Strike Up the Band

Thursday night Sam had his first band concert of the year.  Grandma and Grandpa were able to come and listen to him play.  They played three pieces and did a wonderful job.  I  could hear all the hard work they had put into practicing.  They were impressive. 

Hoop Time

This last week we had less scheduled activities since things are taking a break for the holidays.  We decided to take advantage of the extra time and attend some Mizzou basketball games.  The kids have been wanting to go and this was the perfect chance.  On Monday we went and watched the girls play.  They were 8-0 at the time and won again the night we went.  They are very enthusiastic and fun to watch!  Sam also took advantage of our close seats to catch a basketball thrown into the crowd.  It was a fun night and I think we will definitely have to watch some more games this season.  

One the men's basketball assistant coaches lives in our neighborhood.  Sometimes they will have extra tickets to games.  We definitely couldn't pass up tickets in the third row.  It was a different perspective sitting that close to the floor and the players bench. The tall players made it a little difficult for Ella to see but we had a great time!  The kids enjoyed the game which was a victory and playing with our host's daughter.  

The kids at the women's game.

Right behind the Mizzou bench!

Court side!!

Dodge, Duck, Dip, Dive and Dodge

Caleb and Sam had not been huge fans of Crystal Bridges Museum but had been polite in letting us all enjoy the art so I thought it was time to do something they enjoyed.  So after church and a delicious lunch prepared by Dana and Ella we decided to head to Sky Zone.   Sky Zone is a trampoline park that has been open in Springfield for a while.  Caleb had been before but it was the first time for everyone in our family. 
John, Caleb and Sam spent the majority of their time in the dodge ball area.  They were hot and sweaty and injured (John  got a cut from his glasses thanks to a ball to the face thrown by Caleb) but they had a great time.  Ella and I spent our time on the small trampolines, the foam pit, and Ella even shot basketballs for a while.  We had a lot of fun jumping around and got some great exercise.  John will even tell you he worked hard enough to hurt for the next two days.  

Exploring Crystal Bridges

I have wanted to visit Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art for a few years.  Since we were already in Rogers, Arkansas I thought this would be the perfect time.  Dana and the girls were interested in going too so that was our first stop in Bentonville that day.  They had some beautiful pieces.  John and I have always enjoyed visiting art galleries, I had no idea how much Ella would love it though. Her favorite pieces were two by Georgia O'Keefe whom she had been learning about in her gifted program.
She took the longest to go through the gallery and that was with me having to rush her at the end.  I told her we would definitely have to make a trip back and give her more time.  Sam was not that excited about the paintings but the museum just opened a Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit that he would like to see.  He and John were able to see the outside of the house but the tour of the inside was sold out for the day.  It looks like there will definitely be a return trip in our future.
Hannah got on line at the museum and found us a place to try for lunch.  We went to The Pedaler's Pub.  Everyone enjoyed their food and it was a fun atmosphere.  I think it would definitely be worth a second visit too.  After lunch it was time to leave Hannah in Fayetteville and for the rest of us to begin our trip to Springfield.  It was another drive in the unending rain from our whole visit to Arkansas and then some resting from our travels when we arrived at the Lowe's house. 

Ella and I liked this string art piece. 

John and Ella looking at God's artwork.

Family Rivalry

The Friday after Thanksgiving we headed down to Fayetteville, Arkansas in the rain.  It rained our whole drive there and never stopped the whole visit.  We met the Lowes at Hannah's dorm room and got on all our rain gear to watch our Tigers take on the Razorbacks.  We enjoyed visiting another stadium and rooting for our team despite the fact that our team did not do very well.  Hannah and Sarah definitely had some bragging to do for this round of the rivalry.  Since we were losing and soaking wet we decided at half time that we would leave the stadium and check into our hotel for the evening. 

The kids were super excited to stay at an Embassy Suites with the Lowes.  They had never stayed at an Embassy before and thought it was pretty great! They loved that our room had two separate rooms, the hotel's open atrium, snacks in the evening and of course the breakfast buffet.   We headed to the pool after a short rest and then for some snacks. Later, we got ready and all went to dinner at Chuy's,  then for some ice-cream and after eating too much everyone headed back to our room to tell stories and laugh.  It was a great evening of some much needed family time.

Blessed

We have so many things to be thankful for this year.  We are truly blessed and one of our blessings is our wonderful families.  We were able to see both families over the holiday weekend.  We spent Thanksgiving in Kansas City.  It was the traditional meal at AC and Al's house.  The food was delicious and even though we had a slightly smaller group this year it was nice to visit with everyone and spend quality time together.  
I didn't get any pictures taken on the big day but I did get one the next morning.  We stayed at my mom and dad's the night of Thanksgiving.  Kylie and Cameron came over Friday morning since Christy and Dale both had to work.  It was nice to see them one more time before we left and the kids enjoyed a little more cousin time.  It was a short but enjoyable trip.  

