Joseph's focus on inequalities in his Kindergarten math program has inspired him once again to get creative with his set of bathtub letters and numbers. His fascination with and understanding of numbers never ceases to amaze me!

Here we are all together before the ward trunk-or-treat tonight! I finished Rosalie's hat just in time, and I must say the kids look great in their Thing 1 and Thing 2 costumes. Hooray for Halloween and a fun night ahead!

This afternoon, Tim decided to wash the car and van, and Joseph and Rosalie were only too happy to help! I probably should have put them in their swimming suits as they are getting pretty wet, but they sure are having fun!

We're all here together today waiting for the costume parade to begin at Joseph's Joy School Halloween party. It's a gorgeous day for a parade!

Here are the stars of the show now! Don't they look great all dressed up in their costumes? Joseph is dressed as Thing 1 from The Cat in the Hat, with Rosalie as Thing 2 come tomorrow night!

Joseph did pretty well with the marching and the singing, but what he really wants to do is dance! Here he is in action!

The little girl in the Snow White costume is Ella, and Joseph thinks she's pretty neat! They have recently been holding hands and sitting next to each other quite a bit at Joy School, and most of Joseph's stories and pretend games at home seem to feature an Ella, too. They sure are having fun dancing together now! Hooray for Joy School!

Just some updated close-ups of my two favorite kiddos in the whole wide world!

Last night was the father and son camp-out, so it was my second night in a row without Tim and Joseph home! I missed them, of course, but they had a great time! Here they are setting up camp...

eating breakfast this morning...



playing hide-and-seek...



and just enjoying the beautiful scenery! This is the time of year it's great to live in TX!

Joseph has always been a bit of a restless sleeper, and lately we've noticed some snoring and a few other things that prompted us to talk to our pediatrician, who then gave us a referral for a sleep study. When we explained to Joseph that he and Daddy would be coming to a doctor's office to sleep today, he literally started counting down the days! After dinner tonight, we packed a backpack and duffel bag with jammies, books, toothbrush and toothpaste, pillow, puppy, etc, and he and Tim headed off to the sleep lab. Here he is getting used to the bed!





After Tim finished filling out the paperwork, it was time to hook up the sensors! There were at least two dozen scattered everywhere from foot to head, especially the head! Joseph was a pretty good sport, but when it came to the nose-and-mouth sensor, he understandably started to voice his complaints! Now that it's in place, though, he is enjoying being able to see his oxygen levels rise and fall on the bedside monitor. After a bit of reading, it will be time to turn off the lights and ready, set, sleep! The goal is to catch four hours of uninterrupted sleep, so here's hoping for the best! Sweet dreams, Joseph and Tim!

Although we're always sad to see Grandma and Grandpa Gedlaman go, we were excited today to discover these boxes of animal crackers that Grandma Susan left for the kids, along with a personal note for each of them. They sure are enjoying looking at all the different animal shapes, and eating them, too, of course! What a thoughtful surprise!

We're decorating Halloween cookies all together tonight!

Here are the end results! I think Grandpa Lloyd decorated most of Rosalie's, and some of Joseph's may be mixed in here and there, but on the top from left to right are Grandma Susan's and Tim's plates, and on the bottom from left to right are mine, Grandpa Lloyd's and Joseph's. I must say they turned out very handsomely!

It's obvious by the look on her face that Rosalie really wants to "feed" Kepler with her bowl and spoon. I have no doubt Kepler would love in his heart to oblige her, but he's doing a good job keeping his mouth off the kids' toys. What a good boy!

We're here at the South Texas Corn Maze with Grandma and Grandpa Gedlaman today! Here's Joseph posing at the photo op...

and here we are getting ready to enter the maze!

Joseph did a great job of reading and answering the questions that gave us clues about which way to go. We made it through both segments of the maze in record time!



While we retrieved our lunch from the van and got it ready to eat, Joseph amused himself by playing on the slide and haystack, and Grandma Susan even took him for a turn on the "corn popper" jumping pillow!

After brief tries at all three of the above-mentioned activities, Rosalie decided she'd rather just hang out with the rest of us. She definitely seems to be having a good time doing it!

Here we are now eating some tasty hot dogs right off Tim's portable grill. What a treat it has been to be here together today!

Dad and Tim are having fun playing the Wii tonight, and I have to admit that Mom and I are having fun watching them!

Joseph's Joy School class is on a field trip at the Fort Sam Houston Quadrangle to get up close and personal with all the different animals that make their home here. Although we got here a little later than the main group, Grandma Susan, Rosalie, and I decided to tag along, too. Here are Grandma and Joseph with some peacocks in the grass...



and here are Joseph and Rosalie feeding the ducks and geese in the water!

Most of the kids got a chance to feed the deer when they first arrived, so although the official outing is over now, we're going to give Rosalie a chance to do the same. Here she is with leaf in hand, ready to go!





I think the deer must have remembered Joseph as a food provider, because they let him get really close to them! It took Rosalie a few tries, but she finally did get a couple of deer to come investigate her leaf. She loves them and keeps chasing them here and there! We'll have to make another trip out here someday!

We're so excited to have Grandma and Grandpa Gedlaman here in town with us for a few days! Here's Grandma Susan reading a story to the kids at bedtime tonight. It's easy to see how much they love being with their grandparents!

Tim was out of town for work most of last week, so he decided to take today off, spending most of his time so far playing with the kids, and snapping a few shots along the way! Rosalie discovered this box makes the perfect carrying case for Baby Stella, and Joseph worked long and hard with Tim to make this block neighborhood, complete with houses, driveways, and streets! What a treat to be able to spend the day all together at home!

The kids were so excited to open their Halloween package from Grandma and Grandpa Allison today! Thanks so much, Grandma and Grandpa, for sending us these fun stickers and yummy candy all the way from AZ!

Hooray for bubbles on the back porch this lazy, cool, Sunday morning!





I'm not sure it's cool enough for snow pants and boots, but it's always fun to play dress-up!

Joseph is getting pretty good at this bubble-blowing business!

Our rosebush didn't bloom much during the summer heat, but now that fall is here, it's starting to get busy again!



Meanwhile, Rosalie gave up on the bubbles and started hunting for acorns instead. We sure do have a lot of them around this time of year! What a wonderful morning to spend some time out of doors!