October

One really great thing happened this year with my babysitting schedule and that is that I have a day off every week! At least for now I don't have anyone coming on Wednesdays (unless there is a half day or a snow day). I was so excited for all the things I would be able to do with that one day but that one day FLY'S by so fast with appointments and errands that I don't usually get much else accomplished. However, I was so excited when Spencer's field trip which was scheduled for a Friday was rescheduled for a Wednesday and that meant I could come along as a chaperone. That day Kaya also wound up with a field trip (what are the odds???) so I had to choose between them, but since there wasn't room on Spencer's bus and chaperones had to drive, and there was room on Kaya's bus, Taylor (who still doesn't drive) wound up going with her on her trip and I went with Spencer. Both kids had tons of fun. Kaya went to a pumpkin patch/apple orchard and Spencer went to a farm day exhibition at the fairgrounds. 

They fed the kids lunch first.

Spencer and his best buddy.

Then they had us split into smaller groups to visit different areas all around the grounds. It was so funny to see how excited the kids got over all the farm animals. I sometimes forget how different it is for kids who don't grow up around that. They were totally fascinated.

Equally fascinating were the enormous pieces of machinery!

At one station the kids got to practice "milking" a cow and they each got a "milk mustache" sticker to put above their lips. Possibly the only "milk mustache" our allergic Spencer will ever have!

The kids had a fun time with Spirit Week at school. There was pajama day, Wildcat shirt day, etc. but I think our kids favorite was Nerd Day.

It took about a year longer than he had planned, but at long last Taylor finally, officially became an Eagle Scout! We are so proud of him and all his hard work. He had a great Court of Honor and we were really happy that we had some family in town for it (my dad, Timothy, and Susannah and her kids all came to visit for about ten days before taking my mom back to Utah with them).

We are so proud of his accomplishment!

Another exciting thing to happen in October was the re-opening of the Bohm Theater. It closed suddenly in 2008 and it seemed like just another blow for our already struggling town. But one thing that we have learned about Albion is that it doesn't go down without a fight. A group of citizens formed to figure out how to go about renovating it and bringing it back. It took a lot of years and a lot of fundraising and grant proposals, but it was worth the wait. Because of the historical preservation grant that they received, they had very strict guidelines requiring them to restore it to it's original historical grandeur.The completed project is absolutely stunning! Years ago when we first moved here and would go to the movies, we would look around and think how cool it would be if we had a bunch of money to fix the place up. We could always tell that it had once been an amazing place but time had definitely taken it's toll.

The night it reopened, we got to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony and watch as they lit up the new marquee and then we got to go in and enjoy and old Laurel and Hardy movie (which was the first movie ever shown in the Bohm when it first opened in 1929). It was just really amazing to sit in those plush reclining chairs and look around at the packed audience of community members and see something so fantastic happen. This, along with a new college president who is working hard to form a connection to the community and schools, as well as some new businesses opening or planning to open (like the proposed downtown hotel with boutique shops and ballroom and restaurant) seems to have brought an air of excitement and hope to this little place and it will be really fun to see how things unfold.

The marquee all lit up!

The ribbon cutting ceremony.

Another cool thing about that opening night was that it was also Taylor's first night at his new job! Finally, after months of looking hard (and sometimes not looking very hard), he finally found a way to earn some funds for his mission. I'm the one who found the job listing and made him call about it, so I pretty much take most of the credit for him getting the job, although his interview was pretty great from what I hear and the thank you note (which I made him write and deliver the next day) pretty much sealed the deal. It is a great job for him and he loves the people he works with.

And of course, it isn't October without Halloween. This year we decided to save some money and re-do one of our themes-- Harry Potter. Last time we did it, only the kids dressed up and Kaya wasn't even born yet, so it was almost like a brand new idea this time.

Last time Taylor dressed as Harry. This time Spencer (who was a dragon the first time) went as Harry. It was fitting since he has become a huge Harry Potter fan and has read the entire series just recently.

Last time Lynnsey went as Hermione and this time the costume was just the right size for Kaya to have a turn.

We added a new character this time--Luna Lovegood. The Bramhall's did this theme last year and were so generous to let us borrow their costumes. They sent the robe, wig and glasses and I hit the jackpot at Goodwill when I found a sweater and skirt to match.

Another new character this time was Severus Snape. Last time Kendall went as Dumbledore but the wig and beard had seen better days and the robes no longer fit, so we had fun putting this one together with the help of eBay and Goodwill.

Kalen and I got to dress up this time around as Hagrid and Professor McGonogall thanks to the Bramhall's costumes.

Taylor was a party pooper and wouldn't join in the theme this year. Instead he went with his old favorite, Indiana Jones.

We found another Harry at our branch trunk or treat!

Our monster car won 2nd place in the trunk decorating contest!

For the second year in a row now, our school has allowed the kids to wear costumes on Halloween. Since Kaya is going to outgrow this dress pretty soon, and I wanted someone to use it again, she decided to dress as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz for school before transforming into Hermione that night.