Welcome Guests

We were super excited to host the Pogemillers on their visit to Columbia.  It had been a while since we had seen them and it was so nice to catch up on everything.  Their kids are growing like crazy and it was fun for my kids to be the big kids and dig out some old toys and games that had been tucked away for a few years.  
They came Friday afternoon and we had some time for the adults to talk while the kids played in the basement.  We decided to all have dinner at CJ's (Sam thinks it is a must when anyone visits Columbia).  After dinner, the Swoffords came over for a bit to visit too. It was so nice to have the house full of people laughing and talking.  
Saturday was the Missouri v Tennessee football game.  The weather was not what any of us had hoped.  Ellen and Mark decided the temperature would be too cold for their kids to go so they took them to stay with Mark's sister.  I knew Ella wouldn't like the weather either so when her friend Jessie invited her for a sleepover it was perfect.  Sam and I braved the chilly night and Mark and Ellen sat with us in our empty seats.  We enjoyed the company but the performance of our Tigers and the weather had us all leaving before the game ended.  It was so nice to catch up though and I hope they get to make it back to Columbia soon.  

Bronze Medal Winner

Six of the girls from Ella's soccer team got together to play in a 3 v 3 tournament put on by the Show Me Games.  Half of the girls had played three on three before and the other half had not.  They practiced once but were having trouble with the pace of the game.  Come tournament time though they adapted and won their first game 5-4.  Ella scored two goals in the game including the game winning goal with very little time left. 
After a few hours rest they played another team and this time tied.  Ella came away with another goal.  She played aggressively and learned to shoot when she had the opportunity.  The next day they would play one of the undefeated teams from day one that had not given up a goal in their first two games.  The team proved too tough and beat Ella's team 5-2, but at least they were able to get some goals on the them.  Ella's team finished third out of six teams in the tournament and they were awarded bronze medals.  The girls were so proud of themselves!  They have shown great growth throughout the fall season.  

Warming up before the game. 

#11 Ready to go! 

Shoebox of Love

One of the women in our neighborhood was collecting shoeboxes to fill for Operation Christmas Child.  Her goal was to collect 150 shoeboxes to fill and send to children in other countries who have very little. We collected some boxes and left them on her porch.  After she collected the boxes she invited everyone to attend a party and help her fill the boxes.  You could shop for items on your own or use the items she was collecting.  We decided that we wanted to shop and buy items to fill three boxes.  
The kids and I had a fun time visiting Dollar Tree and Walmart to find things for a child their age in another country.  We bought toys, school supplies, and a toothbrush for each box.  The kids then wrote letters and added a picture to the recipient.  We took our boxes to the party where they were wrapped and collected.  While there the kids helped Miss Stephanie stuff some of the boxes and items she had collected too.  It was a great experience and I think it is something we will definitely do in the future.  

A Spook-tacular Night

Since we were in Kansas City for Ella's soccer tournament, that is where we went trick or treating.  After her last game the kids put on their costumes and headed to Scott and Becky's house.  AC and Al brought pizza for dinner, the kids were so anxious to trick or treat though I am not sure they ate that much.  All four of them headed out at first to trick or treat on Emma and Aiden's block.  Then they came back to the house where AC and I went back out with Ella and Aiden while Emma and Sam went trick or treating on their own with some of Emma's friends.  
The neighborhood was packed with kids and many adults had televisions set up outside or in their garages to watch the Royals World Series game while they handed out candy.  Ella and Aiden did a lot of trick or treating. Their favorite house was on a quiet cul-de-sac that not many kids were taking the time to visit.  They had a lot of games set up and many chances to get candy.  Ella and Aiden played all the games and I think would have liked to stay there even longer.  Sam and Emma got back to the house about a half an hour after we did.  Sam had urged the girls to come home, I think they wore him out.  Then it was back to Grandma and Grandpa's to watch the end of Royals game and sort candy.  Both kids got a lot of wonderful treats, the Royals won game four and we all had a fun evening.  

Ella as Anger

Colonel Sanders! 

Autumn Bash

Ella's team played in a soccer tournament over Halloween weekend in Kansas City.  They didn't come away with any wins but I think their team is improving.  Ella played goalie half of the time and midfield the other half.  She really enjoyed herself, she loves soccer and spending time with her teammates.  

The other big perk of playing in Kansas City is that you get a lot of people to cheer for you.  Grandma and AC were at all three games, Uncle Al made it two games and Grandpa, Scott and Aiden came to one.  It was fun to have such amazing support to watch Ella play! 

