Been Busy.

I took the kids to the water park while Scott was in Indianapolis on a business trip as part of his second job.




I took the kids to the duck pond while Scott was in Atlanta as part of his second job. He has also been to Los Angeles and Houston on business trips.



We have attended multiple birthday parties the last couple of months. One party was at a pottery studio and every child got to paint their own pottery. Danielle painted a puppy. Aden painted a gnome. The studio glazed it and fired it. We were able to pick it up from the studio about a week later. Pretty cool. We plan to take the kids back for a fun family activity at a later time.




First grade started as did school fund raisers and homework. Danielle started ballet and tap for this coming year. Fall soccer season started for Aden.



Aden started Cub Scouts and has earned several belt loops and activity beads. We sold $750 worth of Scout Popcorn and I baked three cakes for a bake sale fund raiser.



We took the kids to the State Fair.



We went to Boo-at-the-Zoo as part of a family tradition. The kids love the hay bale maze. We need to remember next year to schedule a weekend to go to a local farm where they have a maze cut out in a cornfield.



We went on our very first camping trip. It was the first time I have ever slept in a tent. When I did Girls Scouts, we had cabins. We left after work on a Friday and drove to a state park about an hour and a half away. The sun had gone down by the time we arrived. We had to pitch the tent in the dark.



Aden earned his fishing belt loop by hooking his own worm and cricket. He also earned his chess belt loop over the weekend by demonstrating to his den leader he knew the rules of chess. He even won! Other fun activities included a hike, making a bird feeder and a sing-a-long.



We had a pumpkin carving contest with the Scouts. That night we had tent-or-treating.




Fall Festival at church. The kids also went trick-or-treating Halloween night (my Mom's birthday). Their pumpkin heads are full to the brim.



We took the kids to visit my co-worker's horses. Only Aden would get up on one. Danielle liked looking at the miniature donkey that was at the farm.




Trip to the fire station with the Cub Scouts.



Other notable events:

Despite being inoculated six years ago, I got the chicken pox about a week or so after I went to Aden's school for Meet the Teacher Night. I missed a week and a half from work. It wasn't as bad as it could have been had I not been inoculated. Still, it was bad enough. Aden avoided getting sick by getting a booster shot the day I figured out what I had. (I wish I had known we needed boosters). Danielle couldn't get a booster because it was too soon since her first inoculation. She came down with a very mild case - only four spots. Scott was in Houston during part of the time I was quarantined. My sister helped out a lot by coming over and making multiple trips to the pharmacy and grocery store.

Scott and I actually had a date and went to see "Noises Off", performed by Theater USC. I hope our kids grow up to enjoy the theater as much as we do. It will be nice when they are older and can take them with us.