Happy Halloween... Minecraft style!

The second ceramics project came home from school...

how cute is this lil' turtle bank??  The trimester is starting to wind down... which means ceramics will be finishing up soon.  Ainsley is pretty bummed about it and has been working like crazy trying to get all the "wet" building projects done because the last kiln firing is soon. Second trimester she will do career awareness... something not that exciting but at least she didn't get another PE class since she really hates running laps!

Walker had his last football game for the season...

Just when the team starts to really work as a team they are finished!  They ended on a good note though... they got their very first passing touchdown and won the game.  I'm not sure who was more excited... players, coaches or parents!

Afterwards it was a little celebration at Pizza Pie Cafe...

Where they not only have all you can eat pizza, pasta and salad they also have awesome dessert pizzas like this... Peanut butter chocolate chip cookie pizza... Yum!!

Walker is super excited for continuing on with football next year... because in 5th grade it turns into tackle football and he's stoked about wearing a helmet and shoulder pads... the works!

Basketball season has started for Ainsley... check out her new shoes!  We will definitely be able to find her on the court!

A new coach and a new team this year but all girls are from her middle school which is great to broaden her circle of friends.  She loves to go to socialize... first practice the coach tells her, "There's no nice in sports!"  So this season we will be working on being aggressive and mean on the court but on the sidelines her usual cute, cheerful self!

She...

had a Halloween Birthday Party to go to last Friday until MIDNIGHT!!!  She wanted to wear last year's costume since this year's is still undecided.  She wanted her hair all sprayed black with glitter spray added in as well.  She also wanted to make sure we'd have enough time to put black eyeliner, mascara and dark eye shadow on for her "dark angel" look.

She had a fun time... was utterly exhausted... sat in gum... and tried to pull it off only to have the toile on the dress rip in shreds... she got  pop spilled all over gloves and coat and was really glad to get home but was not thrilled to take a shower at midnight. Black hair and white sheets... that would have been a disaster.

The next day I emptied out her phone, chap-stick, and flashlight and put the coat and gloves in the wash along with another load... transferred everything to the dryer and when I went to empty it I saw this...

This part of the story is where it could have been right out of a movie.  That purple streak mess... would be ink!  For some reason there was a ball point pen in Ainsley's inside coat pocket... it fit perfectly in that vent on the right hand side... nice and tight... so snug that when the clothes were drying around the pen broke off and continuously sprayed ink around and around... ink was everywhere... on everything!!  You know what gets out ink with cleaning supplies from home... NOTHING!

Into the car to Lowes...$20 bucks later...

2 hours of scrubbing... with 2 different types of cleaners.. and my fingerprints worn off... I am back drying laundry again!

Last Thursday we actually had an evening of nothingness.. ( no homework for either kiddo, football was cancelled and scouts also was cancelled) which is few and far between these days.  I had to stock up on some essentials at Costco so we all got to go... have a few samples and check out the "Costco stuff".  As we were checking out Ainsley says, "We never got to come and get a strawberry sundae this summer!"

So dinner plans got put on hold and we all had our "summer treat" didn't have to rush on to the next thing... just sat... chatted and ate yummy ice cream... these are the days I want to cherish and hold onto forever when the rest of the week seems to fly by!

First piano recitals with the new piano teacher of the season... Ainsley even turned her own sheet music by herself and continued playing... nicely done pumpkin!

Walker had a duet with piano teacher and luckily Stewart was able to practice with him before so that he had an idea of how the duet part worked!  The kiddos were both super nervous even though they've done these in the same place for a couple years now.  I think it was because new piano teacher only gave them 3 weeks to work on their pieces.  Our last piano teacher gave them 6 weeks and required them to have them memorized... playing with music this time kind of threw them off.  Next will be a Christmas recital and then they will be getting ready for Festival.

Last Saturday we went to an ISU game...

And while the lady next to us made an ANNOYING Tarzan call the entire game it was pretty fun to yell, cheer and watch them actually win a game!! The final score was 40 to 26!

What is it about a hotdog tasting so darn good at a game??

Walker was a bit freaked out at first when I told him Benny the Bengal has a habit of just appearing next to fans... so he spent majority of the game with a watchful eye out... but he did want his picture taken when Benny was near us!

Ainsley brought home her very first piece of art from ceramics...

All made by hand... I love that she wanted to make a "family piece".

Love this picture from today...