Carving Creations

We were going to Kansas City for Halloween so our jack o' lanterns would not be on display Halloween night, but we wanted to make them anyway.  We decided we would just display ours a night early.  It is nice that the kids are old enough now to clean the pumpkins themselves.  That is definitely the worst part of the job.  
Sam did his pumpkin all on his own this year.  He decided to make a Minecraft inspired jack o' lantern and I think it turned out well.  He took his time making the design and then cutting it all out carefully.  Ella and I worked on her pumpkin together.  She and Sam found a soccer ball design on line and that is what we used to make her jack o'lantern.  It was my first time doing some scraping and I think it made the soccer ball look great!  We were all pleased with our creations and really enjoyed making them.  

Mummy Mayhem

Ella's class had a mummy theme for their fall party this year.  My friend Christi was the party planner and she did an amazing job.  Everyone is always excited when she is in charge of parties because they are always so fun and well done.  Christi was also in charge of her daughter Whitney's fifth grade party though so that left me to run the mummy party.  
We ate mummy themed snacks, made mummy chocolate bars, played mummy bowling and wrapped the kids up like mummies.  Everyone had a great time and enjoyed the theme!  I would say wrapping everyone up in toilet paper was probably the class favorite. I enjoyed getting to spend the time with Ella, her classmates, her teacher and other parents.  

Volley Zou!

Ella is taking volleyball lessons with a few of the Mizzou volleyball players after school this year.  Sam did this when he was in fourth and fifth grade and really enjoyed it.  Ella is enjoying it too, although she says her arms hurt at the end of the hour.  Last Friday night the volleyball team had their youth night.  The kids that participate all go and get volleyball t-shirts, get to walk in a parade on the court in-between the second and third sets and they get autographs from all the Mizzou players after the game.  
John decided to stay home and Sam was going to a haunted house with one of his friends so it was a girls night for Ella and me.  Ella chose to start the night with dinner at Cheddar's.  After dinner we headed to the match.  She sat with me for the first set then wanted to go and sit with her friend Emma.  They had a fun time watching, cheering, and especially walking in the parade.  They found Jocelyn during the parade and she came and sat with them in the first row for the third set.  They had a great time as one of the cheerleaders taught them the cheer for "Point Mizzou" that they do each time Mizzou scores a point.  She would come over to the girls each time and do the cheer with them.  They thought that was pretty special.  The had a good time and I enjoyed watching Mizzou win 3-1.  We had not been to a volleyball match all season and it was something we should do more often because they are exciting to watch.  

Twas the Weekend Before State...

Sarah's softball team won their sectionals and were headed to Jefferson City to play Helias in the quarterfinals of the state tournament.  She texted me to see if we wanted to come and watch her play.  There were seven senior girls on her team and they were so excited that their last four years of hard work had paid off.  We headed to Jefferson City that morning and met Dana, Hannah and Caleb for an early lunch then it was time to head to the softball field.  
The girls got off to a good start but one bad inning and they got a little down and the game went downhill from there.  Sarah had some good at bats and a good catch in left field but it was not enough for a victory.  There were some tears as their season came to an end.  They went farther than any Rogersville team ever has though and should be proud of all they accomplished.  

All smiles before the game! 

Running onto the field for introductions. 

Picking the Perfect Pumpkin

We had our annual trip to the Suburban Pumpkin Patch a few weekends ago.  The weather was cooperative and this time Brian, Lauren and Savannah joined us to look for pumpkins.  Emma, Sam, Ella and Aiden are old pros at the trip.  They went straight to the popcorn for a snack and then to the face painting station.  Ella got a pumpkin this year and Sam went for a KC monogram for the Royals.  
After everyone was painted it was time to head out to the pumpkin patch.  We loaded up in the firetruck and away we went.  The kids paused for a few pictures on the hay bales then headed out to pick their pumpkins.  My kids are getting quicker at this process.  They already have in mind the shape of pumpkin they want and are able to choose quickly.  We enjoyed holding Savannah and watching her get her picture taken with all the pumpkins while everyone else looked for just the right pumpkin.  Then it was time to head back to the store.  Ella and Aiden played on the equipment while others were mum shopping and Emma and Sam just hung out inside.  
We switched the order of the pumpkin patch and lunch this year so Savannah could have her nap.  So while they headed home for her nap time the rest of us headed to Winstead's for lunch.  It was yummy and fun as always.  Another successful trip is in the books! 

Heading to the pumpkin patch. 

Look at all this cuteness! 

Three out of five sort of looking at me isn't too bad??

We loved the puppy hay bale this year!