Farewell to Fall...

School starting usually signifies the beginning of Fall...this year we have a new driver in the house and man has this made my life easier. Chris' blue truck is now "Livie's truck" and she does a good job getting herself and her brother to and from school and her constant calendar of activities! This year Olivia is a junior and Tony is in 8th grade. Crazy, I know. But Chris and I are really enjoying this phase of life with the kids...we are busy, but we have lots of laughs and still enjoy hanging out together. 

We had a beautiful fall with lots of activities and company! Our first visitors in September were my parents. They came down and got so see both kids march in the Applejack Parade in Nebraska City. Here is our favorite flag girl...she was SO excited to see us all standing there cheering for her. (wink)

After the parade we dashed back to Blair for the homecoming dance. Liv went with her BFF Whitney and it was a treat for my parents to see her so grown up and going off with her friends. It's fun to have them here and be a part of our crazy daily lives and get to see the kids activities.

We spent a beautiful fall day in Lincoln, and took Papa Jocko to see Memorial Stadium. UNL is on the list of possible colleges for Liv, so its always fun to see a campus together as a family.

 Hamming it up in front of the stadium.

We took my mom to the International Quilt Museum which is also in Lincoln. It was a beautiful facility and we enjoyed visiting. There was inspiration around every corner!

Another stop was the state capital. We enjoy visiting state capitals whenever we can, and Nebraska's did not disappoint. While unconventional in it's design, it was absolutely beautiful inside and worth a stop.

Downtown Lincoln, the boys goofed around while the gals did some shopping. It was a gorgeous weekend to have Gramma and Papa Thompson down for a fun visit. 

The very next weekend, Gramma and Papa Maras made their annual fall visit as well. We have made a tradition of going to "Smalls Fruit Farm" in the beautiful Loess Hills of Iowa.

We enjoy picking, but mostly eating, the apples.

This year the pumpkins were HUGE and while its much like picking out a Christmas tree, Livie and Chris managed to finally find the perfect ones.

 So nice to see a beautiful warm day as its snowing like crazy as I type this. Boo.

While Gramma and Papa Maras were here, the HS Band marched in the River City Roundup Parade in Omaha as well. This is the 3rd year in a row they've made it for the parade. Blair always impresses the crowd and Gma and Papa are always proud to see their oldest granddaughter participate.

That same night, I took Olivia and Whitney to the Lorde concert at an awesome outdoor venue at Harrah's casino just across the river in Council Bluffs, Iowa. I sat in that pink chair with the rest of the "old people" and the girls went right down next to the stage. They had a great night, and I was glad to have them experience a concert this way. Next time however, I will bring a friend, as I got a bit lonely during the 2 hours before the concert started. Yawn.

 Early in October, Chris and Tony attended a weekend-long Boy Scout Jubilee at Mahoney State Park. This event happens once every 4 years and HUNDREDS of boyscouts were in attendance. They had a great time and the highlights for Tony were LARPing (Live Action Role Playing)...he's in the Vikings hat...

...and of course, the rock climbing wall!

Mid-October we were lucky enough to have Auntie Jojo come visit us too! We spent another beautiful fall weekend exploring the botanical gardens in Omaha.

They had just opened "Gardens Under Glass" - which is a beautiful new indoor facility. We look forward to visiting this tropical oasis during the long winter months. We always have fun when Jojo comes to visit!!!

This is what happens when you try to take family pictures for a Christmas card - tempting to use this one just to teach them a lesson.

Later in October Olivia was inducted into National Honor Society (second row, far left). She worked very hard to meet all the qualifications including GPA, character and community service hours. We are VERY VERY proud of her achievement. Nice job Olivia.

 Chris ended up being on a business trip when it was time to carve pumpkins for Halloween. This is usually a "Dad" job in our house. Kids did a great job on their own with no injuries reported.

The finished results...pretty awesome!!!

I had to throw this picture in, because on October 30th I went to see one of my idols, David Sedaris, perform live in Omaha. For those not familiar, he is a writer, NPR personality and freakin' hilarious. I am so happy to cross this off my bucket list....although I'd go see him again in a heartbeat. 

We're not done with company yet!!!! Just last week the Skubic's came down for a belated celebration of CC's 8th birthday! It was a quick visit but we were SO glad to have them here and spend some time with the kids.

The weather was nice enough to take the "kids" to the park up the street...is that metal structure actually BENDING????

 CC did a great job of decorating my calendar for Thanksgiving and I think of her every day when I look at it.

 We made sure she knows how much Nebraska loves her!

Jacky had lots of fun scooping up oyster crackers with his new mini loader from Tony.

CC requested grilled cheese, tomato soup and cherry pie for her birthday dinner. I was happy to oblige...look at the smile on that face!

Thanks for a great visit Skubics! It has been such a great Fall having so many visits from our families...makes us feel loved and we are looking foward to the upcoming holidays for more family fun!