scenes from today...

A gray and YUCKY rainy day - but there is some nice things to look at:

For example - the pumpkins that Eric spent 3 hours last night carving...he did an AWESOME job, don't you think? (you can leave him a comment in the comment section you know...)




Our maple tree - BALD.

Leaves from the tree on the ground - so it's not as pretty as when they were on the tree, but it's still colorful...you just have to tilt your head downwards now.


Our unclassified tree in the very front of our house - leaves still attached.

Oh - and there was a Halloween Parade today. This is the principal, Mr. Rose as the Elf. That's also Emily's Kindergarten teacher - Mrs. Hollinsky as the witch.

And here's our adorable Statue of Liberty...

We need to work on keeping that crown up.....

And because it's Halloween, you need to be frightened- here's the gym teacher - Mr. Newvine, as the purple Telletubby. Very scary.
Hope you all have a safe and Happy Halloween - back with more pictures on Sunday......

On this day in Gottlieb family history.....

On October 29, 2007 we:

Practiced rolling over.

AND Ate pumpkin cookies seconds after they were made.

On October 29, 2008 we did the following:

Sisters played together in the morning before school.

It snowed a teeny, tiny bit.

And a VERY cute one year old attempted to steal an apple from the fruit basket.
what will we do today?

fall leaf FUN!!!

Finally had a couple days in a row without rain, so we had dry ground and dry LEAVES!!! A perfect recipe for fall leaf FUN!!! You just add a couple cute kids, a Mom who still thinks she's six, and a Daddy with a camera......enjoy!



(And yes, I know our leaf pile may be a little small compared to some, but it seems to work for us!!)











Looking forward to some warmer temperatures this week - and Halloween!!! Is it really the end of October already???

what a difference a couple days make...

Our Maple tree on Monday:


Our Maple tree today:


I now understand why it's called a Blaze Maple - it's on FIRE!!!

Fall this year is just GORGEOUS, and if it ever stops raining, I will be our taking lots and lots of pictures. Check back later this weekend - have a good one!!!

pumpkins

Went to get our pumpkins this afternoon. I REALLY wanted to go to a REAL pumpkin patch - but we have been so busy with life, we didn't have time. I am hoping to find some time, some other day to go - but it's not looking good.

The pictures were so HARD to get this year. And surprisingly enough, it was Emily who was the problem. She outright refuses to look at the camera, unless I point to it, scream at her, and then maybe......I did catch her a few times.










And that was that.

slow down, slow down, SLOW DOWN...

Autumn. Fall. My favorite time of year. The world around here explodes in bright, vivid colors. It's a close tie with Spring - but since fall has some of my most favorite colors - it almost always wins by a bit.

This fall has been a bit different. First - it's been FREEZING. We went from shorts and flip flops one week, to winter coats, gloves, hats and two layers of clothing the next week. No transition what so ever. It's also been quite wet. And, cold and wet in my book - really STINK.

But the colors are here. And so are the fall activities. We have been booked solid. No time to rest. No time to stop. Barely time to enjoy. We haven't even gone to the pumpkin patch yet. We may have to squeeze it in after school this week - because this weekend is already full.

So, here's to SLOWING down, and enjoying. It will all be a memory in no time.

On Saturday night, we went to Izzy Farms moonlight corn maze. We each got a glow stick and a map. It was a bit more muddy than I anticipated, but it was much fun.


Paige went to the playroom at the gym for the first time today. YES, I JOINED A GYM. More on that later. She was a champ. NO tears. No big deal. She could have cared less that I was gone. She took one look at all the TOYS and didn't even look back!! Let's see how she does tomorrow. YES, I AM GOING TO THE GYM TWO DAYS IN A ROW. Maybe you should write that one down.

And she got boots. She LOVES them.

my little genius

Sometimes it just absolutely freaks me out at how much my Emily is growing up. Her face just seems to gain maturity with each day. Maybe it's because I look at Paige all day long - she is a mini-Emily, but it still freaks me out all the same.

She's in school all day. She reads. She is a social butterfly - and has no problem making friends anywhere and everywhere. She is a great big sister - and quite proud of that title. She is truly getting a whole sense of herself.

She is still silly. She still cries when she can't find something. She still needs me to pick out her clothes. She still needs us - her parents to guide her. And we are quite happy to do so.....for we know it's fleeting.


My BIG girl had her very first test today - and if this is a measure on how well she will do on future academia - we had better start saving for Ivy League. I know, it's just a math test, basic addition and subtraction, quantities, patterns and such - but still - 100 percent!!!

She could not wait to tell me - the big news was coming out of her mouth the minute she got off the bus this afternoon.

I could not be prouder of my Emily Jean.

apples to bed

Today was our annual trip - although, some years we do go more than once - to Blake's Apple Orchard and Cider Mill. We, my Mom included, were joined by the Marcikic clan - Aunt T, Uncle Denny, Kelly, Ryan, Julie, and Emerson. Fun, apples, donuts, fritters and cider were had by all.



Paige and Emerson had the best time together - so sweet.

And next time - would someone PLEASE tell me to remove my sunglasses when someone is taking a family photo. This one was by far the best of the three - we may need a re-take.





I love this one - I wish Emily was making a better face - but it's still one of my favorites.
The girls all scrubbed up and ready for bed - they are watching our family slideshows on DVD. They have had quite the busy weekend - playing with friends, sleeping over at Grandma's house last night, apple picking, more playing friends today....hopefully they are already sleeping.

BTW: Our team won the Ojibwa Road Rally last night. Along with prize money, we also get to run and plan next year's rally. Eric already has a plan going. Are ya surprised??? More about the rally in a later post.