfortable down at the creek.

Not bad for a bunch of city girls.

As soon as we got back we started the back to school rigmarole.  Wendy Mae is going to the Intermediate school this year and we picked up her schedule and then visited Beck's school.  His school is a school that was closed down several years ago and is being opened up ounce again to make more room for the growing community.But the end of summer couldn't happen with out a trip to 6 Flags and so on we forged on to get as much done in our last full week as possible.

Of course we had to have cake with Brian and Beck.

6 Flags with Marley and Race.

Thank god Julie decided to come along.  It was great fun to have Race and Julie join us.

Friday we shopped for school supplies trying to get a jump on the "no tax" weekend and on the weekend we had Marley, Abe and Robin.  Dec went to a moped rally in Louisville.  They all did great although by the end of the day on Sunday I was barley functional.  Really my age is catching up with me.

Monday was busy but I had time for a nap in the afternoon.  Still a one car family I had let Bri take my van to work.  That way I couldn't leave the house to spend any more money getting the kids ready for school.  This morning was the first day at my new job and although it seems a bit unorganized I can't see what could be difficult about it, I am sure everything will fall into place.  Food is bought for lunches and Wendy Mae has picked out her first day of school outfit.  It is going to be different, Wendy leaves an hour before Beck and I leave 2 hrs after him.  The morning is going to be really broken up.  I am sure I will get used to it quickly.