B is for Baby (Shower)

Apparently all of my October blogs are going to be titled with an alphabet theme . . . although I sincerely doubt I'll be writing be 26 of them.

After a fairly mellow week around here (our biggest project was K making a picture frame out of foam pieces for her dad's birthday) we more than made up for it this weekend. I had a planning meeting for my 20th class reunion Friday night so we bypassed Movie Night and K had a Girls Night with her aunt and cousin. I think the part of the evening Aunt Jamie enjoyed most was when she got her house (and some peace and quiet) back.

K and I finished about a gazillion errands for mom Saturday morning while she was working. And since living in Virginia Beach for the first 7 years of her life has left K's winter shoe collection woefully inadequate, most of the afternoon was spent trying to find something more substantial than a flip flop for K to wear to school. We also attended a memorial service for my great uncle who passed away Thursday afternoon. We wrapped the evening up with a short stop at the Kishbaugh's on our way home from The Great Shoe Hunt.

K with Nishu at her baby shower.

It was an early night because we had to be at church early today. K had a life long wish granted when she got to sit in the front pew since the first four rows were reserved for First Communion candidates. After church and CCD class, we jumped in the car and headed to Nishu's baby shower. The original plan was to say hi and get home in time to see Big Ben's return to Heintz field. Those plans changed as soon as K walked in the door. It took about 10 seconds for her to start dancing to the Bollywood music and after seeing all the beautiful Indian outfits the only complaint K had was that she didn't stop at home to get some bling after class.

After eating her weight in baked beans and winning a rousing game of musical chairs, we finally headed home where K was able to catch an encore presentation of the new Scooby Doo movie we missed on Saturday and I managed to make Chicken Tortilla soup for the Halloween party Saturday.

After all that excitement I'm looking forward to Monday and the start of a nice quiet week.

A is for Apple

Now that school and fall activities are back in full swing, things have settled down a bit around here. Hopefully that means I'll be able to update the blog on a slightly more regular basis than I have been. On the boring days (like you have any of those with a 7 year old) I'll be flashing back to some of the highlights since school started.

K and her cousin "working" the cider press.

Last weekend, in attempt to squeeze every last drop from our Dorney Park passes, we swung into action as soon as K's feet left the school bus and hit the ground. After a quick run through of chores and a potty break, K and I jumped in the car and headed across the river to hook up with our friends the Kishbaugh's. One hour (and no car sickness) later, we pulled into the parking lot in Allentown. We were all delighted to see that all this country air lead to K having a growth spurt over the summer that allowed her to hit the magical 54" mark on the ride board. Basking in her achievements, we hit the first two roller coasters in the park for the first time all year.

After two hours in the park, we piled in the car for a sleepover with our friend Nora who lives in the area. K was delighted to spend some time with Sarah and JP and I enjoyed the newly finished man cave in the basement with the rest of the grown ups. We also scored an entire bag of clothes that Sarah had outgrown, including some very cute horse themed shirts which K has already debuted in school.

Saturday included a lazy morning, a bout of car sickness that was thankfully relieved in a Burger King bathroom, a quick trip to Wal Mart and a birthday party for two of K's classmates.

Sunday morning was church and a parent's meeting for her upcoming first communion then home for the real fun of the weekend. Weeks ago Sunday had been scheduled as "Apple Cider Day" around here. By the time we got home, my brother and his family were here with my dad, my cousin and his son. The back of the pickup was loaded with red and green apples that were being shot into a contraption that chopped them up before the buckets were hauled a few feet away to the apple press whose mechanics I still don't quite understand. Even though the bees drank their share, we still ended up with a lot of yummy fresh apple cider. Most of it was handed out to pay the help, but some of it did end up in the freezer and our tummies.

The day and the cider were just delicious.