Trick or Treat

This Halloween was a bit different for us. For the first time, my parents came for trick-or-treating. I enjoyed staying at home passing out candy and making dinner while Baba and Papa hit the streets for loads of candy.

Jack was really getting into the vampire thing. This was his pose most the day!

I was very impressed with Isabelle's costume. She wasn't even sure she would dress up until about 10:00 a.m. on Halloween. Then, out of the blue, she said, "I'm going to be a Christmas present!" My dad helped her cut holes in the box, my mom helped her wrap the box, she stuck a bow on her head and that was it. She got a ton of comments and compliments on her creativity. She and her friend, Kiri (a hippie), headed out alone. This was the first year we let her do that. Jack joined them for some of the time also. It was a big step for Mom.

Patrick enjoyed Halloween more this year than any other year. Ella Jane was not as thrilled. Of course, her unicorn looked pretty pathetic, so maybe she was embarrassed. She started out excited, but as soon as she saw the first scary mask she flew into Papa's arms and was done. Needless to say, her candy bucket was pretty lame. Isabelle made up for it by bringing a pillowcase and getting a huge haul!

Jack's Birthday WEEK!

Because Jack's birthday fell in the middle of the week we celebrated twice. On the 26th we carved our pumpkins, had the dinner he wanted (chicken pot pies), had a birthday cookie, and opened his gifts from Mom and Dad.

Leah was with us for Jack's birthday and she was totally excited to dig into the pumpkin with Ella Jane, who (on the other hand) was not into the pumpkin goo.


Patrick really got into pumpkin carving this year. He worked and worked until every bit of goo was out of his. Isabelle was having fun, but it's hard to tell because she didn't want to look and smile at the camera (Sigh... tweens!).

Sam joined the chaos too.


Friday evening we had Jack's party with his friends. The guys came over, we had pizza and cake, then headed out for bowling. I forgot my camera when we went to the bowling alley which I'm really disappointed about. The kids had a great time. Ella Jane and Patrick both bowled for the first time. Ella Jane even got a strike!


Jack is such a nut. He insisted on wearing his Halloween costume when his friends came over. Again, I didn't get any pictures aside from cake pictures with the kids at our house.

Congratulations Ms. Newman!

Recently, Jack's gifted teacher, Ms. Newman, got married. The day before she left for Martha's Vineyard the kids and I gave her a little going away party/shower.


Isabelle had Ms. Newman for both 3rd and 4th grade gifted. Jack now will have her this year and next. She has become our favorite teacher at Illinois School, so we wanted to give her a nice send off. Because Isabelle's gifted class is across the hall at the same time Jack's class is with Ms. Newman, we were able to have the 5th graders join the 3rd graders for the celebration. It was nice for the 5th graders who spent 2 years with Ms. Newman and miss her very much.

This is the 3rd and 5th grade gifted classes with Ms. Newman. The kids were happy she was only gone for a week, now they need to get used to calling her Mrs. Heeley.

Walking in the Bushes

I took the kids for a walk in a nearby forest preserves. It's only a few miles from the house, so I was amazed to find a place so pretty and so rustic with not a strip mall in site! I was busy helping Patrick and Ella Jane navigate the falling logs, prickly bushes, and steep hills, so I didn't get many pictures. Here are a few I did manage to take.


Later Ella Jane said, "I liked it when went to the bushes (woods)." Patrick did great! He had to navigate a lot of uneven terrain, which is great for his gross motor skills; he really held his own.

Introducing, the one and only... ELLA JANE!!!

Isabelle and her friend, Hannah, gave Ella Jane a "makeover" and then did a photo shoot. Ella Jane was totally into it. She was posing and dancing, and just plain showing off.

I'm pretty sure she has a future in the entertainment business. She certainly likes an audience. Perhaps it's being the baby in the family that has given her this showy personality. She's been oohed and aahhed over since the day she was born. Her siblings feed her hunger for attention.

Isabelle is probably her biggest fan.

oh, the many faces and personalities of Ella Jane!

Fun at the Fair

My parents came to town and we decided to go to the Kane County Fair for the day. It was a hot day, but we had a great time. Ella Jane and Patrick discovered that they love rides just like big sister, Isabelle and their Baba! Jack preferred to keep his feet on solid ground like his Papa, but he did take a ride on the carousel .




Patrick liked the bumper cars, but not the noise.
Isabelle convinced Baba to go on this tummy turning ride.



The kids really enjoyed the farm animals. Ella Jane wanted to bring a horse home. This cute little black and white horse wanted Isabelle to take him home; he was showering her with "kisses". He also took hold of Ella Jane's pony, which at first startled her, but then made her laugh.