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I came upstairs this morning to find Emma teaching Carter one of those hand games girls play in elementary school – she had learned it on the bus from a little friend (who has older sisters) and it was so cute and funny I can't stop smiling about it.  It went like this:  

Lemonade, ice tea, coca-cola, Pepsi, 

Lemonade, ice tea, coca-cola, Pepsi, 

Turn around, touch the ground, kick your boyfriend out of town, FREEZE!  (and then the first one to move loses.)  

She has done it about fifty times today.  There is also one about going to Mexico and the "molice" (which I think is supposed to be "police", but hey, what do I know?)

Courtesy of the Art Center's Free Family Fun Day.  It WAS fun.  And I love what they created.  Except that Emma insists on storing hers in her room and I wish it was decorating my bookshelf.  (FYI… the two pinecones are owls, and Carter's is whatever you'd like it to be.)

Hopefully the wind today doesn't blow it down…

After a relief society workshop on becoming an educated voter inspired me, I had never approached an election so informed, or so excited.  I think I talked about it enough that it rubbed off on the kids… who always come with me to vote, and who always wish they could too.  Apparently, there is a local chapter of an organization that provides voting for kids… but when I contacted them it had been cancelled for this year.  So, Emma and Carter helped me make a box, and some ballots for kids to choose their favorite ice cream, and the people at the polling place were nice enough to let us leave the box there for kids at that location to vote.  Carter was a little disappointed when, after filling in his choice (vanilla), that there was no ice cream there.  He kept saying "But where is the ice cream???"  When I picked up the box tonight when the polls closed, it was stuffed full.  Emma made me promise to not open it without her… so you'll have to wait for the results to come in from us.  :)  It is such a blessing to live in a democracy, and to be able to vote… and it was fun to be able to share that excitement with my kids!

Votes are in:  1 – Chocolate 

                            2 – Strawberry

                            3 – Vanilla

                            4 – varied write-ins with one vote apiece

Carter has never been much about creating art.  He'll get into the really messy stuff (PAINT!) but has never really cared for crayons and markers.  So it was so cute to see him with the chalk and easel tonight… while the rest of us watched the world series, he stood over there drawing, and he'd say, "look at my skeleton (or pig or baseball or snake or whatever else he was drawing)" and then after a brief pause, "okay, now it's time for it to go away…" and he'd erase it in the cutest, most inefficient way.  If I hadn't made him go to bed, I wonder how long he would have stayed there… he was perfectly content and having so much fun.  

From Obi-Wan Kenobi, Firefighter Carter, and our super soccer player.  Quote of the night:  "I want to do one more house!"   (Carter was not cold this year, and he knew just where the treats were coming from.)

Here are a few of my favorite memories of the 3 days of costumes:  

Zach, totally in character, at the trunk or treat – where he battled Darth Vader, the highlight of his entire Halloween experience.  

Emma in her element, with the first round of candy.

And Carter, who has been wearing his firefighter costume to the bus stop for weeks now (and isn't about to stop just because Halloween is over!)

Emma has been learning about patterns at school, and we talk about them all the time.  "Look, Mom, it's a pattern!"  Well, here is a pattern she is extra excited about:  

boy, girl, boy, girl.

Announcing a new little Miss Adams coming next March…

And although Emma is the one that gets to share a room with her, we are ALL excited for her to join our family!

Don't know why I thought it would be different… there was the usual squeamishness about removing the pumpkin guts… the usual baseball team logos carved into the sides/back… the usual later than planned on bedtime… the usual super-excited-to-see-their-pumpkins-lit-up kids.

Fun as ever!  Now here's hoping the hungry squirrels don't eat them before Halloween…

The kids both spent a lot of time on the ice this fall… Zach took a hockey class and Emma took some skating lessons, and both of them did a great job!  Emma passed off her level one requirements to get a  "snowplow sam" patch, and Zach got to where he could skate and hit the puck.  Credit must also be given to Carter, who was a really good sport through all the waiting at the rink.  Luckily, on the last day they drove the zamboni around, which made his waiting all those weeks more than worth it.  They absolutely loved it, and are hoping that Nate finds a way to make the backyard into an ice skating rink this winter…

 (hockey pictures of Zach to come when I find out how to hook my new phone up to the computer…)

Another lost tooth, another dollar store prize.  All in all, a great day for our little Emma, who is absolutely adorable without her two front teeth.