October is my favorite month of the year, for the changing of the weather (it FINALLY feels a little like fall—i.e., temps in the 70s and 80s!) and the pumpkin decor and the buzzy excitement of holidays on the horizon. It’s also one of our busiest months, and while I don’t love having a packed schedule, I did love the fun things our family got to do in October. Here’s a glimpse at some highlights.
|| READING LATELY ||
I read a couple of heavy yet beautifully written novels this month, included this backlist title from an author I “discovered” last month (I’m only a few decades late to that discovery) and this long-awaited new release from an author whose debut I also loved. I had less success with this family drama/mystery mash-up and this romance with a supernatural twist, both of which happened to be set in Maine. In nonfiction, I enjoyed this high-profile memoir as well as this writer’s guide.
As for read-alouds, the kids and I mostly enjoyed this anthology of stories and poems from around the world, though some of the tales were quite strange! And we continue to love every book in the beloved Little House series, even though this is probably my least favorite book of the series (still a solid 4 stars). I’ll be sharing reviews of all of these titles in a Quick Lit post next week.
|| LISTENING LATELY ||
A few podcasts that informed and inspired this month.
Teach Them Diligently—The Marriage Advice We Give Our Kids Before They Say “I Do”
Verity by Phylicia Masonheimer—183 | Thinking Biblically About Elections
|| MONTHLY KID-ISMS ||
CHARLIE-ISMS:
+ “Whoever invented umbrellas was a genius. They make good gifts, and they’re pretty convenient.”
+ “Brr. This is what I love about fall. The nice, cold air.” The temp outside was 73.
+ “The best thing about being a boy is that you don’t have to worry about makeup or doing your hair or anything. Being handsome either comes naturally, or you just don’t have it.”
SULLY-ISMS:
+ Me: “I might teach your Sunday school class next year. How would you feel about that?” Sully: “It might be weird. But I wouldn’t feel bad about it or anything,”
+ About his presentation for CC: “I forgot what words to say so I just started saying whatever ones came out.”
+ “You know what would be cool? If we had real beds. Like, with blankets.” (My kids just have a bottom sheet and blanket on top, since making beds with sheets is too much of a hassle.)
+ Kali: “I just wish I could marry Collin” (her cousin). Sully: “Kali, Collin says he’s going to let his kids watch TV every day. So his kids won’t be very healthy, so you probably don’t want to marry him.”
KALI-ISMS:
+ On seeing a full-wall mural: “That’s just weird, a tattoo on a house.”
+ “I’m kind of sad that I’m seven now because I’m a big kid, so I have to be responsible.”
+ “Will people have allergies in Heaven?” Me: “No. Our bodies will be perfect.” Kali: “That means I can have a kitten!”
+ When I explained the rhetorical device of alliteration: “Oh, it’s called alliteration because it’s littering all the sounds.”
+ “I think I will be a singer when I grow up. I figure, I already sing all the time, so I should just be a singer.”
NICO-ISMS:
Our boy is in his full Two-Year-Old era and is the first of my kids to go through a true “terrible twos” stage (the rest were angels at two). He has a mind of his own, and it’s tantrum central over here for much of the time, but when he decides to turn on the charm, it’s a full on tsunami of cuteness. He’s very expressive and has so many words, which he uses to narrate every moment.
+ He’s especially into the “swing up” right now, as in: “I was sad, I was crying. . . but. . . it’s okaAAaay!” (with the final word in a high pitch) or “No, I didn’t eat my food. . . but . . . it was goOOood!”
+ Cuddling in bed one morning, I think he was trying to tell me about a dream: “Grandma and Grandpa made food for us.” Me: “At their house? What kind of food did they make?” Nico: “Plates. And napkins!”
+ He loves to engage in imaginary play, making food or playing school or house, and telling us what each person is saying or doing. He even does this from his car seat as we’re driving.
+ Nico is a budding little prayer warrior! He always wants to pray at meal time and bedtime, and does not enjoy echo prayers, choosing to offer words of his own. Each prayer begins with “Dear God, Thank you. . .” and then he lists off every person and item in his sight. He is hilariously soft-spoken when he prays, maybe the only time he isn’t loud!
|| HAPPENINGS AND HIGHLIGHTS ||
Every October we spend the week of Columbus Day at the beach with my in-laws—always a spot along the Gulf coast, though the exact location changes. This time we were staying in Gilchrist which is just North of Galveston. The house was gorgeous, probably my favorite of the beach houses we’ve rented: it had a huge game room, large bedrooms that comfortably fit all 13 of us, and the most adorable seaside decor with each bedroom fitting a sea-creature theme (we were in The Starfish). I didn’t love our location as it was too far from the city for any adventures (we usually like to take a day of vacation to visit an aquarium or museum), but that meant that we had plenty of time to relax and hang out at the beach.
