Lauren is the birthday "bride".

William as "Peter Pan".

Alec as "Captain Hook".

Our Halloween party was a big hit! The kids played games. The adults played games. We all played games together! We carved pumpkins and wore costumes. My backyard even got TP'd thanks to our good friend Brandon. All the fun and games were followed by grilling out and roasting marshmallows by a bonfire. I hope everyone had as much fun as I did. And I hope that everyone comes back next year!

The Great Pumpkin Patch 2007
No School on Monday. Lauren's actual birthday. It is sunny and warm...let's go to the Pumpkin Patch! Ten minutes after we get there....downpour. We run to the barn and wander around shopping for more Halloween decorations (and anyone who has seen our yard knows that we don't need anymore!) until it stops. Luckily it only lasts for about 20 minutes. Back outside to sunny weather and quite a few puddles. William is as drawn to them as any child. We try to get the kids to pose for pictures that we take every year. Does anyone know how hard it is to get 3 kids to all look at the camera and smile at the same time? Umm...I think this is the only picture that even comes close! We went on a wagon ride around the pumpkin patch this year. It was very relaxing. I know that in a few short years Lauren will not want to be seen with her family at a pumpkin patch, so I savored every splash in the puddle and every frustrating attempt to capture their pictures. They just grow up too fast!

Time to Roller Boogie!
Lauren turned 9 this weekend. She decided to have her birthday party at the White Pines Rollerskating Rink. Deja vu. When my sisters and I were little our grandma Barb used to take us there almost every Saturday afternoon. Many birthday parties were had at that place. The same person still owns it. Some things have changed (like the music) and some things are the same (the lights) but it remains a great place to take your family for some fun! Lauren had 13 friends show up and we skated the afternoon away. My grandma Barb (who is 76 years old) came and skated with us. It was like old times watching my grandma skating around that rink. We had a few injuries. The only major one was my sister Liz falling while skating backwards. X-rays show that her tailbone is broken. Not cool. Especially for the girl who used to work and practically live at that skating rink! Lauren had a great time. I can't believe my daughter is 9.