Things around here...

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 Several sports wrapped up recently for the Craft girls. Kate has two friends running in the state cross country meet on Friday. Claudia finished volleyball a week ago and has already started middle school basketball. While Natalie and Maddie played their final soccer games of the fall season this past Saturday. Beyond sports (which is a pretty regular conversation topic in this house) here are some pics of other recent events...

Leading up to homecoming this year, the Union Cross Country team raised almost $12,000 for University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital to benefit pediatric brain cancer research. Each year the cross country team runs the football from Dysart to the high school in La Porte for the start of the homecoming football game. Kate was selected to run the football around the track and into the hands of the evening's referee. 

We visited Hanson's Halloween on a gorgeous fall day to find a few pumpkins and gourds. We even met up with Grandma Craft, Beau and Casey. Together we fed animals, played on the playground, and exhausted ourselves in the fresh air.


Here's Beau and Maddie enjoying some cousin time...

Circling back to homecoming... Here's Kate in her gorgeous homecoming dress we found during a recent trip to Rochester. She looked beautiful and had a wonderful evening with friends from the cross county and basketball teams.


Speaking of gorgeous... This is the tree outside our front window. It is my absolute favorite tree in the entire community. Sadly it has already lost its leaves but we love seeing this beauty every fall.
Rocket is nearing 6 months old and appears to have just as much energy as when he was a baby. Maddie and Rocket are inseparable. 


We are getting ready for Halloween over here, too. There's a spooky shop on Main Street and while Maddie hates to be scared, she is drawn to this place. Whenever the open sign is glowing, Maddie will beg to go in. The shop also has a great big, friendly cat Maddie wishes she could take home.


Despite my better judgement, I offered to chaperone a middle school lock-in at the UNI Wellness Recreation Center. I was solid until about 3 a.m. but the seven girls with me never slowed down. Claudia got to try rock climbing and she made it to the tippy top.


Natalie turned 10 this month! 10 is the age we will allow the girls to get their ears pierced if they so choose and choose Natalie did! She looks great with her freshly pierced earlobes. 



And finally Claudia and I enjoyed a fun afternoon walk along the trail nearby to explore the changing leaves. We also found several very plump, very fuzzy caterpillars. I believe the old wives tale tells us this means winter is coming soon. Here we are being goofballs with our walking sticks on the railroad tracks. No worries, no trains were anywhere near. Also, I just realized my eyes are closed in this photo. Oh well. Ha!




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