Due

3 more weeks from tomorrow is the due date. YIKES! I've been thinking about how it feels like a school due date. All these things to finish before they are "due." Once school started, I really dove into projects like crazy and checked things of the list. There is still a LOT to do, but I'm running out of steam in a big way and resting a lot so this baby doesn't come before I'm ready. Either she's on her way a little earlier than Nov. 16th or I'm just in for a long few weeks. :) Here's a little of what we've been fitting in before the due date:

I had a birthday - Derek took the day off and we went to the pumpkin patch as a family. We even pulled the girls out of school early! It was so fun. Then it rained and rained while we wandered through the corn maze. Not a whole lotta great pictures that day, but it was tons of fun! This is what 9 tons of dried corn looks like...

It was also VERY muddy. 3 out of 4 children rode home without pants. :)

Grace had her first ever field trip. Oh, so exciting!

Carver had a birthday! Spider man style. The boys played with flubber....

...used sticky hands to get spiders off paper webs...

...and shot this crazy villain with silly string.

We had brownies as a family that night to celebrate 6 whole years with our cute boy. He LOVED his birthday!!

Sunday was beautiful, so we took advantage of the sunshine and pretty leaves to take fall pictures on the trail. Some even turned out okay, despite the amateur photography (mine!).

I've got the blessing dress made, the stocking made, clothes out and inventoried, some things washed. It feels like I've done a lot, but there is so much more to do!!

Lydia's big school presentation tomorrow night
Primary program on Sunday (I'm the chorister, of all crazy things!)
Halloween
weekend with Derek's parents
finding a spot for the crib in our room
more organizing in our room
scheduling parent teacher conferences around delivery
all sorts of regular stuff

AND...

a name for this girl!!

It's been SO HARD - maybe because it's our 4th girl?
Who knows.

Some forerunners (if you ask me) are:
Alice. Ruby. Claire. Rose.

I'd like to know before sleep deprivation sets in and I lose all ability to make good decisions, but we might be drawing out of a hat in the hospital. :)

Fall Party

The Howell family's favorite pagan tradition:
ANNUAL FALL PARTY

We love celebrating the first day of fall (give or take) with homemade donuts and decorating the house for the season. That takes about 2 minutes because I'm not a big seasonal decorator. I struggle with the regular kind of home decor! Isn't keeping it clean enough of a job?!

The pink camo has nothing to do with fall. Just a birthday party the girls went to that afternoon. :)

Hurray for cool weather, hot chocolate, donuts and fall fun!! It's birthday season, leaves, pumpkins, pies and even a baby this year. It's gonna be a great fall. :)