Oct 31st

The kids had a great time trick-or-treating with Lizzie and Ian tonight. This is the first year they have spent Halloween together and they had a blast. The little ones tired out quickly but Sam and Lizzie kept on going until they too ran out of steam. Lizzie turned back before Sam and then he decided his bucket was getting too heavy... so we finished up and counted the loot. They are all in bed, and with the time change tonight it's only 8pm - yeah!

Happy Halloween!

Just in time

Sam came down with the flu last Saturday night and is finally feeling better. I sent him to school this morning and picked him up at noon since he has been so exhausted. He took a 4 hour nap this afternoon! Ben finally broke his fever today and is so much happier. They are both still coughing and tired but it's nice to see them smiling and playing after a week of being miserable. They are super excited for Halloween tomorrow.

Last Game

Last Saturday was Sam's last soccer game for the year. We were so lucky - no rain the whole season except for one miserably cold and wet practice!

Sam has a crush on Lucy - they play on the same team and ride the same bus. Now that the boys are feeling better he keeps asking when she can come over for a playdate. :-)

Two down... who will be next?

Both boys have been down with the flu. Sam is doing much better today. Ben had a rough day and we are hoping for a good night tonight.

Yikes

Poor Sam has been sick since Saturday night. Looks like the dreaded flu. I am trying to keep Ben away from him but he is very concerned about his big brother. Hoping he doesn't get it as it has really knocked Sam out the last couple of days. He was so bummed to miss school today and his end of season soccer party tonight.

Buddies

Pumpkins

Ben found the perfect pumpkin right away...

Hayride...The two little guys crack me up...

Still have my pumpkin...

Crazy cousins...

Crazy brother in laws

Pumpkin bowling...

It was great day!

More soccer

Sam only has one more game this season. When watching him play we go back and forth between frustration and cracking up. Seriously, the kid is a good player when he actually tries and wants to play. Other times he just jogs around and people watches. Yesterday he spent most of the game watching another little girl on his team he has a crush on - Lucy. At one point he took the ball down the field and scored for the other team - oops! He still has no clue and is proud of himself - I didn't have the heart to tell him so we just cheered and smiled.

Fall

Ben loves yakisoba!

This kid cracks me up!

Columbus Day

Sam came home today and told me everything he learned about Christopher Columbus. He made this book at school and drew pictures representing each part of the story. He was very proud!!

Kick and Chase

Some days Sam is aggressive and quick and knows what to do on the soccer field.

Other days well... we pick grass, watch the ref and chase the other kids around.

Fashion Statement

One tired kid

Sam loves kindergarten but is exhausted when he gets home. The bus comes at 7:40am and he gets home just before 3pm. This afternoon when he got home he played quietly for a while, but didn't want anyone to talk to him. I have never seen him lay on the couch except once when he had the flu, so was surprised when he curled up here tonight and waited for dinner. Hoping he builds more stamina as we move through the next few weeks.

Bus Stop

This monkey has been missing his brother now that school has started. Here he is waiting for Sam to get off of the bus. We are keeping busy with preschool, story time at the library, zoo, playdates, bike riding, and trips to the park. The newest big news with Ben is that he is now potty trained... YAY!

Playing with cousins...

Photos

Saturday it was picture day out at the soccer field. It was hilarious watching the coaches and photographer try and organize a team of 5 and 6 year olds. There was a lot of goofing around, grass picking, getting out of order and just plain chaos.

They finally pulled it together and did it!

75th Anniversary

In honor of its 75th anniversary celebration, the School of Business at University of Portland recognized 75 significant business alumni and inducted 8 visionary leaders into its inaugural hall of fame. Guess who was one of the significant 75?

Last night there were about 800 people at the anniversary dinner including several of Brian's students. A lot of them went out of their way to come over and talk to him and introduce them to their parents and friends. It was obvious how many of them look up to him and view him as a mentor. I am so proud of my husband for all of his hard work and dedication to the University, students, community and family.

Ben starts Preschool

Today was Ben's first day of school. He was so excited to go!

Painting and the water table were his favorite activities today. Our old neighbor and friend is one of Ben's teachers, so it will be fun to see her each week.

He loved it!