Pumpkin Carving!!

Tonight we had our annual Pumpkin Carving Extravaganza!!! Gabe was quite the helper this year....he scooped his own goup, picked his own pattern and even traced it all by himself!! Grady on the other hand...was no more impressed this year with the goup than last year....after about 3 scoops of goup, he became the Pumpkin Carving Foreman for the evening!!

The Trick-or-Treating Goblin!

EWWWWW!!!!

Gabe is totally in the gross goup stuff!! Funny how different the boys are!

Halloween Party!!

This was an absolutely wonderful end to an otherwise crazy week!! He definitely needed this party to unwind! I am the room mom for his class again this year....and thankfully his teacher wanted to do something pretty low-key with this being conference week and early release all week!! So, we played Halloween bingo, ate kettle corn, and had apple juice! It was a great and very relaxing Halloween Party!!!

As Sly As A Fox!

This week Gabe brought home a naked, pitiful looking turkey..with which he was to dress in disguise as something else! Gabe is so incredibly creative.....he thought to dress it like a fox!! He was so proud....How many other kids would be able to dress theirs as their last name??!! We all had a great time putting our creativity hats on....it looks like this turkey will be saved this Thanksgiving!!

Splish, Splash.....We were going pumpkin hunting!!!

Monday was Grady's class Field trip to the Pumpkin Patch and it was a wonderfully, soggy Seattle day!! This year the class chose the same pumpkin patch that we have gone to the past 2 years....so it was really nice....Grady knew his way around and he was sure to tell everyone how everything worked!
We started out on the hayrack ride!! It had actually rained quite a bit since our family went to this pumpkin patch a couple of weeks ago...it was pretty muddy then, but it was "sink into the mud" muddy this time! The tractor even got stuck in the field...yikes!

Grady and I tromped around looking for a "cute, little, tasty pumpkin"! We are actually making his into pumpkin pie!! yum! We found one pretty quick, so what do you think Sir Grady thought best to do with his time??????

You got it.....stomp through the puddles! I think the kids chose their pumpkins in record time....noone could wait to stomp and jump in all of the mud and puddles! We had a great time.....mud puddles and all!

Trunk Or Treat!!

After our big day of soccer...it was time for Trunk-or-Treating at our church! Everyone really out did themselves decorating the trunks this year...there was smoke, music, hands grabbing the kids, dancing pirates, halloween movies....all in the trunks! We also got to vote on the best trunk...so there was a little bargaining going on by the trunk decorators..extra candy and such for a vote! Nothing like a little bribery! We also got to enjoy some hot cider, cocoa and cookies...not a bad way to start the Halloween season!

The Big Day....GO CHEETAHS!!

A little pregame warm-up!

GOOOOO CHEETAHS!!!!!!!!!


Saturday was the big day....the Cheetahs big game! So, with the flip of the coin Shawn rooted on the Cheetahs! He had to do double duty....he had to not only get the photos during the game...but as per Gabe and my request he also had to videotape! But, always ready to take on a challenge...he did wonderfully! Grady had a great game....he even took a shot...it unfortunately hit the goal post....hmmmm...do you think this could run in the family??!! But none the less he had a great game...he stayed focus on the game the whole time...even stealing the ball from the other team a couple of times! After the game came the best part...the pizza party and the trophies!! It was a great soccer Saturday...GO CHEETAHS!

Bluehawks vs. The Shadow...Showdown #2!

Getting ready to Goal Keep!!

Saturday was a big soccer day for the Fox Family!! Both boys had a soccer game, so that meant it was a toss of the coin which parent went where!! I ended up getting to root on the Bluehawks in a rematch with The Shadow! It was a great victory for the Bluehawks..final score 6-0! Most of the team was back...we still have one out with the flu! The boys played a great game---the defense was really on....I think the keeper only had one or two saves the entire game! Gabe played forward the first half of the game....he handled the ball very nicely with quite a few good goal shots....the silly ball just kept missing the goal! I know before the season is over one of those pesky things is going to have to go in! He played keeper and defender in the second half of the game....fortunately (as I see it!) and unfortunately (from Gabe's view!) he didn't see any action as the keeper!! It was a gorgeous day....we are keeping our fingers crossed for another sunshiney Saturday next week!! GO BLUEHAWKS!!

Pumpkin Patch Time!

On Sunday after church we headed out to Carleton Farms for the annual pumpkin picking! It was a muddy, muddy time...but we had a blast! We started off with a stop at the pumpkin cannon....one of the boys' had an impressive hang time of 8 seconds...that cannon is pretty awesome...I'm thinking about getting one of my own! After the cannon we started the search for the perfect pumpkins! We took a hayride to the patch....a muddy ride to the muddy patch!! We slipped and slid all around the field until we found pumpkins that fit our specs! We ended the day at the kid's maze, the country store..for some yummy salsa and honey, and finished up with feeding the farm animals! A great day at Carleton Farms!!

The Cheetahs Last Practice!

Monday night was Grady's last practice for the fall soccer season! They have their one and only game on Saturday....so today was spent preparing for the big showdown! They started the practice off with a game of dribble and freeze and then they practiced their goal shots! They spent a majority of the practice playing a scrimmage! Grady played goalie in the beginning of the scrimmage...he was able to stop at least 4 balls...we were really impressed! I think the Cheetahs will do pretty well on Saturday...they all seem to know what is going on....a far cry from last year!! GO CHEETAHS!!

