HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I can't believe I haven't blogged since August! And I really have no good excuse. I'm not busier than I usually am! :-) I do have some pictures to add this weekend, so will just give a quick overview of the last couple months:

September:
We celebrated Rob's birthday!

I spent a week in Washington for work. I've never been to the Northwest before, so it was fun to visit. It's beautiful there, but so many people! I did get to spend a few hours in Seattle and did the touristy stuff - Pikes Place Market, the Space Needle, and eating at PF Changs.

October:
I attended a weekend scrapbook retreat at a resort in Minnesota in October. It was great to have some "alone" time with good friends and I got quite a few pages done.

Rob and I celebrated our 10th anniversary! We spent an evening at a bed & breakfast in Stillwater, MN, while the kids stayed with family in the cities. He bought me a diamond anniversary band. I had to have my wedding set cut off my finger - I put it on right after Benjamin was born and then it hasn't come off for the last 14 months! :-) But, I get the whole thing back today!

Kid stuff:
Emily is busy with dance two nights a week, youth group, and the socializing that comes with being in high school. (I still can't believe it sometimes.) She continues to drive us around town with her learner's permit and is getting closer to getting her actual driver's license. She turns 15 on Monday! She is working at saving money for a week-long trip to Washington, D.C. in January for the Teens for Life group with our church.

Sam has started cub scouts and really seems to like it. He is quite the social fellow if we can get him away from the TV and his video games! We have occassional play dates and birthday parties and his parent-teacher conference last year shows him doing very well. (His reading test at the end of first grade is actually beyond what the school wants him to be at for the end of second grade, so he won't be tested again until third grade!)

Benjamin still has 6 teeth (4 on top and 2 on bottom), but I think I felt two more on the bottom last night - it will be another day or so before I can get my fingers in there again to confirm! He crawls all over and loves to pull himself up and stand. He only walks with stuff if it's not planned, ie it moves and he just follows it! He will walk if you hold both his hands, but if you let one hand go, he either stands there and looks at you or just sits down.

Oh, and we got a new-to-us car last weekend! It's a Toyota Avalon and I love it. It's got a sunroof and I feel so sporty driving it! We still have the van, but it's in storage at Rob's mom and dad's place.

I'll post pictures of the kids in their costumes and the new car soon.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!