One Night of Camping

We'd planned two nights of camping, but 100% rain forecast changed our plans.  Ryan and I decided it was worth it, even if only for one night, and it ended up being one of those "magical memories" we made as a family.  A seemingly short 24-hour span of fun, cooperation, laughing, story-telling, and foraging for sticks to keep the fire alive because it was COLD!

I probably get way too excited about setting up everyone's beds in the tent!

A GREAT climbing tree!

Ryan slept in his neck warmer and stocking cap, and he was the warmest of anyone when we all woke up to frigid temps.  No one wanted to get out of their sleeping bags.  And by no one, I mean just the adults!

Red-head selfie!

October in Review

The girls played on the same soccer team this fall.  It was Bridgette's first time to play and she did great!

We enjoyed an evening with Uncle Tim while he was in town!

Making music together 

 A joint effort in learning my recipe for chocolate chip cookies

We had an unusually warm day.  Our girls and their neighbor friends decided it was the perfect opportunity to set up their first lemonade stand. 

Cheers!  A complete success for these sweet friends. 

A field trip to the Museum of the American Indian to learn more about the Cherokee Trail of Tears.

A highlight of the month was a special surprise from G-Daddy and Grammy Deb!  The kids had no idea they were coming!  We were grateful they made us their final stop in a New England tour.

Trying out a new frisbee game with G-Daddy

Happy Birthday Ryan!! 

 A fun Sunday afternoon outing to an apple orchard with friends from our church small group

She was committed to getting the good apples way up high!

Ryan came up with creative way to rig the ladder so I could paint the stairwell!

We hosted friends for Halloween, joining for dinner and then sending the kids out to trick-or-treat with the dads while the moms passed out candy.  Bridgette as "Dorothy" with her friend, "Toto". =)

Dorothy, Wendy (from the fast food restaurant!), and Boba Fett

Gretchen was a bit disgruntled that everyone thought she was also dressed up as Dorothy, but the mounds of candy made up for the initial disappointment!

The aftermath of candy trading in our living room!

September

September started out with a return to Family Camp!  The weekend provided a great time for playing as a family and with lots of friends at a beautiful Young Life facility just over the border in New York.  

These father/son football teams are a good match!

Rooke took one (or more!) pie-in-the-face for the team.  Meaning, he loves me so much he let the kids pie him instead of me =)

Our last summer fun adventure was to the Natural History Museum on a day when admission to the butterfly room is free.  It was amazing to walk among hundreds of butterflies!

My cutie helper while running errands

The girls all set for their first soccer game

I made a special dinner and dessert for our back-to-school family dinner.  I'm grateful to still be homeschooling, and this year with the support of a new co-op that we are enjoying.

This is more normal for us . . .

First day of school!  Our co-op meets two days a week and requires that the kids wear a uniform.

First grade cutie

Third grade beauty

Fifth grade stud

Grateful for a friend who doesn't balk at the idea of Starbucks being the first stop on a field trip with our collective seven children!

A trip to the C&O Canal was interesting while learning about the Erie Canal in our history reading.  We packed a picnic dinner to enjoy afterwards, and then went to opening night (pay what you can!) of a musical performance of Blueberries for Sal.  Not my favorite stage adaptation of a book, but a fun way to experience the theater with the kids.

Lots of rain resulted in a raging Potomac River

Another field trip to the Maryland Science Center

The month ended with an amazing date scavenger hunt that Jessie made for us, which included frisbee golf, a walk through some cool sites on UMD campus, and a fun game cafe - so fun!