October Happenings

 Well, October keeps marching on. We are officially 4 days away from Halloween. That's crazy!! We have been counting down for Halloween with a Halloween Pokemon Calendar (of course) and the kids have loved opening it every day to see what figure or other trinket they will get. They also have gotten some Halloween Pokemon cards, so they are doing pretty well. 

We went to a couple more Augustana Volleyball games, and Emma really enjoyed that. Elliott tolerated it. It was pretty fun to go and watch some good volleyball, and to have someone to watch. All the home games are done now, so I'm hoping there will be some playoff volleyball games at the Elmen Center that we can still watch. I like that Emma is taking an interest in sports. 

Speaking of Emma and sports, Emma started basketball practice last Thursday. We signed her up for a YMCA basketball league. She will have one practice a week and one game a week starting in November. I'm so excited for her. This will be a great way to develop her skills and meet new kids. Emma really liked her first practice, so I'm hoping that will continue. 

A couple weeks ago, we went to a Trail and Paint pumpkin event at Arrowhead Park. It was put on by Parks and Rec, and we enjoyed going for a little hike, picking out a pumpkin, and then painting it. The weather was beautiful, and we had a really fun night. 

I also went to my first LWMS Rally a couple weekends ago. It was in Watertown, and it was pretty fun. It was a lot of sitting, but I liked it. 

Last weekend, John and I went on a date night to Luverne, MN. We ended up having a lot of fun. We ate at Sterlings, which is a steak house, and then we went to Take 16, which is a brewery in town. It was pretty fun to get out of Sioux Falls, and have an adult night. The kids went to Jim and Barb's house for the night. 

On Saturday, we woke up kind of early to get ready for family pictures. We picked up kids, dressed them up, and then we went to Lake Vermillion to take family photos. The weather was gorgeous (like 80 degrees!) and the kids mostly cooperated, so we got some good photos. There were some tears, but overall it was a success. 

My parents also came to visit, and we met them at our house around lunch time. We enjoyed visiting and sitting outside for a while, before heading to the Corn Maze in Harrisburg. We had a great time finding all the spots in the corn maze and enjoying the treats at the end. The kids really loved it, and us adults had a pretty good time too. After the corn maze, the adults figured we had earned some beer, so we went to Lupulin to get some beer. The kids played games, and the adults drank, and we had a great time. 

After the brewery, we went to Ruby Tuesdays for supper, and then finally home. At home, we played some games with the kids, and then eventually some adults time and card games to end the night. It was a fun day!

On Sunday, we went to church, and then made pizzas for lunch. They were delicious. We then enjoyed an afternoon of games and visiting and washing windows. We also went on a walk, and found a lady selling Pampered Chef for really cheap, so we took advantage of that. Then, mom and dad headed for home. 

This week has flown by pretty quickly. We did spend a really nice evening outside this week raking leaves, and then letting the kids jump in them. They had a blast. We also had choir, and homework, and all the usual things. 

Today, we are heading to Great Wold Lodge once the kids are out of school. They have been counting down the days for this trip, and then are so excited. I am excited too. We are going to have a great time. So, peace out, we have a vacation to get to.