October Rat Race

Olly Olly Oxen Free, If I don't post now it will be I. T. (for this blog, that is)

WAY WAY lots of stuff has transpired this month and I have GOT to jot it down. It's all good stuff for us, so stop holding your breath. Or do...if you like to test your lung capacity while you read blogs.

Hip hip hooray, soccer season is over! And guess who ended up loving it? Ding Ding Ding: PRESLIE. The one who was dreading it the most! Hunter enjoyed it also but he is always meh about most things. And Mack was... Mack.

We celebrated Mack turning FIVE! Wow. I really never thought this day would come. This child has been 2 for like EVER. I am still waiting for him to grow out of the terrible terrific twos.

Dax asked him what he wanted for dinner on his birthday and he said, "Well, for breakfast I want a gingerbread house, for lunch I want candy corns, and for dinner I want a bowl of suckers."  As you can see we tried to honor his requests (after nutritious meals of course). I think he had a happy day. I am never sure with him.

I also gave him his first friend b-day party. I tried to think of everything he likes to do and incorporated it into the party. We decorated sugar cookies, played some outdoor running games, and smashed a pinata (destroying + candy is so Mack's style).

Mack wanted to stand behind the pinata so it would look like Ventress's head was on his body. Yes, this is a Ventress head pinata I made.

It has been such a busy month, as is always the case at our house in October. Dax has been hunting a ton and absent from the day to day rigors of busy family life. So jealous happy he could be playing so much!

And in true Tristie form, whenever I have a ton to do and need an escape, I start a new and different project that is tons of work! I have housewife A.D.D! Here is my girls' room as of the beginning of October...

And here I am removing the light fixture so I can finish painting the ceiling. I cleared out and painted the entire room - walls, trim, ceiling, closet, and doors - by myself while my husband was gone. I don't recommend it. It took 2 weeks of chaos to finish. But it looks super nice now and I will post pics when I get the room arranged.

Halloween is in full force around my house and Quinn is the right age/size for our 2 year old Halloween jammies. When Hunter was born my girlfriend Katie gave him and Preslie matching Halloween pjs. We've passed them down to all my kids.

I ran my first 10K and my oompa loompas ran a 1 mile kids' race. This is the same week half my family got strep and the night before the race I started feeling it but ignored it because I had worked too hard on our costumes to stay home. I ran 6.2 miles with strep in a velvet suit! Dax was waiting for me half way through the race to cheer me on and was also at the finish line cheering. It was a fun, long race. 

Dax and I thought we had a mouse in our basement! We kept hearing a little scraping/scratching noise. Dax set out traps and the next day we could still hear it. Finally, we found where the noise was coming from...a beetle trying to climb out of a sack. Relief!

Quinn said this to me last week:
Q: One day I killed a rat.
Me: Oh, really? Where was it?
Q: I dunno. Dead.

I can barely handle how adorable and sweet and wonderful and cute she is. She talks all the time and says the cuh-uutest stuff in the most darling voice ever. One day she took the 2 halves of her shape ball toy and put them up to her chest and said, "Look at my bah." (bra)
Quinn and I got to go with Mack and his preschool class to the corn maze. Fun!

We celebrated Hunter's 9th birthday! He didn't have school because of UEA- he stayed in his pjs all day and played video games with his buds. That is his kind of day!

My kids and I went deer hunting with my Dad. His family always hunts together every year and this year 4 of them had Book Cliffs tags so we went out to join the party. My dad brought all my kids a pumpkin to carve;  they had a ball camping in Grandpa's trailer. It was great to see aunts, uncles and cousins!

{deep breath} What a month and it is not over yet! We are just getting warmed up for Halloween. Hopefully I have enough energy to finish October with a bang! I might need to be medicated!