1) cross country. after a bit of a rough start to the cross country season, Greta kept plugging away and it was fun to watch her paces drop. the season concluded with the diocesan championship meet in which our girls team took 4th place overall -- nothing to sneeze at! Greta got a new PR with a 8:28 pace and came in 45th out of 80 JV girls.
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| such a beautiful course with a fast finish! |
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| her lucky scrunchies in school colors |
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| we kept seeing these shorts pop up on more and more girls as the season progressed and Greta finally got a pair of her own at the championship. little ghosties! |
2) Blair's 40th! we had a blast at a local brewery, then hopped around to a few other bars. Blair and Amy hitched a ride in the back of Nick's station wagon to our beloved Urban Tap.
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| this birthday banner has been in circulation since we turned 21. we just keep fashioning new numbers to add to the center |
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| I followed behind them in the van since Nick and I drove separately and of course had to do a photo shoot while we were stopped at a red light. don't worry, they are wearing lap belts! |
3) new godbabies. Nick's godson was born in September and was baptized in a beautiful ceremony in October. and my very first godchild was born just a few days after the baptism! we are so fortunate to have many close friends who are faithful Catholics. the more children we all have, the more the godparent/godchild family tree starts to intertwine!
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| God bless this sweet little boy! my goddaughter is in utero on the far right -- their third child. Nick is godfather to their oldest, Steve (to Nick's right) is godfather to their secondborn, and they are godparents to Elizabeth. see what I mean about the intertwining?! |
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| the girls were pretty well behaved during the baptism |
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| precious baby girl! they texted the night after she was born to ask if I wanted to come visit at the hospital. as soon as I got home from basketball practice with the older girls, I threw some postpartum goodies in a bag (Halloween candy and a few beers!) and dashed over to meet this little sweetheart! |
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| she is such a doll!! |
4) Hallowboo. it's become an autumn tradition to dress the kids up in old Halloween costumes and go for one last hoorah at Idlewild. this fall was so busy that we had just one opportunity on a Sunday afternoon where the whole family was free. the forecast didn't look great but we decided to take our chances anyway. when we were about 30 minutes out from the park, the sky turned ominously gray and it started to sprinkle. we pivoted, and Nick dropped me and the littles off at an indoor playspace and he took the older girls to a nearby mall for some clothes shopping (#girldadpoints).
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| Elizabeth was all dressed up in an old dance recital costume of Greta's |
the next weekend we actually succeeded in making it to Hallowboo, except Nick couldn't join us this time. Sabrina met us and Cece's BFF came along. Greta ended up staying home because she says she has outgrown Idlewild and Hallowboo in particular. maybe she'll change her mind in the future because the little ones are just so cute! anyway, the weather was the complete opposite of the weekend before and we were so glad we hadn't tried to visit in the rain.
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| traditional photo in front of Storybook Forest |
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| it took a little while for Victoria to catch on to the idea of going up to the workers and saying "trick or treat" for some candy. Elizabeth remembered right away |
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| waving to Little Miss Muppet. Cece wore this pumpkin costume when she was four, so it was a little big on Vickie and the hat kept falling off, but still so cute! |
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| Elizabeth is wearing an old Belle dress up costume the older girls had. we lost the tiara, gloves, and wand along the way. she kept spotting other girls dressed as Belle who had all the accessories, so of course I had to order a set for her before Halloween itself arrived. |
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| the Three Little Bears' house |
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| Victoria took the pumpkin posing photo very seriously |
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| every year, we must get a pig photo for Nana! |
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| "it's my castle!!" she exclaimed |
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| everything in the gift shop was 50% off since this was the last operating day of the season. I told the girls they could pick out something for under ten dollars. I gave them a ten dollar bill and we waited outside for them to peruse the options. they came back with these gummy bear monstrosities -- and then handed me back my money! apparently the whole park is cashless now, and a kind man behind them in line paid their bill with his card (the total for both gummy bears was $6). he then refused to take any cash in return. I just love humanity sometimes! |
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| these pipes blow forced air so you can balance balls in the stream -- or create a new hairstyle! |
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| she kept trying to abscond with as many balls as her little arms could carry |
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| climbing the big net |
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| when we moved onto the rides, we stashed the costumes in the stroller |
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| they always dye this fountain a cool color for Hallowboo |
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| many hands make light work |
5) Halloween. just two days before Halloween, Nick brought home pumpkins for the girls to carve. I don't particularly enjoy pumpkin carving although the finished products are so cute! so I'm happy to have this be something he "owns".
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| Nick's brilliant idea to spread a tarp down over the family room rug! |
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| the finished products |
Halloween itself was a new experience for us this year -- the first year both girls trick-or-treated with friends apart from our neighbors. Greta went over to her friend's neighborhood and made out like a bandit, while Cece's BFF and her mom came with us. at the end of the night, Greta and her friend were dropped off back at our house for a sleepover.
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| the quality control committee |
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| Elizabeth was VERY pleased with her new accessory set |
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| thing 1 and thing 2! |
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| with their beloved Miss Kim, our next door neighbor |
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| this was the face I got after I discovered their thing 1 and thing 2 stickers tucked "safely" in the stroller pocket so I wouldn't forget where they were. at least I found them before we made it too far down the street! |
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| this house always puts on a haunted house exhibit inside. I appreciate that they tell kids they need to bring a grownup with them! Nick took the girls through while I stayed outside with the littles |
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| we met up with our friends to trick or treat around their house! |
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| back at the house. Cece's dogs were barking. Victoria's face says it all |
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| the best part -- sorting and trading and counting |
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| Greta's friend was a lifeguard and Greta was a shark |
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| it's a little hard to tell the scale of Greta's haul in this photo, but it was a MOUNTAIN of candy, chips, and juice. |
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| breakfast the next day -- lots of eggs, sausage, and bacon to counteract all the sugar! (I mean, yes, we did have pancakes and orange juice too...) |
6) bonus round.
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| I'm going to miss these little notes dreadfully when she grows up and moves away |
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| Nick rents out the station wagon on a vintage car rental website. on this particular occasion, he knew it was being used for a film project but didn't know the particulars. he happened to be driving his other car to play for a funeral that morning when he passed it being staged overlooking the city! apparently it was being used for promotional material for Pittsburgh. so cool! |
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| basketball practices started in October. Cece and Greta have back-to-back practice on Thursday night from 5-6:30 pm (for Cece) and 6:30-7:45 pm (for Greta). sometimes I bring sandwiches or we stop by a drive thru, but at least half the time, I make a big pot of pasta or hearty soup, throw it in a Costco box with plastic silverware/paper plates/paper towels, and eat in the gym cafeteria with the littles while the older girls eat before or after their respective practices. I feel like super mom every single time! I have plenty of doom piles and the junk drawer is a travesty, but I have feeding the kids on lock. |
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