Indy 500!

Steve's buddy called and had tickets to the 500 - suite tickets no less. it was a beautiful day and they got to go right down on the track before the race.

Halloween Tricks

It was an interesting costume year. One I won't remember as my favorite.

We went through several ideas before settling on Claire's bedbug outfit (because she likes wearing her pajamas)

Jillian looks like Harry Potter but she IS Hermione, just didn't want to wear a wig...

and DeAnne is a vampire.
notice the teeny tiny teeth there on her chin? I actually had her face painted white and pretty scary. And she hated it. Cried until it was smearing off. We washed it off and did the version you see here.



So, not a fabulous year for creativity or pictures. But, hey, the candy is just as good, so really, whatever!

Fall Photos

We took a day and went to the park. I love getting otuside in the fall.







Below, the school held a fall festival at a country pumpkin farm, and the girls had an awesome time. DeAnne found a friend right away and spent most of the night crawling around on these hay bales.

There was a corn maze. We made it out before it got too dark to see.





and here is the pose i required before we got started and everyone disappeared with their friends.

racoon lake

Click here to view photos

I took a lot of pictures this time, so thought i'd just upload the link. all the photo sites make this so much easier than it used to be.

We went camping last weekend, stayed at a huge lake, and had a fabulous time. the weather was awesome, we visited a historic village, played on the beach, ate hotdogs and s'mores, went for a hike, tried to skip rocks, then went to a water park and played all afternoon on the second day. no pictures of the water park, too many other people who probably would not appreciate me snapping their children in our photos.

Only 6 days until school starts, so the fun is dwindling out. We may try to visit the state fair, since Jillian has cookies being judged there. Also the cousins are showing pigs. And I really want a fried pork tenderloin sandwich! ;-)

4-H pajamas!

We are participating in 4-H sewing this year. Claire made pajama pants with a faced waistband. They came out so cute and she wanted to wear them right away. i had to tell her that they will be on a hanger until sometime after the fair. not long now.

Jillian made pajama pants too. they came out so cute. green polka dot with white buttons. When she did her walk for the judges she said her legs were shaking. poor sweety. she did forget to make her turn when she started but i don't think that was a big deal. the judges were so nice and encouraging. I was sooo proud of both these girls.







Judging took about an hour until we got through the line. We find out what they got on Friday night of the fair, when they will model their outfits for an audience, and the winners will be announced. So exciting!

Fourth of July Recap

What a great 4th of July. We had company for most of the holiday - Bruce and Htway and Chatt drove in from New Jersey. It was great catching up with them. It's been almost 10 years since we've had a real visit.



Steve and Bruce took the kids fishing at the little pond in the neighborhood. They would have fished from morning to night if the adults would have lasted that long. Bruce even caught a bass. We didn't know anything that big lived in the pond.







We had to make some down time in between all the late nights and fun days. The guys played some kind of convoluted and confusing version of Risk called Axis and Allies. We girls enjoyed card games that didn't require any negotiations or attacking plastic armies.



On the 3rd, our neighbors put on a fireworks show that would rival a small town. They are huge, and explode right overhead. Can you say loud? DeAnne said too loud, so Htway and I took her home well before it was over, and watched from our own patio.



If you are really creative, glow sticks can provide entertainment for a long long time. Jillian was a glow princess. her words, not mine. ha.





DeAnne before the show got too intense. She was a good sport, and had a great time right up until she didnt.






We took the Aitons to the farm on the 4th. We have a big family get-together each year to celebrate the holiday, and also Dad's birthday which is on the 6th. Honestly, I think Dad wouldn't pick any other way to celebrate, having everyone gather around for a fun day.



It was very hot outside, but as the day got later, we did eventually get outside. While loading the fire pit with wood, Dad got out the little tractor, and then a few lucky kids who were sharp enough to be in the right place at the right time got to drive it around the driveway. Jillian had the last turn, she took it around the drive, and on the second lap ran out of gas. Pushing isn't as fun as driving. It was a great learning experience for her future. lol.





And since no one cared if Ghana or Uruguay won, some of the more energetic of the family went out to play our own version of World Cup soccer. Allen took on Hope's boyfriend Jay, and most of the other kids got in on the game at some point. I hope Allen took those Aleve when he got home. I know he had to be sore the next day.

And last but certainly not least, we continued our annual and totally unnecessary marshmallow roasting tradition. Everyone knows its more fun to roast than to eat, but we managed to put away a good amount of Hersheys anyway.