Hello Fall!

 We have been taking advantage of the cooling weather and spending most of our play time outside.

In the mornings, after we drop Lucy off at school, Jack, Alice, Dexter, and I (and sometimes Leland!!!!) head over to the park and play.  Alice and Dexter love the swings and Jack loves to befriend other kids and run around on the playground.  He had really come out his shell this year and makes friends very easily.  

 Jack fell asleep early one night and Leland stuck Dexter by him.  It's fun looking at Dexter and Jack side by side.

 The cooler weather allows us to wear sweaters.  I love this one on Dexter!

 Alice is so fun!  She is such a cute smarty pants.  Right now, Alice's favorite trick is to anticipate where I am going to sit and sit there first.  She will then laugh very hard for a long time.  

Alice loves rocking with me at night and it's the perfect ending to my day.

 

Lucy and Jack are both on Soccer teams this year.  They love it and are having fun.  Lucy is on the Tigers and Jack is on the Penguins.

Our Saturdays are consumed right now with games

 

 

 Lucy, Jack, and I made these ghost decorations to hang from our trees using newspaper, a sharpie, and an old sheet.  Leland helped the kids hang them up.  I love having prominent Halloween Decorations in the front yard, but they are creepy.

 Lucy is a fairy, Alice is a witch (because she wouldn't wear any costumes and we finally convinced her to wear this witches hat with her black dress), Dexter is a dog, and Jack is a penguin (yes that is the same penguin costume Jack wore when he was seven months old.  He put it on and said, "look it still fits!" so we let him wear it).

 Leland and I went to vote at the mall the other day and found a Filipino carnival going on in the parking lot.  The kids begged to go and they were very well behaved in the voting booths so we felt bound.  It ended up being so fun!  We don't usually carry cash, but happened to have some and were able to go on a few rides.  We were surrounded by so many people--mostly Filipinos--and I began to feel out of place until I remembered that Leland is Filipino and so are my kids and then I felt right at home.  Sometimes I forget that.  Dexter and Alice couldn't go on any rides, but they did enjoy some good old cotton candy.

Jack and his friend Aaron, riding bikes.