Fall for Fall

Corky... NBA great?

Mummy Slayer & Street Thug

The geisha after her show

Geisha from the side

Ready to trick or treat!

Spider web ready!

Many hands make light work

The graveyard...beware!!

Alex, don't let the rpoe win. Fight!

There has been lots of fun in the Olson house this fall. First there was soccer. Abby and Ethan both played this year. It was pretty fun to watch, considering I never really played it as a kid. It wasn't even a school sport. Todd was hilarious, though. He went from, "I don't know anything about it" to, "I might coach next year." Huh. Big surprise from Mr. Athletic. We all had a great time until the next to last game when October blew in (literally) and we were in parkas & giant umbrellas. Ah, Iowa in the fall.

Then it was Halloween. The undisputed favorite holiday in our house. We were actually pretty low key this year. Abby called a family meeting about 3 weeks before and wanted to know what the theme was and exactly when we were putting up decorations in the yard. So, we figured we had better get the ball rolling. We had LOTS of grand ideas, especially ones that involved mucho $$$ and Todd quitting his job to get it done in time. So we scaled back. The kids helped build the traditional giant spider web and I got a graveyard put together & finished up with a few lights. I think it looked OK for short notice. Both Alex & Ethan decided not to go out on Beggars night & just pass out candy in costume. Yeah, that lasted until a group of their friends showed up, and then they were off. They returned with a Target bag full of loot. Whatever. Abby went a different route from the princess this year, but still very festive. She decided to be a geisha. We found a great costume and added some make up (this is why she likes to do this, it's the only time she can wear make up!) and she & dad were off. It turned out kind of rainy that night(surprise) so she was out about an hour(15 minutes longer than I thought). Then she spent the rest of the time passing out candy. I never get to because we all like to see the fun costumes. We had our Halloween music playing and made Carmel apples. What a great time.

Our next big thing this fall was....a dog! The kids have been "hounding" us for one for a few years now. We have to be a bit choosy because Todd is allergic to some breeds. This was very convenient in allowing us to drag our feet and not get one. Well, they weren't having any more of that. So I started looking. I found a possible at the ARL. We went & met him and he was perfect. So 3 days later, home he came and now we are 6 Olsons. His name is Corky and he is a 3 year old Welsh Terrier. He is fun, high energy and pretty smart. I am sure he will get his own blog entry here soon. What a funny dog. We all really like him a lot and the kids are great with him, but guess who his favorite is?? Todd, the procrastinator of course. They are perfect for each other. He is a wonderful addition to the clan.

Next item on the agenda is driving. Alex decided it was time to get his driving permit. We have been carefully encouraging him for the last year to do this. He just needs to take his time & decide on his own. Well Todd took him to the DMV one Saturday & home he came with his next rite of passage. Since then, the phrase, "Can I drive?" has been mostly what comes out of his mouth. Todd took him out a few times just the 2 of them, with no other distractions. He did really well according to Todd. Then one day he asked me if he could drive us to church. You know... that feeling of complete loss of control (of the car) is momentarily unnerving. I got over it though and Alex is doing a great job. He is a bit of a leadfoot, but weren't we all? He wants to take drivers ed this winter at school, so he can get his license on his 16th birthday in February. Then - of course - he expects a Camaro in the driveway. Let me find my checkbook...

So then there is Thanksgiving. (See what happens when I don't blog for awhile, it gets ridiculously long.) My family & Todd's all get together at my Aunt Marcia & Uncle Dennis' house and we feast until we all roll down the sidewalk! It is fun to see family and catch up on things and I sit and realize how much I have to be thankful for. Then I go and get a piece of Donna's pumpkin pie. Again.