Fall Leaves

The coolest part of having a real fall is the turning of the leaves and for the kids, the falling of the leaves. You really only get one chance at having fun in a pile of leaves, so might as well prepare for it!

The helmet was because they were riding bikes, NOT because the pile is unsafe.

Gman turns Twelve

Gman finally turned the big 1-2. This is of course a major milestone: no longer in the kids organization Primary, gets the Priesthood and gets to pass the Sacrament at church, gets to go to the Young Men / Young Women activities (like ice skating, Temple Baptisms, etc.), and is totally free to babysit and earn money. He can do without the female part of the activities so far, but that will soon change I think.

So proud of the boy!

Mr S Finally Gets to Play Soccer!

Mr S has been wanting to play soccer, just like his older brother and sister. And he finally had parents who were able to put it together and sign him up.

Note the medal: He was wearing it for some days after the game; he was so proud of himself. He learned so many things playing soccer: how to kick and run (sort of), how to play with others, how to pay attention to what is going on, how to yell at your teammates to help them pay attention in the play. Hm, maybe not all of the things are great...

Halloween Night

I think this is going to be the last year for Gman to dress up. Next year, I am totally making him take the little ones around. But, we even went so far as to get some make-up to make them all look a bit better than just trowing something on.

Michelangelo and Ninja

Fairy and Zombie Futbol-er

Gman Birthday of Significance

Gman finally had a birthday of significance: his 12th. Now he is able to get out of going to Primary, gets to mingle with the young men (and young women? not interested...)

Facts about Gman on his 12th:

Because burning a jelly bean is more fun than cake...

• Loves Minecraft (only PvP)
• Loves playing games on his (poor excuse for a) smart phone
• Enjoys the freedom to walk home from school
• Has his own key to the house (see above)
• Enjoys the money from babysitting his siblings
• Loves soccer
• Enjoys time with family (or so I say)

Birthday Uncounted

I think Birthdays are really just an excuse to eat cake. I personally like Ice Cream Cake, so when it is my turn to take care of a party, you can be sure there will be ice cream. This year was no exception for Luann.

Don't melt the ice cream!

Kiwi is the best to take shopping for events: she loves to pick stuff out, and she selected the flowers for mommy. Note that this was late on a Saturday when I remembered I had to take care of the party, so minimal was the theme, if that was not already obvious.

Hiking for Fun and Profit

After being in boy scouts for nearly a year, Gman was close to getting all done with his First Class rank. But, there is always something hard to pass off: he needed a five mile hike. Luckily, we live near a very large park that has a very long series of trails! Now, Gman has not hiked this far before, so it was really an adventure worthy of the name.

Having Fun at the Starting point

Gman Photo Bomb

Once we get about half way, Gman is getting pretty tired. At that point, I think he realizes how much hiking still remains. The terrain is basically flat, as it surrounds a lake, so it is very doable. The first half was joking and playing, the second was head-down walking.

There was a nice reward after it was done: First Class rank!