We managed to get out of the doctors at 8:15am, and I got Emma to school by 9! A great win.

Although neither of Emma's ear tubes are actually functioning and she has some fluid in one, the doctor doesn't want to do another surgery after just one infection.

So, we'll go for a recheck in January and see how the winter goes.  She usually can get them in fast for surgery.

Then it was home for the carpet guys.  We don't want to have fitted carpet because we have the wood floors, but we wanted something soft and warm to walk on.

Toby tried to help, bless him!

And then when it was finished, he had a fine time!!

We had to wait for Scott to get home to put the furniture back, so the kids and I hooked up the DVD players and laid out on the rug to watch it!  That's never happened.

New rug

Today we get our new area rug in the living room.  It's actually carpet that will be cut to size and bound in the room so it goes around the corner. 

All the furniture is stacked in the dining room so the kids got to "skate" when they got up this morning!

We didn't spend much time at home, heading to the hospital for an ENT (ears) appointment.  Given that her tubes are not in place and she has already had an ear infection this fall, I'm anticipating another surgery!

Day Off

We spent the morning in New Jersey at our friends house because the kids were off school for local elections.  Emma got to live her dream of jumping in a pile of leaves!!

Emma managed to dress up again - ready for Christmas!!

You can see her single front tooth quite well here!

And by the time we left, they were exhausted.

We don't get to see those guys more than a few times a year, but it's so good when we do.  Everyone needs friends who love them despite their flaws.  Thanks Chrissie ;)

Three years difference, still love each other!!

Snaggletooth

Emma lost another tooth and swallowed it!  She's only left one of four for the tooth fairy so far.

And the one we thought would be next wasn't it, so she has one in front with a gap either side!!

Driving to church and it struck me just how big Toby has become.  My baby!!

Family Fun Day

The kids dragged me out of bed about 8am so we could go and claim a free breakfast at Chick Fil A.

I decided to enter the scary spirit of the day by not wearing any make-up!! ;)

Then we headed to Walmart wear the kids entered big kid status by getting a booster seat each (instead of the 5 point harness).  Emma has pink zebra print, Toby has hot rod flames!

They are so happy about it!

Then we came home, where I proceeded to mow the lawn.  The kids were inside but came out to play, in costume!

Buzz and Rapunzel played together for 4+ hours while I picked up leaves and gave the yard a good cut before winter.  They aren't home together much these days, just after school and weekends, so it was great to see them getting along so well.

Our neighbors were confused about the costumes since we'd said we don't do Halloween.  We had to explain that they just dress up almost every day!!

Then it was off to the indoor playground with Scott's cousin and her family.

The kids were extra excited because we let them play on the video games, which we don't normally.  They'd been eyeing this one for some time!!

It was so nice to take a break from the frenetic pace we've been in since September began.  But it's back to the grind tomorrow!

For example, today I had to buy and hem new pajamas for Emma to wear to school tomorrow!  What will they come up with next?

Next Friday is Emma's 6th birthday party, can you believe it? Stay tuned, there's plenty of action coming up!

Family Day Out

Tomorrow is a true day off.  I'm usually off on Thursday but both the kids have school.  However, tomorrow is Halloween and the schools have costume parades and Halloween parties.  It sounds kind of fun, but we're keeping the kids home from school.

Scott and I decided that our family will not participate in Halloween.  It's quite a controversial decision here, as it is a huge American event.  I get that the majority of kids dress up as cartoon characters, and enjoy the candy and costume.  I'm sure our kids won't be scared by the cute decorations in school, especially as Emma assures me "it's just pretend Mom!"

Our decision follows a pattern of giving careful thought to how we live our life, why we do anything, and what it shows our children.  Candy and costumes are a regular occurrence in our house, so really not a compelling argument for us to ignore the reasons not to particpate.

So, the kids will stay home, rather than go to school and not be a part of the parades.  They won't lose out though!!  I'm taking them out for breakfast, and then in the evening we're heading to the indoor playground with their cousins for a family night of fun, and arcade games! 

I know Emma would like to be a part of it, and I was tempted to concede, but then I realized we have to take a stand on our beliefs, even if it's not the popular choice.  And when all the kids are going out to parties and who knows where, we will take an unpopular stand there too!  We want to raise children who know that following the crowd is not always right, or wise.

Pastor Bob recently preached a message and something he said stuck with me.  The Bible is clear on many issues of sin, but there are plenty of issues that were not specifically addressed 2000 years ago.  In these areas, where you feel convicted, when something feels wrong, that is the Holy Spirit speaking to you and you have to listen.

We may not join those who love Halloween.  It doesn't mean we don't love them!

Wedding Pictures

Here are some more pictures from Julie's wedding...

The beautiful bride

 

Me with cousins Bevin & Stacy

Proud big brother!

Toby and Paige paparazzi!

Possibly the most delicious cake ever!

One tired little girl!

Really, great cake!!

Mom & Pops

 Emma, after Stacy relinquished the bouquet that she caught fair and square, because Emma was so upset!

The happy couple!

Techy kid!!

It's always a challenge deciding what to get the kids for their birthdays.  For Emma we knew she would LOVE an iPad - so would I!  But she would never put it down, so not an option.

We were going to get her a laptop, a Google Chromebook is under $300, but that still seems excessive.  So, after being a helper in her classroom and seeing the small laptops they use there, I had a brainwave to give her my unused netbook!

It's light, small and free!  I wanted to see how well she'd get on with it, so I'm letting her play with it today.

If it goes well, I'm going to get stickers and personalize it for her.  Then she'll be able to play ABC Mouse whenever she wants (and we agree!!).

Work work work!

Last week was a busy one for me.  Two of my three office days were spent at a regional conference for all staff in North and South America, which I was the organizer for!

There were 15 people on day one and 20 on day two, many staying at the hotel we met at.

I've joined this company when I was 19, in the UK, and 15 years later (and two trans-Atlantic transfers, and two kids!) I'm still there.  Although there are many new faces, several have known me since 2000, and there is a strong friendship behind the work.

It wasn't all work - we got to have some good laughs at dinner!

This is me and my buddy Jess,

We can often be found at the Mexican restaurant by the office for lunch!

It's not easy working part-time while trying to keep up with the perfect mom benchmark, but it wouldn't be any fun without this crew!!

I'm thoroughly blessed.

Emma's school pictures came home today.  Remember - she fell on her face two days before?  We opted not to have them retouch the pictures to hide her scrapes, and I'm glad.

Little Star

Save the date: Emma will be making her stage debut in "Little Star", on Sunday, December 1 at 6pm!  

She will be playing "little sister", and already has her lines memorized!!