Halloween!

We had a fun Halloween here in Ephrata!

 The rain stopped and we enjoyed relatively warm weather. Mitch reprised his role of pirate (maybe a 3rd time?) and Shannon went as a butterfly.

 We went to both grandparents' places and then returned to the neighborhood for a group trick-or-treat.

 It was fun to walk around with the adults while the kids ran from home to  home. They are certainly spoiled with special treats at the houses!

We started and finished at our place, and then even enjoyed some time visiting inside afterward. We are so lucky to live in this neighborhood! Happy Halloween!

A Day in the Life

Busy day in E-town! 

Mitchell won Student of the Month for being trustworthy and was recognized at a school-wide assembly today. We managed to be there for his "smiling" acceptance. He wore the medallion until bedtime!

In the afternoon, we had a neighborhood pumpkin carving and chili feed at Iversons. The pumpkins were huge!

Tobin was responsible for designing faces, as the resident artist.

The herd of children is a constant pleasure - especially when they are herding at someone else's house!

Shan loving on Itsy.

Then Bryan had a football game and we went to Shannon's Harvest Party at her preschool. She had a wonderful time and introduced us to her friend, Cora. 

Ring Ceremony

We went to Stanfield this weekend for the Booster Club auction and steak feed. Part of the draw was the state title ring ceremony for the boys. Bryan got to announce each player and his ring sponsor. 

Mitch got to help, too, when a representative from the sponsor wasn't present.

He took his role of ring distributer seriously.

The team sponsored Bryan's ring and Bailey presented it to him. 

They all gave him hugs and it was a sweet capstone.

Mitch was happy to see Brody and show off his long hair. Brody encouraged him to keep growing it out...

We also got to see lots of friends throughout the day, spending several hours with Lorry, Warners, Sharps, and the Davis kids. 

It was a bittersweet trip - good to see so many friends, and hard to leave them again. What a gift it is to have so many people and places to love!

Fall Play

Mitch spent the morning raking a pile of leaves in the park. He had canine helpers and I could see him talking to them for much of the time.

 Then he decided he was thirsty - raking leaves is hard work. So, he set up an orange juice stand and spent the better part of an hour hawking his wares, "Orange juice! 25 cents!" His rationale - all the people raking leaves needed a drink. What he neglected to consider was that he was the only one raking...

For quite awhile his sister and the dogs were the only customers (yes, she's barefoot). Then the neighbor kids arrived and in no time the juice was gone. Happily by that point, he no longer required his customers to wash and return their cups!

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

Shan and her class had yet another field trip, this time to the pumpkin patch. 

 Grandma Johnson accompanied our little blondie this time. 

She opted for sandals in the mud because it was her final day in which she was allowed to wear them. Her rage at having to wear "real" and seasonally appropriate shoes is genuine. 

Bow Down to Washington!

Nothing better than beating the Ducks!

October Begins

The weather has changed and it feels autumnal. 

Last weekend the kids went with Grama to the Grant County Museum for their interactive day.

 Mitch was arrested (maybe should have been his sister).

They also enjoyed climbing the tree in the parking lot.

Now we are beginning to enjoy some October events, starting with a very busy weekend. I went to the Mennonite Auction in Ritzville and once again resisted the urge to buy a quilt ("mine" went for $1650!). The kids and Bryan went to the Fall Fest at Cloudview Farms and then we all spent the evening at the Orange E Carnival.

As the motto states, at Orange E, everyone is a winner! We "won" two goldfish - Cano and Lizzy - and are watching to see how long their fragile lives last in our care.

Shannon's class had their second field trip on Monday and once again Grama accompanied her. This time they went to Cloudview and ate carrots, drank cider and ran amuk.

The sheep put on a friendly show.

It's a beautiful season and, while we miss our Hermiston and Stanfield friends, we are delighted not to be running the Booster Club Steak Feed and Auction this month!! Bring on October!