your turn

you caption this one. if you're still reading this blog after too few blog posts!

Adeline and her best pal

think this girl needs a haircut?

snow days

no time for words, just enjoy these pics of the kids enjoying our first snow.

A Good Find

Post Wide Yard Sales are incredible events. Two of my favorite days of the year, really. This fall I didn't shop much, because I wanted to sell. But this one find down the street made my day (even if my poor husband had to ask people off the street to help him carry it--it is massive and very solid!) Guess how much I paid for this buffet-- $20!!!!! Sure it needs a lot of work-the hardware was outdated and the finish was bad, but for $20 I knew I had to tackle it (even if it did cause a little maritial friction).

ready for the finished product? Even Jess didn't believe the transformation:

Ta Da!

With next to no money and a little work, our dining room has gone from "What are we going to do with a dining room-we havent' had one of those before?" to one of my favorite rooms in the house!

Happy Hallow--I mean Reformation Day!

It's no secret that I'm not a big fan of Halloween. But Jess and I agreed, this year was a good one. Not many scary homes or costumes around us and a great neighborhood for trick-or-treating. The kids have been wanting, no begging, to trick-or-treat for years (usually we go to a church "harvest party/reformation night"). So this afternoon, they picked out something from their dress up box and we hit the streets. Sam was the only one who was pretty set on his costume. I tried to talk him into something cute and cuddly, but those days are over. I was proud of him, however, for being completely willing to make do with what we had around the house to complete his Darth Vader costume (the mask was the only thing bought for halloween, and even that was a dollar at a garage sale!)

Adeline wore pink pajamas under a pink tutu and a big chocolate cookie face. (Daddy wore some chocolate cookie on his shoulder, too.)

Si was the same pirate he was last year, and Ella Rose decided a the last minute to go from "chicken" to "I don't know what I am but it's really pretty" aka "poodle skirt girl" with her beautiful skirt that Mimi gave her for her birthday.

The pirate sword verses Vader's light saber.

Happy Halloween!

Chicago to home

Dad and his sweet girl

We went home via Jess's grandpa in central Illinois. It was wonderful to have a few hours with family, AND load our cooler with goodies from the garden!

Aunt Sarah found the way to Addie's heart, and her favorite word: COOKIE

We love our Grandparents and Great-Grandpa!!!

Chicago

We got ONE day at Wheaton and ONE day to pick ONE thing in Chicago. We picked the Field Museum and the kids loved it. It was unlike any museum they've ever been to.

The pirate exhibit was a favorite.

But maybe the dinosaur bones were the best!

Wheaton Homecoming

We had a WONDERFUL time catching up with dear friends and walking our beloved campus during my 10 year reunion at Wheaton!

3 the 4 roomies and a bunch of kids (ok, half of them are mine)

visiting the NEW Stupe for hot chocolate

Walking up toward our Freshman/Sophomore year dorm. Since we had Millie with us, we had no problem getting in to see our old rooms and making friends with the new resisdents :-)

Millie's JJ and our Si became fast friends.

a little random

from the previously mentioned Deanna Rose Farmstead. Our four kiddos:

Last time we visited, we had two. This was during Jess's R&R.

I think this is Jess's
"even-though-I'm-slightly-irritated-at-you-for-pulling-out-the-camera-during-our-date-I-can-still-be-incredibly-sexy look"

Learning. . . .

creative playtime: Si, Ella, and Sam created half a dozen "block creatures" and dressed them from the dress-up box.

An opportunity we will not soon forget: A soldier was being laid to rest in the veterans cemetery around the block. Much of Ft. Leavenworth lined the streets as the motorcade and Patriot Guard Riders passed by. It was moving. I am grateful to have the opportunity to honor this soldier, and am thankful to live in a place where the sacrifices of men like this are not forgotten!