A Day at the Park!

We stayed an extra day in Ames to spend more time with Grandma, Grandpa, and the cousins!
We spent the morning playing at Brookside Park. The big boys and Julia had so much fun tromping through the woods and exploring. Grandma Glenna thought she could keep up with them, but they all ended up in a pickle while trying to cross a creek with low blood sugar. We had some tired tired boys, but so happy with their adventure.

A Special Mom Moment

We got to attend my parents church the October weekend the boys and I were home. When we have been home on Sunday's in the past, we visited KidStuff, which is a Sunday School program for kids and their parents to attend together. Jeremy leads this program, which Cade enjoys. He doesn't like new situations, so every time we go to KidStuff, Cade is very timid and doesn't want to participate much. BUT he does enjoy the program (even though he says he doesn't at the time).

Cade also went to Sunday School, which I was so proud of him for doing. He is always intimidated, so to be comfortable for me to leave him was a milestone. Joel did well in the nursery both hours of the day.

Grandpa Bill's back was hurting him, so after KidStuff he headed back home to rest before his big day of serving at the grill for Upward Football. Mom and I headed into the sanctuary for the service and just a few minutes later, Jeremy came in and sat by us. Mom was delighted! She loved the whole service. None of us could remember the last time the three of us all sat together in church together . . . maybe since we were 10 years old. God is so good for giving us these little gifts of his faithfulness.

My Grandma Bents!

I took a weekend trip to my parents home in Iowa, then up to Minnesota to see my friend Megan. On the way back home to my parents, I stopped for an hour to see my 97 year old grandmother who still lives in her own home by herself. My grandma has always been a part of my life. She would come visit us often at my parents home in Ames when I was a child. She has lived a life of hard work. I have so many reasons to be proud of my Grandma, and to be proud to be a Bents.

SUPRISE! Happy 60th Birthday!

Kimberly and the kids surprised Pop and Grandma Bev a few weeks early for their 60th birthdays! She planned a great party on Monday when Tom and Bev did not have school. Our family went to Starved Rock State Park and had a picnic, and then enjoyed an afternoon hike at Mathison State Park.

Kimberly planned a delicious picnic, with super cute decorations. We had yummy Italian beef sandwiches with chips, along with homemade apple pie and caramel cheesecake in canning jars. Kimberly found a fun recipe to make the special desserts. She also made two banners, one with "Happy Birthday" and the other "He is Faithful". She also complied a book of 60 things the grandkids love about their Pop and Grandma (10 from each). Kimberly did a GREAT job!!

Starved Rock was really really crowded, so we decided to take a hike at Mathison instead of Starved Rock. We had been to Mathison earlier in the year, so Cade was excited to take the Lambert kids down into the ravine. We took the hiking backpack, so it worked well for Joel to go with us, as well. Jake, Aly, and Caleb went with our family on the hike, while Anna, Kim, Tom, and Bev stayed up top and watched! The kids had a great time exploring and taking "risks" of adventure!








On Tom and Bev's actual birthday dates, we celebrated with a carry-in dinner and party games created by Cade! Tom loves Pizza Cellar pizza, and we treated Bev to Chinese. Both dinners were fantastic! We surprised Tom with a paper chain of 60 rings, pictures colored by the boys, and a long sleeve Bears shirt. Bev got colored pictures, a new tablecloth, and placemats (since we are ALWAYS dirting hers)!

The best part of the parties were Cade's games. At Tom's party we played charades and pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey (my hand drawn donkey was halirious). Cade was so into the games and LOVED participating and having others participate. We planned a few games in the afternoon before Bev's party, but Cade's mind shifted when we arrived at their home. He wanted to play a balloon game, where each person would try to hit the balloon up in the air as many times as possible in 30 seconds. He was just laughing and laughing and laughing! The grand finale of the two parties was watching Cars 2 at the end of Grandma's celebration.

Daddy is a Hunter!

Curtis got his first deer this year on October 7, 2011!

Cade's School Artwork - September/October

I know this may seem silly, but I have taken pictures of Cade's school projects he has brought home. I don't want to keep every little paper, so I thought that taking pictures would help us remember what he accomplished. It is fun to hear what he created at school and all of the features or stories behind the work.

At this time the class was learning about the circle and the color red. They were also doing apple projects in class! I believe the cut out piece is a volcano he told me!

Awana!

Cade is loving Awana this year! He moved up to Sparks this year (K-2nd grade). Though he is not in kindergarten yet, we let him move up because he was ready to leave Cubbies. He is so excited each and every Wednesday to be a part of this bigger group. Surprisingly he is a bit intimidated each Wednesday when he goes to the opening time, so I have to sit with him a bit. He is so active and can't sit still, but he is also very hesitant when it comes to new situations and a large group of people. It is neat to see her personality forming and how he responds to situations. Cade loves that Pop is a part of Awana because he gets to see him every week and Pop helps to give him assurance that he is doing a great job!

At the end of October, Cade received his first Sparks patch to put on his vest! I got it sewed on right away, so he is ready for the next club meeting. He is looking forward to earning his "wing" and his "jewels"!

We have had a few FUN nights this year! Check out Cade's CRaZy hAt and his solider of the Lord costume for favorite Bible character night! I love how he gets into it!

Cade's First Field Trip!

We went to visit the apple orchard in the middle of September with Cade's Sonshine Preschool class. He has a very small class this year, which made the visit to the orchard practically a personal visit!

We got to see how they make apple cider and apple doughnuts, along with a yummy taste testing time! Cade did a great job listening to the owner and asking questions when it was appropriate. It was so fun to watch him be a "big" boy. We enjoyed a grand tour on a hayrack ride of the orchard grounds where we got to pick and eat an apple, and cut a pumpkin from its vine to take home with us. The BIG fun was when the kids got to play on the playground, and in the jumping house on the orchard lawn. The kids were having a great time. I made a few purchases in the gift shop - a peck of fuji apples, a half gallon of cider (Curtis' favorite), and a few cider doughnuts! DELICIOUS!

The only thing that went wrong happened just minutes before we left. Joel was taking his last bite of apple and immediately started screaming as the apple touched his mouth. I saw him throw a bee on the ground. A bee had been hanging out on his apple and when he put it to his mouth, it stung him on his upper lip. It was AWFUL! I didn't know how he would respond, if he would swell or if his body was allergic. I tried to play it cool, but inside I was very nervous. The orchard owner gave us a bottle of water and ice cream to try to get the swelling to subside. Joel cried the whole trip back to the school, and his lip kept getting bigger and bigger! I had Curtis go check at Wal-Mart for some medicine, but everything was for bigger children. By the time we got home, Joel was calmer and acting like he was ok. The lip didn't get any bigger, and by the time he woke from his nap that afternoon he was back to normal. Not a fun experience. Yes, bees are friends of orchards, but please stick to the pollen and not my children's skin.