first sleepover

tonight is anna's very first sleepover.
there's been lots of coloring, barbie playing, barbie watching and of course, GIGGLING!



they are so cute it kills me.
totally different then boy sleepovers (not that anna's had any of those!).
josh and his friends are so destructive and wild.
the girls are so sweet and kind to each other and...so sweet.
but i already said that, didn't i?

in other news, tomorrow is a big day.
the crafting has begun.
any guesses??


someone turns 35 tomorrow!
and it's not me!

right now...

i'm home sick from work. i feel yucky.
i'm sitting on the sofa eating popcorn with old bay seasoning.
i'm watching bobby flay on the food network. i heart bobby flay.
the back door is open and a cool sunny breeze is blowing through the screen door.
the older kids will be home in the next hour or so. the house is quiet without them.
i just chopped some potatos to make mashed potatos with dinner.
i wish i had energy to go to the grocery store. we need groceries BADLY!
the dryer buzzer just went off. i hate laundry.
i think i'll take a few more tylenols and lay down.
laundry can wait.

crusaders. the undefeated season.

maybe you've noticed i haven't written much about josh's football team this fall.
or maybe not. :)

to be completely honest, his team has been doing so well that i was afraid i would jinx them.
this saturday was his last game.
the last game--and if they won, they would have an undefeated season!


coach jupin was excited. he worked on his offensive lineup most of the morning.
i love this picture of my boys.


it rained the night before and the morning of.
the fields were a big soppy mud pit mess!
but the boys didn't care at all. and ben loved squishing up and down the sidelines.

the next few pictures are of josh scoring one of his touchdowns. (he had 2)
see if you can follow him...




josh isn't in the next picture, but check out the muddy rear ends and big soaking puddles!
the field (and our boys) was a MESS!


our team dominated the first half.
but later in the second half, the other team started to come alive.
they were marching down the field as the clock was winding down.
their best player was getting first down after first down.
josh tracked him down, forced him outside, and made a diving slide tackle to get his flag.



i don't care how blurry the picture is. i caught it.
and it was so cool.
my heart was in my throat the whole time. i was swimming in pride.

when the clock ran out and refs blew the final whistle to end our season, it was almost too much for me to handle.
we won--20 to 6.

the teams stayed out on the field and together prayed.
i always get goosebumps when they do this.


coach shrontz kept our boys together and congratulated them.
he barely cracked a smile all season.
today, he couldn't wipe the smile off his face if he tried.

he told them about the movie remember the titans.
"none of us are perfect. but, together, as a team, we are perfect."


then it was time for celebrating.
the parents cheered like wild things and the kids ran around like wild things.


most of these boys have played ball together for three years now.
last year, they lost so many games by just a few points.
it was heartbreaking. and a good lesson for each of them.
this year, together, they are PERFECT.

the undefeated season.
how cool is that?!

trick-or-treating 2009

trick-or-treating this year was wild.
it's hard having three kids at such different ages and ideas of what they want to do.
we tried to get another family shot on the front steps for halloween 2009.
this is pretty much the best we could do.


someone, i'm not going to mention any names, kept taking off and doing his own thing...

and most times could be found strutting around with his bad self.


while the others seemed ok with having their pictures taken.




ben did NOT like his candy bag. at one point he threw it on the ground and in toddler language, i'm pretty sure he scolded it.


the weather was lovely--mid fifties and just perfectly halloweenie.


josh took off with his friends and their parents, so we pretty much went with anna, her friend and ben boy.
we all came home loaded down with way too much candy.


the older kids both said it was their best halloween ever.
frankly, i'm glad we just survived it all.


this morning, anna asked me what she should be next year.
and josh chimed in, "how many days until my birthday?"