Cousin Time!

Our cousins came into town last week and we crammed lots of fun into a few short days.  I love the friendships my kids have with their cousins.

A quick side note: Paige was "Star of the Week" last week.  

She was so excited to put her answers on the class wall.  One of the questions was, things that make you happy?  Paige answered, "Sleepovers with my cousin, Maren" :)  So a sleepover with Maren was top on the agenda for last week.  Cell phone pictures just don't do it justice, but here are the girls before bed:

Our big fall apple orchard outing was rained out:(  So, we all headed to Koetsier' s for a bit of inside fall fun:

A little corn digging.  We found corn all over when we got home...in their shoes, in Annie's diaper....very special!

Some tractor racing....Annie holds her own with the boys:)

Pumpkin painting

Cousins, sizing each other up....

 And my kids - we take what we can get with Miss Annie:)

Don't Veer for Deer

Every time I get on the highway, I laugh when I see the sign that flashes above the road reminding us West Michiganders to not veer for the deer.  Yes, Fall is here in full swing and we're loving it!

As usual, we've crammed a lot into a few short weekends of beautiful fall weather.  

A trip to Robinette's has become an annual tradition.  We loved hanging out with Grams and Grandpa, eating donuts and playing on the HUGE pillow!

Another fall favorite around here is Art Prize - the kids loved seeing all of the art at the Ford Museum and even playing on some of the art:)

Ben and I got to spend a night downtown, watching 15,000 lanterns being set off into the sky.  To say it was breathtaking is an understatement.

We also spent a quick weekend in Chicago for Homecoming at Wheaton.  The kids loved the football game...it was so much fun showing the kids around our old stomping grounds and seeing dear college friends:)

And what would fall be without a craft night making pretty wreaths?  I'm pretty impressed with us and our craftiness on this one:)

  

I've been promoted!

Last year, I officially became a "soccer mom" - and THIS year...I've been promoted to "coach's wife"!  Yes, Ben rose to the challenge and coached 5 kindergarten girls in a sport he has never played:)  He did so great - the girls absolutely loved him and his enthusiasm.  I personally got a kick watching Ben jumping around in a leprechaun state, getting the girls to kick the ball in the right direction:)

It was sort of a family affair :)

 Annie and I were the cheerleaders, Will was the ball boy...... 

Paige was the fearless player......

And Ben, Super Coach! (or "Coach Dad" as Paige referred to him)

Soccer Saturdays this fall were so much fun - sad to see them end!