#36, Halloween & the start of November!

So many fun things happening!! And it's all leading to the most magical time of the year.....Christmas!!! We may or may not be putting out our decorations this weekend...haha! With us traveling so much around the holidays, we want to put it all out and really be able to enjoy it for as long as possible; so yep, we are putting it all out this weekend! The kids feel like they have conquered the world by convincing us to put it out early :) 

For now, I've got all kinds of fall related pictures! 

Afternoon homework

Winston was really ready for bed this day

Charlie came to the church with me after bible study and preschool one Wednesday to have lunch and help with some missions projects. He thought he was pretty big stuff. 

I turned 36 on a Friday and I took full advantage of it! Lots of snuggle time, eating out and the traditional Jones ice cream cake (Johnny was so proud of what he picked for me and I loved it so much!!)

The Saturday night before Halloween, the fire station near our school hosted their fall festival. We had never gone but it was so fun! Hamburgers/hot dogs, bounce house, firemans obstacle course, games and the kids even got to sit in the firetrucks. It was super low-key and not crowded whatsoever (which is totally our style!) and the kids had an absolute blast. We'll definitely be going again next year!

A package in the mail from Papa & Teresa with halloween goodies is always a fun surprise!

Neighborhood trick or treating

Our final preschool turkey disguise project...."Charlie wanted his turkey to be a construction man in a bulldozer"....I'm personally very proud with how it turned out... hahahaha! 

One of the things the kids love most about fall is when our trees start losing their leaves. They love raking them into piles and jumping in them and throwing them up in the air. I think they love throwing them up in the air for Winston most of all.....our doggie sure loves playing in the leaves! 

One of the things I love most about the fall is this picture right here.....our house is just beautiful and so perfect for us. We are really so blessed by being able to call this home! 

Mellany's class took a walking trip to the Tippecanoe Battlefield Museum to commemorate and continue learning about the Battle of Tippecanoe, and I joined in on the fun! I got to spend about an hour or so with two of my favorite girls and their classmates and I learned so much! 

 

Mellany: #10!!!!

The little girl who made us parents has entered double digits......she's an entire decade old!!! She is really turning into a young lady and has grown so much in the last year. 

Here's a little bit about our Mellany:

• Mellany's favorite subject continues to be art! She loves anything to do with art: drawing/coloring, sewing, rainbow loom, pot holder making, bracelet making.....But it is her drawing skills that really continue to impress us! She even just won the Cargill Calendar Drawing Contest-she was chosen as 1 of 12 artists and she won $100 amazon gift card! We couldn't be more proud as she has been entering this contest for several years now!
• She still loves outer space and wants to be an astronaut when she grows up
• Over the summer, Mellany asked to stay home a little bit here and there when we needed to run a quick errand. We left a cell phone with her (and filled in a neighbor on what was going on) and everything went so smooth! I just can't believe we are already entering this phase...
• Mellany is really responsible and independent. She doesn't really need help getting breakfast/ready in the mornings anymore and after school she tackles her homework and getting ready for bed mostly by herself.
• She loves having one-on-one time with John and I
• She loves to cook. Her specialty is pumpkin chocolate chip muffins.
• She really loves when her brothers let her "lead/help" them. She loves playing with the boys, but most of the time she can be found playing/drawing by herself in her room. (with the music blaring)
• Mellany is doing great at school. She still continues to excel in math and does really well in spelling. I think she will always have to work extra hard at reading. 
• She is soooooo good at trying new foods!
• Her favorite sports are still dance, volleyball and swimming. She is hoping next year is the year we allow her to be on the Studiob Dance Team
• She always asks me to change the radio station to KidzBop Radio
• She continues to earn a monthly allowance by helping around the house and maintaining her room. 
• She still enjoys playing with her Barbie's, American Girl Dolls and LOL Dolls. I have a feeling she won't be much longer though so I am holding onto this as long as possible.
• Mellany is one of the most friendly, caring and kind 10 year olds I know. She will talk to anyone, is really good about noticing if someone might be feeling left out and truly cares about others!
• Mellany loves her yoga pants, tshirts and oversized hoodies. It is really pretty hard to get her to wear anything else.....and honestly, I can't blame her! 
• She is about 50% homebody and 50% extrovert and loves to get out....She loves to go shopping, go to the movies, paint at our local pottery place, eat out....but at the end of the day, she wants to come back home (just like her mama!)
• We get the occasional attitude but as soon as I point it out, it goes away. 
• She and I are currently wearing the same size shoes!!!!
• Her current favorite movies are the Harry Potter Movies
• While Mel is very social and loves being around others, she definitely has her moments where she'd rather just be alone and have some quiet time. 

10 Year Wellness Exam

Height: 5' .63"

Weight: 79 pounds

Mellany's 10 year checkup went great! Dr. Fahler asked her about school, eating, friends/neighbors, screen time, athletics, nose bleeds, personal hygiene and they could have chatted forever. Dr. Fahler discussed with us the fact that she is growing so much (she's now wearing several of my shirts and in a women's size 7.5/8 shoe) likely means that she is officially entering puberty. I'm still not totally prepared and ready for my baby girl to enter this phase, but ready or not....Overall, Mellany is completely healthy and we are beyond thankful for a clean bill of health!

Celebration!

Mellany wanted a tie dye party with her friends this year and thankfully it was still warm enough when we had her party that we were able to pull it off for her! She chose to dye pillowcases with names on it and it turned out super cute! The girls (and we couldn't leave Simon out!) stayed the night and then we all made it to church the next morning. 

The girls put together a performance for John and I. (These 4 girls have the sweetest friendship!)

John & I to Sonoma!

John's cousin Mike got married in Sonoma so we took the opportunity to travel with Andy & Amy. We had the best time exploring and the weather was pretty perfect for the most part. My mom was able to come to town to be with the kids and we are forever grateful that she is able to do this for us! We know it was a long week for her but the kids really loved it and I'm sure she did too. 

Our first flight to get to California left at 6 am! 

Watching the sunrise was super cool

One of the first things we noticed in San Francisco: gas prices!

Our first activity: Alcatraz. It did not disappoint! It was super cold and windy but really awesome to see.  (The day we were there, it happened to be during Fleet Week.....which means the Blue Angels were flying over head and that was really amazing!!)

Johnny ended up with a fever the day we left so Gammy took him to urgent care where they swabbed him for strep. It thankfully came back negative but Gammy knew strep tests = cake pops! 

The next stop in California was a horseback vineyard tour. This was unbelievable! Talk about peaceful and the most incredible views. We learned so much on this tour about the growing of grapes and wine....definitely worth every penny!

Wedding Day! The wedding was at a local vineyard and it was beautiful! The weather ended up super cold and windy but they made it through and it was a great night!

Cousins!

Our last day all together was spent finding the Napa sign, wine tasting and eating at In-n-Out Burger....

The next day, Andy & Amy headed home. We still had another day in town, so we ventured through Sonoma a little longer. We spent the night near the airport that night because we had another early flight to get back home. We were super thankful that we made it home on the day we planned because the  Southwest Airlines pilots began striking the COVID vaccine policy set in place and thousands of flights were cancelled and delayed! We were only delayed about an hour; which was good because I was more than ready to get back home to my kiddos! 

We love having the time together, but we definitely miss our kids like crazy when we're away!