Fun in the Leaves

There is nothing like a nice fall day and playing in the leaves! The boys and Anna had fun raking the leaves into piles and then playing in them. They thought it would be fun to fill Riley's "playpen" with leaves for Riley...he wasn't too impressed, but the kids had fun. They were raking and raking...then Jeffery came home and they got the blower...now that's the quick way to accumulate a huge leaf pile! Our leaves are turning such beautiful fall colors this year. I enjoyed watching them play and enjoying the simple things in life...

Anna and the ToothFairy Visit

Anna had her first loose tooth! She was so excited and couldn't wait to have a visit from the ToothFairy and to get her name on the chart in her Kindergarten class!! She wiggled and wiggled that bottom tooth until it was barely attached. But, she still would not pull it. She wouldn't let anyone else pull it either...Daddy tried to convince her to let him do it...see the picture...bottom left...2nd photo says it all. We were at Five Guys Burger and Fries with the Quinns enjoying a fall outing and getting ready to head to the pumpkin farm and Anna couldn't eat because her tooth was soooo loose. Everyone volunteered to help and gave her lots of suggestions to pull it...tie a string, bite of her hot dog, etc. She didn't like any of them and just sat in her chair. All of a sudden, she decided she was ready...Pop...out it came...she was thrilled and pleasantly surprised that it did not hurt! She got a little cup to put that tiny little tooth in...she showed it to all the boys and they were all happy for her. She could not wait to put it in her Toothfairy pillow that Nana made for her. There was alot of speculation about how much the ToothFairy would leave for her very first tooth! The next morning, she woke and immediately checked her pillow...$5.00!!! She was so proud of her money and her first lost tooth! I just love that toothless smile...priceless!!

Brandon Ray...14! Hard to believe that sweet, toe-head litte baby is now a teenager! He is quite the young man...keeping busy with all the things he enjoys...soccer has been his passion since he was 3 years old...he is a joy to watch on the field! He keeps busy with school, soccer, Campus Life and LUG...the Middle School program at Grace. He took guitar lessons this year and enjoys playing the electric guitar...he is picking it up pretty quickly. He likes lots of electronics...cell phone (I believe he can out-text even me!), i-touch, Xbox 360 and laptops all rank high on his list of necessities. :) He is very social and a friend to all...I admire his fun-loving attitude and the way that he doesn't let the little things bother him...wish I had a little more of that quality. He can make us laugh with his jokes and he is a great story teller. He can detail ANY movie he has ever seen...he's great at doing voices and just entertains you with his impersonations! He is a great big brother...although sometimes I think he isn't too fond of being the oldest. His birthday and Christmas lists aren't filled with toys and super-hero's anymore...money, electronic gadgets and clothes now top the list...it's a whole new world for Mom and Dad, but we're getting the hang of it...I think. He is growing up and turning into a fine young man...I'm very proud of him and I love him dearly!

Connor Bryant

Connor...there are so many wonderful things to share about him! He likes so many different things and is so great about managing all of them! He plays tennis (Alta and USTA), he plays select soccer and he enjoys golf when he gets the opportunity to play. He is involved at school and at church...he is on the Odyssey of the Mind (OM) team, a leader for Campus Life, Relay for Life Team and Readers Rally. He is involved in LUG - the Grace Middle School program. He is enjoying learning to play the keyboard, cooking (he's quite a cook already) and countless other things! His is a wonderful big brother and they all know they can count on Connor! Connor has such compassion for others. He has an incredible sense of humor and is quite entertaining at times. He has an incredible work ethic already and I know this will serve him well as he grows up. I adore everything about Connor and am very proud of all of his accomplishments...mostly I'm just happy to see him loving life and being such a great kid! I love him so very much!

Anna just loves doing everything! She's as girly as the day is long!! Fashion statement...has her own sense of style! Loves make-up, getting her nails done and shopping. She loves to cook...she made these sweet treats for her class. She is funny and quite the clown sometimes...she gets that from Austin! She's Mommy's girl...and there are days she is a Daddy's girl...she likes to spread the love around. She adores her brothers...she likes to annoy them sometimes, but she ALWAYS loves them!! She likes to play with Riley and she keeps him in line. I love to just watch her sometimes when she doesn't realize she is being watched...sometimes I see a reflection of myself and it really warms my heart. She says she wants to be just like me...when she grows up, she's going to work with me at St. Joseph's. I told her she could have my job and I would retire...which started a whole new conversation...Austin asked how old you have to be to retire...I said 62 - 65...his wheeles were turning calculating Anna's age when she starts working and how many years till I retire...he said "how old are you Mom, 41?" I said "YES!" (then I had to confess I wasn't 41 anymore). Anna said..."I thought you were a 3 and a 1 (31)...yep...that's it! (a very long time ago!). It's quite amusing to listen to their conversations sometimes. I adore our little princess...I love her very much!

The Faces of Austin David

Austin...seems every photo I take, he is making some funny face...he gets a little annoyed with all my photo taking, but he generally indulges me anyway. He is just an all around great kid...if I do say so myself...he's a good role model, he's fun and funny too! He enjoys so many different things and is passionate about all that he does. He is quite a talented soccer player and always gives 110% on the field...practice, season games or tournaments, you can count on Austin to always do his best! I'm so proud of Austin and love him so very much!!!

The Nerd Song - Halloween

Happy Halloween!!! 7th graders having a great time on Halloween...hilarious!!!