A trip to the pumpkin farm....

Isabella and I took a field trip to the pumpkin farm with my favorite high school class. All of the kids have special needs and the teachers are really terrific. We had a wonderful time:) She is still talking about the barn cat she found and named Rosie. No, she didn't bring it home:)

Halloween 2010

Only in a town like State College would you trick-or-treat 4 days before Halloween. Heaven forbid it effects the stupid football game on Saturday night. Don't ask how. I have no clue. Anyway, the night is over. According to Isabella, "it is her favorite night of the year!" Thank goodness we made a few shortcuts in the neighborhood and she didn't realize we cut the treating by half!

More photos from the weekend

A weekend with Grandma and Grandpa....

This and that....

My sweet niece and nephew:)



My 3 brothers just met eachother in Key Largo for a scuba diving trip. How cool is this picture?!?!?!

Friends

Our good friends are moving on Saturday:( The kids have grown quite close and have had many play dates. Although, right now, Bella will be glad to see them go. They are over here while their mom is packing up the house and Isabella just suggested that we take them home. She said something about this being 'her house' and she didn't feel 'like sharing right now'. Nice. That is the mood you get when you only sleep 6 hours at night.





This is a class trip to the apple farm 30 minutes away. WASTE OF TIME. Can we say it again?? WASTE OF TIME.

Little Miss Smartie Pants

Elisabeth's progress report so far this year....

A+: Science
A: Spanish
A: Algebra and Geometry
A: English
A+: Social Studies

Happy Birthday, Hubby!!!!

Todd turns 43 today, eventhough yesterday he thought he was turning 44:) We have been together since he was 21. Unreal, huh?? I've been a part of his life for over half of his life. Thank goodness, he gets better with age!!! Happy Birthday, Honey!!

Clogging II

Failure. Horrible failure. After trying to find the damn clogging shoes on-line for 3 hours, I finally figured out that you needed to buy JUST the double taps and then either glue or tack them on to regular shoes. Great. I can do that, right?? So the double taps come and I attempt to drive tiny little stakes into the bottom of her little black shoes. Bad idea. They drive right through the bottom of her shoe. I then attempt to nail them into her hot pink shoes-thicker soles-but the stupid shoes are too small. Finally, an hour before the class, I decide to GLUE them to the bottom of her old sneakers. The glue doesn't stick so out come the nails again and in they go. As I am walking into the studio, with the double taps (full of dried glue) securely nailed to the bottom of the shoes, I know that they are going to fly off about half way through the class. Isabella puts them on (yes, they look ridiculous but they make the loudest noise-our goal) and takes her place on the floor. Immediately, she limps over to me. A tack is sticking into her toe. Great. I find a pair of kid scissors and pry the damn nail out of the bottom of her sneaker and send her back on the floor. Five seconds later, she limps over....the other shoe now has a tack sticking into her toe. UGH. UGH. UGH. After countless hours, nails/hammers/screwdrivers/glue/3 pairs of shoes, she clogged barefoot.

Clogging

Torn between two loves...

Isabella has 2 crushes...the little 3 year old boy who lives behind us and the 4 year old boy who lives down the street. DD, the one who lives behind us, waits for her to come out and play. When he sees her, she flies out the door and they both end up at his swingset at the same time. They take running leaps, land on the swings (stomach first) and sail into the air - most of the time with popsicles in their hands. It is beyond adorable.

We met Chase, the 4 year old, when the kids were just 2. We took the same music class and while chatting, found out that his mother and I were speech therapists, attended the same church, AND lived in the same neighborhood. He and his little sister have figured out that if they talk their parents into walking to the neighborhood playground (we live across from this), they can look to see if we are outside playing and then join in. A few days ago, with the music blaring, this is what I found when I looked out the window:)



She did not, however, learn how to chase them from me. This girl needs PATIENCE!!

And another one DOESN'T bite the dust...

Those damn dogs. You would think, after 15 and 16 years, somehow they would just want to find the light and go to doggy heaven. Thomas lived through a severe bladder infection and 500 dollars later, he is blind, deaf, and hopping around the back yard like he is 2 again. Maggie has been peeing HUGE puddles on the floor so we called the doctor and got her a prescription for a mere 21.00 dollars (a last ditch effort). It as a frickin' miracle drug. No more peeing. We took her in today, thinking that we might be told she is too old and she needed to go bye-bye. Not a chance...$98.10 and out the door we walked WITH HER. She has a yeast infection in her ears (is that even possible??) and around her mouth but other than that, and some serious bad breath, she is good to go. UGH.

Apple Picking 2010