Halloween 2010-The Three Little Pigs

 Last weekend we carved our pumpkins.  Good thing since this weekend was packed full of Halloweeny fun.

Willa surprised us this year by carving her pumpkin entirely by 

herself(ok, a little help with the cap and the scooping).

The festivities then moved on to Friday where Wayne and I went into Denver's class to help with their harvest party and then hep the kids don their Halloween costumes for a small but fun parade.

This year held indoors due to rain:(

Friday night Willa had a Halloween party at a friends house.  Ady helped crash the event.

Then Sunday the Three Little Pigs had their last ha-rah for the season.  Denver, the brick pig, Willa, the stick pig, and Ady, though hard to tell, was sprinkled with straw, which she did not appreciate.  Easy simple costumes.  Due to crazy schedules, we were not up for the more challenging request for costumes of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a juice box, and a box of raisins.  Maybe next year. 

 We met up with some friends for some yummy pizza and then we were off to trick-or-treat in the SNOW!  Not much more than frozen rain, but still!  It made for a shorter trip than normal with wet shoes and socks and freezing cold baby hands since she wouldn't keep her mittens on.  All the better to help limit the vast amounts of sugar brought in to the house.

This is Wayne's last week of travel, Thank GOD!  Last week was interrupted by my nephew, a new hire training with Wayne, needing an emergency appendectomy in New Jersey.  Sleep was not high on Wayne's list and unfortunately had to share space here with an 18 month old who is having a hard time staying in her own sleeping space.  But Thursday he will come home and be able to put the suitcase away.  Just in time for a little girl's eighth birthday. 

Waxing Sentimental

Another season done.  I'm pretty sure we didn't skip September but I don't recollect a lot from it.  Maybe some bad volleyball.  Thank God it got better.

Forgive me as I take a reflective moment to...reflect.  If you're not into sports I guess you can just wait for the next post sure to be filled with adorable Halloweened girls.  I shall take this post to bask in the part of me that loves athletics, competition, and passion.  It has complete control over me still and to be sure it will until at least Thanksgiving.

I found  myself in an unusual mindset Thursday night after our last game.  Happy as a clam that Wayne was home, however briefly, but sad and...homesick?  That's not the right word but it is the right emotion.  Homesick for what I would not have.

I would not have 13 girls showing up day after day, with rare absences, try very hard in their own adolescent way to focus.  Focus on volleyball.  Oh I know I've gone on and on in previous posts about my love for this sport.  If you don't love a sport, you may just not get it.  But certainly you loves something.  You must know how it is to be consumed by that thing.  For 10-12 weeks every Fall, volleyball consumes me.

This group was special.  They worked hard(not so special there, lots of people work hard), for the most part were athletic(again, many athletic people out there. Thank God for good genes), but they liked each other. Some were very good friends but did not make it into a cliquey kind of set, like so many young persons are apt to do.   They joked, lost patience, were disappointed at times, were confused, were excited and proud.  All this they did cohesively.  Altogether a lovely group to have.  And once they got the hang of winning, seemed to be quite good at it.  We finished 8-6.

And it's not that I don't know what I'll do with myself.  My time, like 'extra money' is already spent and committed.  But this is my one thing that has nothing to do with parenting, runny noses, diapers, PTAs, church, glass...  Just me and some kids in a gym with a net and some balls, teaching them how to love a sport.

Adalyn Reading a Book

We recently(ok, like today) bought a new camcorder.  Our old one had battery issues and was over 8 years old.  In the world of electronics, I guess that makes it a dinosaur.  One of the very first things I wanted to catch was Adalyn 'reading' to Denver and Willa.  This is a nightly occurrence.   It is hysterical to listen to her babble and inflection as if she really were speaking words.

AQ Pumpkin Carving Party

 Braving adolescents with knives, I hosted my first carving party on Friday.  It was a  little disconcerting to hear that a few had never done this before as I handed them almost all the sharp knives that I own.  And at least one band-aid.  Yikes.

 There was varying degrees of skill involved.  From our Picasso Pumpkin

 to the overachieving haunted house.

 It was a fun relaxed time for me to enjoy the very impressive girls that I've coached this season.  As we finish our last 2 weeks, I find myself wishing I had a bit more time.  They are that enjoyable.  I'm excited to see the players they become within the short years ahead, which is one of my favorite parts of coaching.

Fire Station Visit

Last week Denver's class walked to the nearby Barnard Fire Station for a tour and fire safety talk.  It was lovely to walk the 1/3 of a mile and Wayne and I were both able to go, along with Adalyn, not pictured, who did not nap during the talk unfortunately, but did while touring the trucks, go figure.

I was amazed at what a difference a year makes.  Last year Denver's class could not be still to save their lives.  Quiet was always a stillish feeling but never actually silent.  This year those kids were attentive and still and 'ready to learn' for the whole 20 minute talk.

They asked good questions and showed a lot of respect.  It was very good to see.  I think the walk helped get their energy out so they  were able to focus better.

We are more than halfway done with the traveling husband routine. He has 2 more weeks left and so do I in my volleyball season.  I guess were managing, though without the help from my parents we would be up a creek without a paddle for sure.

I am enjoying my first season at Aquinas and kinda wish I had a little bit longer with them.  There are 13 Seniors on our Varsity squad so I know I will be giving up a lot of my kids next year, ready or not.  Exciting for me is the launch of our Modified program this year.  21 kids!!  Usually I feel like the modified coach and JV coach wrapped into one but here is a chance to build before they get to me.          It isn't a cure-all but it's a start.  Man,  I love this sport.