Halloween

Both kids dressed up tonight for a fun and festive, yet very wet, Halloween. Liesl wore her dragon kitten (dritten, from Upside Down Magic) costume to school. Ella came over after school and they got into their matching Nerds costumes together, complete with crazy face paint, and then headed out into the neighborhood.

 

And here they are at the end of a long night of walking in the rain -- tired, soaking wet, but with a whole lot of candy. Ella's parents had opened up their garage, with many adults and some kids hanging out in there all evening.

Sebastian met up with a bunch of friends at Nico's house for tacos and costumes and wandering the neighborhood. They didn't really trick or treat, but it was awesome to see these 14/15 year olds still getting into the goofy H'ween spirit.

 

Liesl also decorated our front steps and tiny yard with pumpkins, a half-buried skeleton, a spider web and handmade spider, and lights. 

Liesl's 12th birthday

Liesl came home on Friday afternoon - she was tired and wet, but had an amazing time at Outdoor School. She loved her cabin and counselors, and had a good time singing songs, doing field studies, and hanging out with friends all week. (She did not love the food, and said the water tasted of sulfur, but oh well!) We were so happy and relieved that she got to have such a great experience.

We celebrated her 12th birthday on Friday night with stromboli and carrot cake and presents.

Outdoor school

On Sunday afternoon, we sent Liesl off to Outdoor School, a state-wide field trip for 6th graders focusing on environmental education and natural science. Along with half of her class, she'll be at Camp Collins, a YMCA camp about an hour away at Oxbow Park. She'll be there until Friday; it's her longest time away from home. She was anxious ahead of time about sleeping and friends and being homesick, and really didn't want to go. But we're crossing our fingers she is in a cabin with Ella, one of her best friends, and that the fun of hanging out and singing and campfires makes up for missing home. We miss her too and wish we could get little updates on her days, just a sneak peek!

 

At her request, we wrote her a series of notes -- one per day from each of us, in sealed envelopes. Mine were anodyne; I told her I loved her, hoped she was having fun, wondered about what she was doing and eating, and reminded her to hang up her wet clothing. Steve's were amazing, starting with number 1, which she got for the bus ride. It's her birthday on Thursday, at camp, so we'll have to celebrate her on Friday and the weekend.

Updates on Friday night when she returns and we get to celebrate her homecoming and her 12th birthday!

school photos

When did our kids get so big? School photos for Liesl in 6th grade, and Sebastian in 9th grade.

family photos

Liesl's weekend of sports

Dad's photos of Liesl's volleyball and soccer games, and ballet class. Two volleyball games on Saturday morning - won one and lost one.

Sunday afternoon at Buckman Field: a 1-1 tie against Albion.

Ballet class at Elite with Ms. Danie