::spooky spaghetti::

this weekend was lily's school's annual fall fundraiser.

lily and finn have been talking about "spooky spaghetti" for weeks and weeks.  they were so excited leading up to the carnival that the day was almost unbearably long for them.

it was an awesome evening of fun, games, food, community and friends.

::halloween preview::

i think i'll chalk it up to being in a big city, but we've never had so many fall party options.  from lily's school, to our gym, to the zoo and museums and friends, we have options galore over the next few weeks.  

the kids and i decided to kick it off this weekend with a fall party at the YMCA.  it was so much fun to see how excited they were to get dressed up and it was great to see lots of our neighbors celebrating. it may not feel like autumn around here, but this sure got us in the halloween mood!

he kept saying, "i'm fierce! i'm ferocious!"

they had tons of fun things for the kids to do -- including a camel ride.  unfortunately, my kids wouldn't touch the camel with a 10 foot pole.  but he was fun to watch! 

on the way home, lily wouldn't stop picking up all the litter and filling her halloween basket with it.  my sensitive one.  

happy autumn!!

::this is how she gets to school every day::

i am so thankful that lily loves school this much.  

we have definitely had some bumps along the way (ie. fear of getting lost after lunch, being worried that she will get in trouble in violin because the boy she stands next to talks to her the whole time, anxiety about her teacher not being with her in P.E.) but overall, lily is loving school.  so much so that she told me last friday afternoon, "mama, i like school more than the weekends."  my heart simultaneously broke a little and rejoiced.  but truly, we could not be more thankful for her sweet school and her amazing teacher.

this video is the worst video ever, but she was just too cute this morning.  

thankfully, the sprint stops when she gets to every street corner and she dutifully waits for us.  :)

he's amazing, right??

::my love::

ryan and i ran in a race yesterday.

and it was hot.  and the heat is my nemesis when it comes to running.  (ie. chicago marathon)

the race was in a really cool area near houston and it was awesome to go for a long run just the two of us.  but, i was a wimp and didn't really have much gusto when we got around to mile 8 or so.

but, my sweet husband, who loves me so much, was just happy to run by my side and encourage me.  i kept telling him to go ahead without me, but he was content to be by my side.  and i love him so much for that.

it certainly wasn't our fastest run, but it was a lot of fun and it was our first texas style race.  (i truly do believe that everything is bigger in texas!)  and it was the first race t-shirt i've ever received with an armadillo on it.  pretty awesome if you ask me.

and on a totally different note, check out this little bandit...

i turned my back for one minute and walked around the kitchen corner to find him with three cookies in his hands and one in his mouth.  he knew he was into mischief because he immediately shoved all three cookies into his mouth and put the lid on the container by the time i got my camera (and then promptly started gagging on said cookies in his mouth).  oh i love this boy...

::summer lovin'::

around these parts, we are still loving the summer weather. 

with our nights in the 70's and our days in the 90's, it makes me think that everyone else is experiencing this weather right alongside us.  

i keep thinking it still must be august and can't believe the heat can stick around this long.  while i do miss a good pumpkin patch, this midwestern girl is not complaining.  it has been fun to enjoy these warm days with the kids.

lily called me outside this evening to say, "mama, i have been meaning to tell you all day...last night at bedtime i peeked out my window and saw the most beautiful sky of my life.  the sunset was pink, blue and yellow."

sheesh.  she sounds so old.  whit was just saying that kindergarten sure has made her seem older.  it has been absolute joy to see the ways she is changing and learning in the first month and a half of school...but oh my, time, do slow down!

::acorns::

i truly do not think i am exaggerating when i say that i believe there are millions of acorns on the ground in our neighborhood.

millions.  really.  i think so.

when you drive down our driveway, you crunch over little acorns the whole way.

when i go for a run in the morning, i often fear i will slip for so many acorns roll underfoot.

the squirrels have a hay day in our backyard because it is littered with acorns.

and my kids are constantly collecting acorns and their hands are almost always clutching these treasures when they are outside.

i have found acorns in finn's bed.  on the back of the toilet.  on the kitchen table.  in the legos.  and in lily's backpack.

they are e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e.

even crosby collects them.  not a choking hazard, right??

yesterday, the kids and i decided to go on a treasure hunt for acorns with their caps still intact.  i thought we would be able to find a handful of them, since most of the acorns loose their lids on the way to the ground.  lily, however, was positive we could find a whole thermos of acorns.  and she was correct.  we walked and walked 'til their hearts content and their containers full.

and then we started glittering.

glitter is all over the place in our house.  and i have a feeling it will be for weeks to come.

you know what you are getting from us for christmas! :)

crosby is usually on the fray or the periphery of most of the play around here...and sometimes even excluded.

but, today was a sweet day of inclusion for him.

i remember when finn turned 18 months, there was a bit of a turning point in his relationship with lily.  he was old enough to really play "with" her and their friendship began to bloom.

i am praying that this same sweet relationship is about to blossom between crosby and his big siblings.

a sweet day...

::easy peasy::

since moving to houston, i've had a bit more time on my hands than i previously had.  

ryan works long hours.

my social commitments have been fewer.

and my obligations outside of the house have been fewer.

you could say that some days i am left feeling a bit...er...bored.

so, all that to be said, i've had some time to dream about some of my christmas gifts and get crafting.

today, during naps, i whipped up a handful of playsilks to give away.

i used an incredibly easy method of dying them with kool-aid and purchased them online for next to nothing.  typically, playsilks cost $10-12 a piece.  this was a much cheaper option!   

lily did ask me what that very sweet smell was from her bedroom (our house smells cloyingly sweet!) and my hands have a red glow to them.  but, otherwise it was as easy as can be.  

i used a tutorial found here.  next time, i would use larger pots so i could stir the silks around more.  and i had purchased two "blue" kool-aid packages thinking i would have some good boy colors, but it turned out that the color was actually a red drink mix.  sorry, boys!  next time!  

it was a quick little project and fun to play around with tie dying.  and they should dry quickly in the texas heat!  hooray for christmas crafts!