My Nanny

It isn't easy to get old and sometimes you just wish it didn't have to happen.  Nanny is my sweet grandma and she'll be 92 next month.  It's so great that I can be closer to her now that we live in Arizona.

Hiking with Shea and Baby Beau

Soccer and Tommy

I love to watch soccer and I secretly want to play soccer but watching Tommy is fills that void.  I guess I can pass on all that running!  

A Little Party

Kassie and I planned a wickedly fun Halloween themed party for her friends.   We started off with the mystery buckets.  The buckets were filled with monster eye balls, witch tongues, and lots of other disgusting fun things.  Each kid had figure out what was actually in the buckets such as grapes for the eyes and bananas for tongues.  We did pumpkin races and a mummy wrapping contest outside along with slurping for gummy worms.  Kassie planned the menu so we served hamburgers and veggies.  My favorite part of the night was the donut eating contest.  I had to call Yael my neighbor to help hold the other side of the string.  

The party was a success and most importantly, Kassie felt special and cared about.  It wasn't easy running the show without Lee, which I wasn't expecting.  JD was on my hip the entire time and managing 12 kids alone was no easy task.  I'm grateful for June who came for a bit to help with dinner and for Yael who was home.

Kassie Turned 10 on 10/10

Kassie had her golden birthday.  She turned 10 on 10/10/2014.  Wow, she's a special girl, so bright and beautiful inside and out.  She's fun and friendly and has a passion for learning.
Amelia and Dylan were here to help us celebrate.  I made a red velvet cake and I let the kids eat cake for breakfast until it was gone. (it's better for me when there isn't cake in the house)

Some things Kassie is "into" lately are:

Training Ginger

Reading the Maze Runner series 

Learning about dogs

Catching lizards and toads

Riding her new bike

Learning how to be the new girl

Discovered a new friend in the neighborhood named Mia

In STEM club at Taylor Hicks

Fall Break at G&G Cabin

The kids and I packed up the van and headed over the hill to grandma's house for fall break.  It was Ginger's lucky day because she came too.  Maybe she wasn't so lucky because she threw up all over in her kennel.  We had a great time.

NY Visitors

The Merkleys stopped by on their way to Lake Powell.  They were our best friends in Rochester and wish they could move to Prescott, so our kids could grow up together.

I think the sun was a little bright, especially for the NY kids.