October!

Well, October proved to be as busy as we planned for it to be.  I thought of it as the "Month of Erin" because she had a really fun month with lots of special activities.  Erin was tracked out of school for the first 3 weeks of the month, which she enjoyed immensely, especially the 2 mornings a week that it was just she and I while Anna was in school.  We had lots of donuts, went to parks and the Y, went hiking in the woods, and rode a paddleboat at Lake Wheeler.  I think she had a great time!

Other notable events include:  going to Charlotte on October 5th for Disney on Ice with all the girls!  We had the best time, and the little girls really enjoyed their lunch downtown, treats at Amelie's, and playing on all the sculptures in the area.  Of course, the show was a huge hit too!



We ended up having 2 ice cream dates during the month due to Mommy's mix-up on dates.  The second time, we saw friends Davis and Cate who we don't get to see very often.  Everyone is growing up so fast!  On the 12th, "Erin's Entourage" of neighbors, Maria, and Cole, gathered to walk in the Autism Society walk in Raleigh.  It was a little rainy, but not too bad and everyone had a good time.



We went to a fun cookout at Ms. Liz and Mr. David's that evening too!

On the 18th, we spent a few hours at the NC State Fair.  The girls have always enjoyed going and seeing animals (but no touching them this year), eating food, and looking around, but this year they had the added thrill of going on their first-ever rides!  They had a blast, especially Erin.  I think Disney World is going to be a huge hit!



On the 19th, we met Mommy's family in Asheboro to celebrate Erin's birthday, and then went on to the zoo (see HERE).



That Sunday, Anna got to visit Chuck E Cheese for the first time for her classmate's birthday party.  Naturally, she loved it and I thought it was too loud!  After that, we all went for a long hike at Hemlock Bluffs, including Bella who required pain meds for soreness for 3 days after the hike.

The 23rd was our big girl's actual birthday, which was a really fun day!  We got to meet Erin's class on the 25th at Phillips Farm, the same place we had gone in September with Cole.  That was lots of fun too.  Daddy got to go to a NASCAR race on the 27th, and we ladies went to celebrate our friend Caroline's 4th birthday at her house.  Grandma A. came up on the 28th-29th for a Halloween visit that was lots of fun, and the month went downhill from there as we all came down with colds of varying severity.



Erin missed school last Wednesday through Friday, but she should be ok to return tomorrow.  At least, I'm hoping for that!  Because of that, Halloween was kind of a bust around here.  Anna went to a few houses, but Erin was too sick and ended up having a belated trick-or-treat yesterday.

So, another busy month is in the books.  We are excited for beautiful weather in November and fun with family for Thanksgiving!  Uncle Tom, Aunt Pam, Jimmy, and Danny are getting ready to move into their new house just up the road, so it will be so nice to see them more often!

Anna's class and the pumpkin they carved:

 One of our jack-o-lanters: