A Busy October

October is always a jam-packed month for us, and these past three weeks have been no exception. On Oct. 12 we went to WV for a huge party to celebrate Grandpa's birthday. Grandma hired a caterer and went all out. It was nice to meet some of their close friends that we've heard about but never met. (We didn't ask but I'm sure it was strictly for A and B-list friends, so we felt privileged to be invited). Avery and Zach were the only kids in attendance and they basked in all the attention they got.

The next day Eli and I drove down to southern Virginia to go to Kris and Autumn's wedding. It was beautiful drive, and nice to be up in the mountains again. We haven't been down near Virginia Tech in almost five years. We didn't have a chance to stop at VT, but we did see a lot of close friends (and alumni) we hadn't seen in a while. It's funny that people can live 15-20 minutes from one another, not see each other for years, and then meet up at a wedding 250 miles away.

The next weekend we went to a Halloween party at Matt and Jessica's house. There was candy everywhere and we were going crazy trying to police the boys. Eventually we broke down and told them they could have a piece each time they ate a veggie from the veggie tray. Once the novelty wore off, they were able to play with all the other kids in attendance.

On Sunday the 21st we went to my parents' to celebrate my uncle David's 59th birthday. As usual he was very happy to see the family and talked about his job and how he'd been doing. Of course all the cousins were there, so the kids were bouncing off the walls and having fun playing together. I have noticed that Ellie and Gigi go off together to play by themselves more now that they are both in Kindergarten. I feel bad for Maddie because she is left to play with the boys, but she and Avery get along well most of the time. Zachary plays with Sammy sometimes, but he also likes to follow the older girls around too.

Last week was filled with doctor's appointments, and Zach and I met up with Leslie and Jessica at the mall. It was nice to be able to sit for a change. When I have both boys they go in opposite directions. With just Zach he generally stays nearby. I think I'll be able to go out with him and the new baby without too much difficulty.

On Thursday we had Grandma and Grandpa over to celebrate my birthday, and then Friday the 26th was the real deal. We went out to dinner at Nick's, and Eli gave me a pocket Suduko book to pass time in the hospital and when I am nursing. I also got an iTunes gift card, a jewelry box, and a new Canon digital camera from "the boys".

Saturday we had my family over, Nani, Nene, Seth, Rob, Gigi, and Sammy. We went out to a Japanese steakhouse / Hibachi restaurant, which I would have to say is my favorite favorite cuisine. The kids enjoyed watching the chef prepare all of the food, all except for the traditional "fireball" trick which was a little too scary for Avery and Zach.