The trip had its downsides: Luke and my Father-in-Law both came down with a horrible stomach bug (that had spread to three of the kids by the last day of the trip). Our spot was also swarming with mosquitos, so we couldn’t spend evenings outside (no hot tub for us) and, despite our many precautions, we all got eaten alive. Despite the bummer moments, it was a really relaxing week. The kids had so much fun playing in the game room, digging in the sand, and jumping in the waves. I especially loved watching Nico get in on the beach action!
One night we took the ferry over to Galveston for dinner at the most adorable pizza place with the sweetest backstory and an Up!-themed decor. We also had seafood at a local Mexican-Cajun restaurant, where we feasted on shrimp and crab and even alligator. And of course we had some Buc-ee’s visits both before AND after the beach. The kids are all about their Buc-ee’s gear.
I’m so thankful to Luke’s parents for making this week a special one for all of us.
Another month meant another Trail Life campout for the boys. They got to do all sorts of BOY things—axe throwing, gun shooting, jousting, hiking, fishing, and skipping rocks—and continued to grow in their various outdoor skills and their relationships with the other troop members. A highlight of the camp (and every camp) was the Saturday night skits: Charleston, our little comedian, has developed a reputation for putting on the BEST performances and I love that he has found this little niche hobby. (Now I just need to talk him into taking a theater class!) Charleston has enjoyed being a Navigator, which brings more privileges (like color guard and sleeping in a separate tent with the other preteens), and I think Sully has liked having a little more one-on-one time with Luke.
We always go to Sweet Eats Farm around Halloween, and this year we got to make the trip along with our CC friends. We’ve never gone with a group before and it was a very different experience, but so much fun! We had a blast racing in the corn maze, petting animals in the petting zoo, playing lawn games, digging in the dirt (somehow this is their favorite part!), going for a tractor ride, and watching the pig races. This was our first visit where Nico really was able to participate and he had the time of his life.
It was a busy month of Halloween festivities! We went to a couple of festivals including ones at the Y, our library, and a friend’s church. Each one was fun, and we relished every chance to wear our cowboy-themed costumes. I love that we were able to keep up our tradition of family costumes this year; each year I worry we won’t make it happen but the kids always come through. This year’s theme came about because the kids found some toy guns they wanted at Scheel’s. Their creative way of getting Mom and Dad to buy the guns was to ask if they could be part of their Halloween costumes. . . and the rest is Halloween history.
How awesome was it that Halloween was on a Saturday this year?! And our day was so fun! We began the day by making Halloween signs to hang outside and watching It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Then we carved our pumpkins while munching on pumpkin spice M&Ms (so good!). The kids all helped with designing and scooping out their pumpkins, and Charleston did his entire pumpkin on his own. My personal proud moment was drawing and carving Sully’s cowboy ghost; I usually don’t do much of the carving so this was huge for me.
The kids spent the afternoon filming a Halloween skit. And that evening some friends from church/co-op came over to trick-or-treat; the kids raced around the neighborhood, Nico toddling after them. Our neighborhood was a happening place this year, with tons of trick-or-treaters in darling costumes, and nearly every house giving out candy or other food items (lemonade, hot chocolate, hot dogs, even adult beverages). Once the kids’ bags were overflowing with candy we returned to our driveway to pass out our own candy and enjoy chili and s’mores around a fire pit. It was SO MUCH FUN! Many trick-or-treaters took us up on our offer to make a s’more around our fire, and I enjoyed getting to chat while they roasted; it was our first time offering these on Halloween and we will definitely be making it a tradition. What a delightful way to round out a fun and festive month.
|| ICYMI: OCTOBER ON THE BLOG ||
The Fallen “I believe in redemption for the repentant. I also believe in consequences, and among those consequences can—and often should—be the loss of spiritual authority (and corresponding public platform) for the pastor who has committed a serious offense.“
Bookish Considerations: Befriending Our Books “As my kids’ teacher, one of my greatest goals is to raise them to be readers—and not just consumers of books (though that’s important too), but individuals who love to read books, who learn from the books they read, and who allow books to make an imprint on their lives. To that end, we spend a lot of time engaging in interactive reading activities as a family.“
More Than We Can Handle “It’s not necessarily something to be proud of, but there’s no denying it: I love to captain my own ship; applications for the position of co-captain are not being accepted at this time. Unless that co-captain is God Himself . . . .“
28 Questions to Spark Conversation and Reflection This Season “For this October edition of 28 Things, I’m rounding out a trio of favorites with one of my favorite topics: QUESTIONS. I love answering them, but I ESPECIALLY love asking them.“
I hope that your October was packed full of wonderful memories. What was a highlight? Any fun Halloween costumes or trick-or-treating stories to share? What is something you’re looking forward to in November?