We started the month with the Owens coming to visit for General Conference weekend. We loved bringing them to the soccer games and they were kind enough to support us. We also had lots of fun in between sessions playing games in the back yard, going to the park, and playing Nerf gun wars. The messages from Conference were wonderful as always and having friends made it even more special! We love the Owens!
The following day the kids didn't have school so Sheri went to a friend's house and the rest of us went to the zoo.
Throughout the month we had lots of miscellaneous things that we did. Here is a little list (since I love lists and love to document our happenings.)
- We found this awesome looking moth one day outside the dance studio.
- We wrapped up our soccer season. All the kids worked very hard, and I was so happy with their effort!
- Christian got to practice his bike riding a lot when we went to the church to exercise or to the park together. He has gotten very proficient at starting, stopping, navigating around others, and going over bumpy areas.
- School has been hopping right along. We had parent teacher conferences for the kids and all the kids got great reports.
Eve didn't have an official P/T conference, but her teachers make a point of calling me to tell me that she is a bright spot in their day. She is kind, helpful, on task, engages with others, and is a positive role model to others. She also earned 2 Irish Spotlight Awards that the teachers give to kids who are doing great things in school. Eve is also involved in Student Council (a pretty select group this year), a weekly Announcements group, J.T.I. (a service oriented group), and Jazz Band. She is enjoying her flute in her regular band class. She has even started leading her English class in a little morning yoga occasionally. :)
Sterling actually found an error in his teacher's grading which brought up many of the students' grades including his own. Sterling is also involved with Junior Teen Institute (a service club), Fiddle Fusion (an early morning string instrument group), and Math Counts (a 6-8th grade math group.) He is enjoying both the cello in orchestra, and the trumpet in band at school.
Sheri is thriving! Here is what her teacher had to say on her report card.
Christian is also doing well in school and I am especially pleased with his fine motor skill development. Here are some of his cute crafts. This first one I helped the class with during my volunteer time.
- I have had a bunch of extra engagements this month that have made it extra busy for me. I went to two different "Favorites" parties where everyone brings 5 of their favorites, shares why, and then gives them to 5 people whose names are drawn. Then each person leaves with 5 favorites of other guests.
I also went to lunch with my "Becky" group, the Mangelsons invited Matt and me over for dinner one evening, and I attended a "Parent University" class where I learned about the school safety procedures. This month we also had our Stake Women's Conference which was very nice. Here are some of my Primary friends.
I have also been busy with my calling. This has been my month to teach Sharing Time and we had our annual Primary Program and Saturday practice which went very well. I also continue to support the Cub Scouts and this month attended their campfire pack meeting. I helped the Bears prepare and perform a skit. I was also mildly involved with the Ward Trunk or Treat activity.
This month I also hosted Joy school at my home. All this extra activity has been a bit much. We have decided to discontinue Joy school since Christian isn't enjoying it very much and he already goes to preschool every day. He also dropped his preschool movement class (Friday mornings) temporarily. I think he needs more "down time".
All this extra activity along with the rest of the family's craziness is probably why I stopped writing in my daily journal. :( I hope to pick that habit back up!
- One very sad event that happened this month is that our friend, Tim Watabe from our previous ward fell while rappelling with the scouts and passed away. He was the bishop of that ward for about a year and had touched many people's lives with his friendly, service oriented, funny personality. He was an example of living a Christ like life. He will surely be missed! The sacrament meeting the following day and his funeral were extremely touching, comforting, and inspiring! We will be praying for his family! We are so grateful for the knowledge that families can be together forever through the ordinances of the temple!
The rest of the month revolved around Halloween and fall celebrations. Here are some of them.
-Costume shopping - I thought this was hilarious!
-The ward Trunk or Treat and dinner
The funniest part of Sterling's costume was watching him at gymnastics trying to do tricks in it. It was hilarious! He enjoyed all the attention this costume brought!
-Christian's preschool class party
-The Davis Fall Festival - Eve helped to plan and run this event. The kids had a great time!
-Sheri's school parade and class party
-Carving pumpkins as a family. They were from our garden! :)
-And finally, Trick or Treating with the Kleins
We surely love the Kleins! We have had so many great memories with them! Matt enjoys playing basketball with Alex and I love to talk and have fun with Nassim! We even get to go to lunch from time to time. The boys of course love to have play dates with their boys, and Eve has enjoyed babysitting for them. I am so glad that our boys have been able to play on the same soccer team for the time we have been here in Ohio! We are grateful that they are our friends!
Well if this post isn't enough to illustrate how we felt after this month, maybe this photo will give you an idea. (My kids love to gather around this heating vent in our kitchen.)
