"Is it Dad?"

Every time we hear sirens, the kids run to the window to peek through and see who it is. Ambulance or police...and if police, is it Dad? The majority of the time it's the ambulance, but we still have fun watching it go by.

Baby Quin

The kids were fascinated by Aunt Heidi's new baby- Baby Quin. He's such a sweet little baby. Thank you for letting us hold him and love him Aunt Heidi.

up on her knees

Jason caught Lainey working on getting her knees under her. It was so cute! She really wants those toys.

A perfect fall day?

This is the fall I know and love. Not too cold and not too wet, just colorful.

Happy Halloween!

We had THE best time trick-or-treating at the trunk-or-treat. The kids actually wanted to finish early because they were cold. I was the one who kept saying, "No, there's this whole line of cars yet to be plundered." There were a lot of trunks.

Jason came with his patrol car because he was on call. So he turned on the lights and used his trunk. I thought that was better than any decorating I could have done.

The kids loved their costumes. We have Sassy Witch Emma, Fun Fairy Claire, Saka (From Avatar the last Airbender - the first link takes you to the motion picture they just made, the second takes you to the cartoon. We loved them both. Paul wanted to be Saka because he's the funny one.), and Thomas the Train. I was so glad that Benjamin wore his costume. 1. because he looked so cute. 2. because he had been saying for the whole month of October that he wouldn't.

Pickle Party

I left the pickles out on the counter and Benjamin came along and finished off the jar. There was just a little less than half a jar.

Claire the Rock Star and Stellar Ranch Hand

Claire was so funny today. She came out of the bedroom dressed in her Stellar Ranch Hand get up and made us laugh so hard. Jason and I both went for the camera at the same time.

Just swinging her lasso

Then...she grabbed one of our extra long train tracks and started strumming her make believe guitar.

The not so shy guitarist

This stance means business

Already playing to the camera

She was jumping back and forth like the ski exercise and just going to town on her guitar. That's what she did the rest of the day. She would find either Jason or me and say, "You want to hear my song?" Then she would tweak the top of the track, like she was tuning up, and start to play. Of course we livened it up by singing along or making improvised guitar sounds - "wow-wa-wow-wow." She had the best time and so did we as we laughed and smiled all day, no joke. Paul was a little perturbed. He kept telling her that you don't use the tracks for a guitar, but we encouraged her pretend play.

Slow down 'cause you're gonna get a ticket!

Jason isn't the only one giving tickets out around here. Here's the launch of our new ticket system. The idea came from me telling one of the kids that they had earned themselves a ticket to time out. Emma caught on to that and kept telling me about their passes (tickets for our purposes) they needed to have to go to the bathroom and office at school. Her teacher also gives out good behavior tickets which allows them to pick out of the treasure box on Fridays.

I don't think that trying to give bathroom tickets would work around here, but I have something else that might make discipline a little more fun. Today I made up some Tickets to Obedience. I give these tickets when the kids do not listen to me when I tell them to stop: fighting, hitting, crying, yelling, being mean, etc. This ticket requires that the child perform jobs of my assigning until they can calm down and choose to listen and obey what I am telling them or asking them to do.

Here's Paul demonstrating how the kids might feel upon receipt of a ticket to obedience. Not very happy.

(these two pictures make me think of the primary song...If you chance to meet a frown, do not let it stay quickly turn it upside down and smile that frown away. This is a real sad face by the way)

Here's Paul demonstrating how they might feel after completing their jobs and having a mini lesson in obedience. So happy! Don't we just feel so good when we obey?

Claire just wanted to have her picture taken.

I have made up a tag for tickets to time out. They get the ticket and have to sit in the designated area and then can return the ticket when we have out little talk. I haven't made them up yet because I've got to find a way to make them sturdy. I don't want to have to keep making up new tickets to time out.

Treinta y Uno

I'm 31!

Think red

This is one of the next projects - pain the front door red. (It better turn out because that was my idea too.)