BlueHawks vs. Pie Blaster....The Second Time Around!!

The Bluehawks had a super soggy rematch with the Pie Blasters on Saturday! When I say "super soggy" I am not exaggerating in the least....last spring when we were at a baseball game...and I said I had never been more wet than that...well we managed to out do that about 100 fold! I hope I never have the opportunity to out do this time!! The boys were short 3 players, so they were all pretty tuckered out by the end of the game! However they had a pretty great game! Officially it was a tied finish...5-5...but according to Shawn it was 6-5...but the Ref is always right...right??!! So this one is going in the records as a tie! Gabe played all positions, but mainly spent his time at keeper and defender. He has become a very strong defender...and getting better all the time at keeper! A couple of slippery balls got past him, but he was able to stop at least 5! I have to admit my heart wasn't in this game...I was counting the minutes until I could get home in front of my fireplace with my big cup of coffee!!!! Both boys have a soccer game at the exact same time this Saturday...so Shawn and I are flipping a coin to see where we end up!! We will attempt to get pics of both!! GO BLUEHAWKS!!!!

Score!

Grady had practice again on Monday evening...it must have been the cold weather...but he had an awesome practice! They did their usual warm up...monster, slow, medium and fast dribble and dribble, dribble, freeze! He did fantastic...then came the time to scrimmage! This is usually when we lose Grady, but not on Monday! He had 1 assist and 2 goals!!! I'm not sure who was more excited--Shawn and I or Grady! GO CHEETAHS!!!

#2...Grady Fox.... getting ready to SCORE!!!

Bluehawks vs. The Sharks!

On Saturday, the Bluehawks got their 4th win of the season! The final score was 7-2!! The boys played as a team...passing to each other, helping out the keeper as defenders, and for the most part played and stayed in their assigned positions the whole game---they are really showing improvement! Gabe had a really great individual game as well...he again played keeper in the last part of the first half and the first half of the second..not letting a single goal past him...he is getting really good at the goal kicks as well and is showing some improvement on control of his kicks! He also had a heartbreaking almost goal...it was headed right in the far left side of the goal...a sneaky looking one and for some reason just before it hit the post it hooked left...missing by no more than a couple of inches...he even fell to the ground on that one!! He is getting so close....Keep your fingers crossed he'll finally get one of those in!! Thankfully it was nice and clear for the game...it was a little cool, but I'll take that any day as long as I'm not sitting in the rain....it doesn't look like we will fair that well this Saturday!! GO BLUEHAWKS!!

Cheetahs New Look!

This week at practice the Cheetahs received their snazzy new uniforms!! The best part....Grady got the #2...the same number as Big Brother Gabe!!! He was so excited when the Coach handed him #2.....he said, "Now I'm just like Gabe!!" They practiced their dribbling, scoring and goal keeping again this practice! They also had their pictures, so half of the practice was spent getting 14 little soccer pros looking in the same direction...at the same time!

Grady showing off some fancy moves! Boy, he looks great in his new outfit!

Fusion Fun!

We had our first Fusion Sunday at church yesterday! Last year Fusion was know as KidstufNW...it is the service that happens once a month..when adults and kids come together for service to learn a moral for the month! With this being the first Fusion of the season....the church went all out...bouncy houses, a rock wall, 4-wheelers, monkey jump, popcorn, lemonade

and a K-9 dog show along with the awesome dancing, acting and singing that is always a part of Fusion! The kids had a blast....the 4-wheelers were probably their favorite with the monkey jump coming in a close second! This year's Fusion is also a little more exciting for our family in particular as Gabe has been added as a dancer for the opening and closing of the show! He will perform in November, February and April!!! I will definitely post pics next month of his first performance!

Gabe climbing the rock wall!!!
Our little monkey on the monkey jump!! The kids were harnessed in and then this hydraulic lift would lift them off of the trampoline...they could then bounce and flip to their heart's content!

Gabe showing off his flip flopping on the monkey jump!

Grady actually beating Gabe.....I had to capture this moment...it is a rare occurance! In Gabe's defense...Grady was just the right size to fit through the tunnels...he could run right through while Gabe had to crawl on his hands and knees!

Grady and Adam (one of his Sunday school teachers) on the 4-wheeler!

Gabe on a 4-wheeler "just his size" He thought he was pretty hot stuff zipping around on this!

A Bluehawks Victory!

Saturday morning was another beautiful day for Bluehawk soccer! The boys played a great game with a win!!! 9-1!!!!!! Gabe played keeper for half of the second half....letting the only goal scored get by him!! Bummer!! But, he was able to stop several others! The score may seem that the other team was not up to the par of ours...but our defenders were just on! Several of the other team's goals....I can't remember their name--oops!....were stopped by our defense...and unfortunately for them and fortunately for us they weren't able to stop our offense! They were a very good team....they kept our boys on their toes! Gabe has really improved at keeper this year...last year when he would defend the goal, I would practically have a stroke...not so much this year!! I teased him after the game what a good sport he was for letting them have a goal...he must have known how I hate a shut out!! Thankfully he enjoys Mom's silly sense of humor! We are back to just 2 practices for the Bluehawks this week...3 was just a little much last week!!! We are also keeping our fingers crossed for another beautiful soccer day for next Saturday!! GO BLUEHAWKS!!!