Melissa, Ryan, Keira and Soren: Election Day & UM vs Illinois Game

This week wasn't terribly huge. It was nice to have Halloween over with. It was pretty cold this week, but we did have some fun outside. Ryan had election day off on Tuesday, and we went to the UM/Illinois game on Saturday.

On Monday, we had moderate temperatures. I swam 1.2 miles again today in the pool, and improved a lot with my time. After school, Keira worked on some homework, and Soren enjoyed coloring as well. They both were huge fans of the silly bands that they received trick or treating.

That evening, we went to Maybury and Keira got a quick ride in after my run. She and Soren both really loved playing in the leaves at the park. We didn't even make it to the playground today. Ryan had a tough fall today, and got a little banged up.

On Tuesday, Ryan had the day off for election day. I got the Halloween decorations taken down and our non-Halloween fall decorations out last night. Keira and Soren noticed right away.

I took both kids to the gym in the morning while Ryan cleaned up our trees in our patio. They had been scratching the siding on the back of our place, and it just sounded horrible at night. There was this huge spider on the back patio that was wrapping itself up in a leaf.

We went voting together, and then stopped at McDonald's for lunch, per Keira and Soren's request.

I rode the tree farm that afternoon with Kristel and her friend, Irina. We had a blast. Ryan was able to get in a road ride today without too much discomfort.

On Wednesday, we went to storytime after the gym. Soren held onto his Maisy train board book the entire time. He always has fun at these.

After picking Keira up from school, we came home and worked on some more coloring. They really played well today with each other.

On Thursday, we met up with Cortnie, Avery, and Ella at Erwins Apple Orchard. We had wanted to go much earlier, but between our vacation, their vacation, and our kids under the weather a bit when we had planned before, it just didn't happen. We didn't get the full experience of going out on a wagon to pick apples and pumpkins this time, but we did get to enjoy warm, fresh donuts and apple cider. It wasn't the greatest day to go, it was cold and damp, but the kids still enjoyed playing outside with each other, the straw maze, and goats.

On Friday, we had a pretty busy day. I took Soren to a free Kindermusik during Keira's school. It was right in the middle, so it was a bit challenging to get much else done other than a few quick errands before and after. Soren enjoyed the class as always, I was glad we didn't skip this.

That afternoon, Keira and I had dentist appointments. Linda watched Soren over at Laurel Park. I met back up with them there, and stayed so that Keira could play. Keira was not happy to go to the dentist at all, but got through it eventually. She deserved some fun time at the mall. Keira and Soren really enjoyed playing with the Thomas train set at Von Maur. Soren loved playing with the Thomas trains, and I had to pry them out of his hands to leave.

On Saturday, we had a big day. I got up early to run 10 miles before leaving for the game. I had been looking for my windstopper headband all week (since Monday) and was nearly convinced it was lost at Maybury. I had put on my old one already and was getting ready to get my shoes out of the closet when I found my headband, on top of a pair of shoes! I was so excited! I had been praying I would find it before today's run (as it was only 28 degrees this early) and I really didn't want cold ears to give me a headache during it. The 10 miler felt pretty good, and I think as long as I don't have trouble with too much ice/snow on the roads, I think training for a spring marathon is doable after this run. I got back just in time to get cleaned up and get the kids packed up and over to Kris and Linda's for the day. I am so grateful they were able to help out, because otherwise we would not have been able to go together. Hiring a babysitter is not an affordable option. The game was all offense. Lots and lots of touchdowns. UM had several turnovers, and the game went into overtime. Michigan won after the 3rd overtime. They had gone first, and scored on the 2 point conversion. They were able to prevent Illinois from the 2pt conversion for the win. The halftime show was very entertaining, and had fun with all the teams in the Big 10.

Keira and Soren were happy to see us when we got home. We had some pizza for dinner, and I did errands after Keira and Soren were in bed. What a long day!

On Sunday, we got up and went to church. With the time change, Keira and Soren got up on their own in good time to get to church without rushing. I bore my testimony today. I didn't share the actual finding of my headband experience, but instead just said I had a testimony of prayer and scripture study, which I feel contributed to me finding my headband when I needed it. After church, we had a great dinner with Kris and Linda as well Greg, Ellyn, and their children. Keira and Soren love playing with their cousins. These shots are from at home before Soren took his nap.