Ally

Jay

Max

Our neighbor is an artist and told us about the local art studio's November show. It's called "Through the Eyes of A Child". I told the kids to draw/create something for it. I didn't have to twist their arm :)


Last night was the reception, so we went to see the kids' artwork displayed!!

So, while the grown-ups were partying, Viv was "lights out". Actually, since I had been awake since 4:30 AM, I was lights out, too. I laid on the couch and watched "Music and Lyrics", while Viv slept. The partying was done by JON, while KATE stayed with the kids. Hmmmm...sound familiar????

Mark was "Michael". You can't see his wings in this picture, but it was a great costume.

Some memorable costumes from Wright's Halloween Party:


LOVE it!

Rock of Love

I.... don't even...know, but it was hilarious.

Dawn on Uno

We're Jon & Kate plus 1/2 of 8.

Another Halloween down.

I think we're making some slight changes in the Halloween costume department. The kids just had to have the jester costume, the Ashoka costume, the alien costume.....then decide they no longer like said costumes and we end up rifling through our stockpile to find some kick-ass costumes WE ALREADY HAD! Anyway, Max started as a jester and ended up a 60's greaser. Al started as Ashoka (Star Wars) and ended up a witch. Jay started as an alien and ended up a military guy. It's all good.


Viv is wearing the costume my sis gave me. Both her girls wore it and it will be interesting to compare photos.

Pretty cool witch.

I WISH this was our mustang!

Oh yeah, masks are outlawed. You can't see and they get all sweaty......

Sad/Happy/Nervous......me.



So, the Honda van that I love, love, love so much, took a crap. The transmission went out at 162,000 miles. We definitely had a great run with her. Of course, this had to happen after it was paid off.........so, to fix it would take a lot of time and money-two things we just don't have an abundance of. Although the first mention Eric made almost a year ago that I should get a suburban was laughed off, it has come to pass. I was so resistant to that idea. First, I love the convenience of the van. I didn't like the idea of the gas mileage a suburban would get and have long scoffed at SUV drivers and their "boats". The joke's on me. With 4 kids, strollers, ball bags, helmets, shoulder pads, groceries, etc. believe it or not, we ran out of room. Plus, there have been numerous times I want to take other kids with us somewhere and we would have to take two vehicles. After many hours of searching, we've found the new Schreiber Family Truckster. Thanks to a fellow cowboy mounted shooter (thanks Dave), we got a great deal. Or, as great of a deal a new car payment could be...
I now feel:
1. Sad to lose the van
2. Happy to have more room
3. Nervous about a car payment and the monthly grind of bills, expenses
4. Disappointed that I've let mother earth down
5. Excited about the entertainment system ( I'd been wondering how we'd deal with road trips in the future when Viv wants to watch "Dora" or "Sesame Street" and the other kids want "Ace Ventura") Now we'll have a system where they can watch two separate movies
6. Curious if the extra $.90 it will take to drive to Columbus will make a big difference in my budget. (Doesn't seem like a lot, but add it up every month......)
7. Grief at the loss of a van that has taken us across the Eastern part of the country. From Georgia to Iowa to Wisconsin to Virginia to South Carolina....it was an awesome vehicle. I highly recommend the Honda Odyssey. Goodbye Honda, you've done us proud.