It definitely feels like Fall now! Tom and I were out doing yard work last SAturday. Finally the sun came out after a day full of rain and t-storms on Friday. I had a little trouble picking up leaves on SAturday since it was so windy, but I finally finished edging, and trimmed a few more shrubs. Tom got the grass cut, but the weather has not been cooperating enough to get the winter fertilizer down. It was certainly a nice enough day for the high school Homecoming parade and football game. The kids and I caught the parade in the morning since it goes right through our neighborhood. Scott and a friend enjoyed collecting a big bag of candy thrown from the floats. I even picked up a Mt Hebron tshirt the cheerleaders were passing out. It was fun to see our neighbors so involved in the school activities. Our next door neighbors now have freshman at Mt Hebron and their daughter is involved in the band(and now so are the parents!). Our neighbor's pick up truck became a float, and they chaperoned the band members during the parade(which meant they got to walk in the parade too!). Allison and I did not stay for the whole parade since she had to get to work. Afterwards though she headed off to dinner with friends at a local Italian restaurant and then the Homecoming dance. She ended up sleeping over at one of the girl's house that lives just around the corner since the dance ended pretty early. We high school parents and the siblings decided to get together for drinks and munchies while the girls were out dancing. So everyone had a fun evening. And they had a fun time during the week at school too, dressing up each day for a different theme. The last day the Junior class all dressed as characters from the Clue game. Allison was the maid.

Surprisingly I did not realize that the kids once again had to take the PSAT that week. Allison did not take any classes this time in preparation(no time). I would have had her skip it as well since she really needs to concentrate now on the SAT and she took the PSAT last year. They offer it again in the Junior year in hopes of getting a scholarship. Allison will probably spend her winter semester preparing for the SAT. It's funny how the tv shows match what is happening in real life. We watch The Middle on Weds night-a comedy about a family living in INdiana with 3 kids-two in high school, one in elementary. This show is fun for our whole family-we especially enjoyed the dilemma concerning the oldest son's issues with the PSAT(their family did not realize the test was coming up either until the mom's started talking while working on the Homecoming floats). One mom mentioned a neighbor's son that had all A's in school, and volunteered his summer washing oil off seagulls in the gulf, but still did not get into college because his SAT scores were low and he ended up living in the basement of his parents house, cleaning up dead animals from the freeway! Boy if that isn't enough to scare you! But I swear that is how it is today! It's not enough that the kids study and get good grades either, they have to be overachievers in everything else to make it on their own. We know an awful lot more families whose 20 something aged kids graduated from college or finished their military rotation are now living with them, and some even have started families (babies) on top of it! We may be headed back to the days when the entire extended family lives in one house again, including Grandma and Grandpa! Just like the Waltons! (I think that would be rather nice, but we're going to need bigger houses!)

We didn't get to the Mt Hebron Homecoming football game(we really don't have a very good team), but I enjoyed watching MSU beat Uof M in football last SAturday afternoon. Tom couldn't bear to watch. Sadly we watched the Tigers lose miserably to the Texas Rangers instead so they are out of the baseball series. Oh well, it was good while it lasted.

On Friday Allison's Field Hockey game was cancelled due to a day of t-storms. Even though the sun finally came out in the late afternoon, the field was too wet and soggy to play. I was disappointed since that would have been a game Tom and I could have watched together. Tom was home on Friday, so we managed to have lunch together. But I spent the rest of the day at my yearly doctor appointment, taking Scott to gymnastics in the evening, and finally, a trip to the nursing home with Cookie for a Halloween Pet Parade in the afternoon. All of us rehab staff have dogs, so we dressed them up as Super Heroes for a Halloween Party at work. Cookie was dressed as BAtman(batgirl). She really seemed to love all the people-she tried to lick as many people as she could and let them pet her. The only problem I had was keeping on her Batman ears-every time she shook her head they fell off or her utility belt ended up around her tail! She also enjoyed seeing all the other dogs. It was total chaos in the rehab clinic.

Weds evening we enjoyed a presentation at the high school as Allison and 69 other students were inducted into the National Honor Society. She missed her first meeting since she had an Away Field Hockey game that night and had to catch the bus right after school. But she caught up with the info online and participated in the ceremony the next night. We are very proud of all her hard work, and I was especially happy to hear how many of the NHS girls were Girl SCouts-they seemed to outnumber the Boy Scouts in particpation. There were also 5 students total from the catholic school which was nice to see since there weren't that many kids to begin with attending the public school. Most of the catholic elementary kids go onto catholic high school. We also enjoyed some funny moments, like the group having some trouble reciting their pledge all together, not to mention dripping hot wax from their candles on each other. It was especially nice though listening to all of the kids achievements. Tom was especially impressed that one young man had a math scholarship developed in his name. (and he is not even dead!).

SCott was off school on Monday for Columbus Day so he stayed by himself and kept up with homework. Allison was off to a field hockey game. Tom was able to catch those two games and see her play. He then had to run Scott over to the Boy SCout meeting on Tuesday and the dentist on Weds(yeah no new cavities). Even with all that candy from the parade!

Tom is off for another week of travel in California on Sunday, so I will have another very busy week on my own with the kids! Allison and I will spend Sunday afternoon at GS choir practice. We have a big presentation scheduled for Monday, singing the National Anthem for our State Senator Barbara Mikulski at Girl Scout Headquarters.

Wish us luck!

Here are a few photos of Allison dressed up for Spirit week in her Clue outfit, dressed up for Homecoming with one of her friends and the NHS ceremony.