Fall Fun

There's something truly fantastic about leaves falling, pumpkins growing, and temperatures dropping to a cool 80 degrees. I'm not sure how anyone could be unhappy under those circumstances, which is probably why the kids happily endured a three hour scavenger hunt walking back and forth from one side of the zoo to the other. I was proud of their determination and resilience to complete the task, but I was ecstatic that they all had positive attitudes when their prize ended up being a tiny bag of candy. They were hungry and tired, yet, because of the effort put forth that bag of candy meant the world to them. I giggled to myself when our almost ten year old commented on the walk to the car, "Well, that was fun, but for such a small bag of candy, I wouldn't do it again." That's exactly what I had been thinking! Oh, they grow up so fast.

Look Who's Three

Haley Juliana turned three years old last week. Steven took her to the mall so she could enjoy one of her very favorite activities of riding the carousel. We then had a fun family party complete with cake, ice cream, and presents. Everything was centered around the movie "Tangled", since that has been her love and obsession for the past year. Haley J is a absolute gift and delight. Her happiness and playful personality is our families constant reminder to never sweat the small stuff, and, more importantly, to have joy in this journey of life. She is a true blessing to us all. Three things about Haley at the current age of three.

1. She loves to swing, play tag, and pretend she's a horse.

2. She loves playing with her older siblings and always refers to Thatcher as "Thatchie Boy".

3. She loves to not wear clothes.

Happy Birthday Haley J! We love you tons kiddo!!

(mute music on right)

Thatcher Steven Ballard

Ms. Davenport: (Thatcher's teacher) "Will any of you be able to attend our Fall festival on Sunday?"

Thatcher: "I can't participate in that. It's Sunday, and I'll be at church."

Ms. Davenport: "Will any of you be gone for Rosh Hashanah tomorrow?"

Thatcher: "I can't participate in that either. I have swimming lessons."

The following wasn't necessarily funny or not funny. I mainly found it to be one of those moments when you think...."Hmmm, to each his own I guess." Thatcher brought home an award the other day. He was so excited to show me. As I looked at the paper I noticed a white square had been taped onto the sheet. I lifted the tape to look underneath and found this picture of a little boy. I decided to ask him about it and our conversation went like this:

Mom: "Hey Thatcher, why is this square taped on here?"

Thatcher: "Because I asked her to put it there."

Mom: "Asked who?"

Thatcher: "The teacher....Ms.Paula."

Mom: "Oh...why did you ask Ms. Paula to cover the picture?"

Thatcher: "I don't know....I just didn't like the looks of him."

Mom: "Oh, did any of the other kids ask her to cover his face?"

Thatcher: "No....just me.....he just doesn't look very friendly. I didn't want him on my award."

Like I said, to each his own.

Family Fun

With Fall temperatures dipping into the 70's and 80's, there's not a chance in this world we wouldn't take every advantage possible to play and enjoy the great outdoors. We have found some fantastic parks over the past few weeks and can only hope that the current weather conditions are a common occurrence for the next few months. We also hit the zoo a few times, and, enjoyed our final free visit to The Magic House children's museum.

Sugar Secrets

When Steven comes home from the hospital he will frequently take Azure and hang out for a bit. I began to take note that each time they sat together Azure was especially focused on her binkie. She would be sucking on that thing like crazy! After a few days I also began to take note of Steven walking back and forth from the couch to the kitchen. The following day I uncovered their little secret when Steven made the unfortunate "mistake" of using a dark substance (i.e. chocolate pudding). That is when he explained where he learned this new technique. During any surgeries at the hospital they indeed put all little ones under anesthesia. When those same kiddos return for their check up though they are very awake and alert. He can usually talk with the older kids and assure them he will be gentle and quick, however, a baby often turns out to be a different situation. In efforts to keep them happy and still during the exam the nurse brings in a small container of sugar, and with parent permission, they dip the binkie in and........ voila, problem solved.

Haley J

She's super sad when we drop them off and literally jumping for joy when we pick them up. While we miss the older kids like crazy when they're off to school, I must admit that Haley J and I have had a fantastic few weeks enjoying some quality time together. She has a fantastic personality that makes everyday fun and bright no matter what you're doing. They grow up so fast and while I love watching them take on new experiences, I won't deny that each day I'm truly grateful to at least still have these two little ones near. If I could freeze frame life for just a moment I would probably hit the pause button here.