This is what my sewing area looks like when I am rushing to do Halloween costumes. I did go much simpler this year as one costume will be recycled from previous years, one is store bought (really!), and I would have bought the other two, but I couldn’t find them anywhere, so I made them. It isn’t my best sewing job (don’t look at my bottom seams too closely), but I got the job done and the girls are in love with it. True kept hugging me and thanking me for it and that makes the stress of planning and making it worth it.

If you’ve been following this blog for awhile you know that we really have a lot of fun with Halloween costumes, we’ve had a barber shop quartet, The Three Little Piggies, Hannah and Gretel, The Untold Story of Oz, and Little Red Riding Hood. This year I am letting the big girls take more ownership of the story, so we will have to see what they come up with. We’re studying characters, setting, plot, climax, and resolution, so I can’t wait to see what kind of story they create based on their costumes.

One thing I loved when I was a teacher was integrating subject areas together (i.e. this book is good to read and then talk about counting and sorting). I loved reading literature and using it to drive home math concepts. Learning is done everyday with everything (even if you don’t homeschool, I am sure you are teaching your kids new things everyday too!) and I love that even with something as simple as Halloween costumes, even that could be morphed into a lesson on writing.

Today will be the first chance the girls get to wear their costumes out and they are so excited. They are going to a Halloween party at Nickelodeon Studios (Ben’s cousin works there so it’s a perk that he can get the girls in), so I just know they will have a blast! If you follow on instagram (@rubyellenbratcher), I am sure Ben will be snapping pics tonight and you may just get a sneak peek at some of the characters that will be in their story.

Happy Friday everyone!!!

The other day, Ben and I heard Brave talking to True and she kept calling her “big sister” to get her attention. That made us both smile at each other. She is indeed her big sister, but not by much, so it was so sweet to hear her refer to her big sister in such an endearing way. It was also probably the tone of Brave’s voice because out of the four girls, she is by far the most sensitive and affectionate and she’s just all around sweetness.

These girls are growing so quickly. There was a moment when I was in the second grade and sitting in the back of my grandpa’s car with my oldest cousin and my grandparents were in the front seat. They were talking to my cousin, who was probably in middle school at the time, and telling her that she was so grown and that she would be grown up really soon. I vividly remember thinking to myself, “Hey! How about me?! I’m almost grown up too!” I remember that moment so clearly because distinctly remember my thought process of how I thought I was right up there ready for adult hood. Silly me and how wrong I was as I was barely just starting life, but at that time I felt so grown. And now when I am out and I see teenagers, I think of them as such babies who still have so much to learn and live, but they probably think they’re adults. It’s funny how our views changed based on our point of reference.

My girls swear they are never getting married and never leaving us, and that they are staying with us forever. They said they would even sign a document to make it legal and binding. If anyone knows where I can find that document, please send that my way!

on true: dress and leggings, misha lulu. shoes, thrifted. on brave: shirt, vintage. shorts, misha lulu. shoes, vintage.

The BFF reminded me that I never made a wish list this year, but I was seriously stuck. I feel so blessed and thankful for all that I have, it almost feels criminal to want more. Actually, it probably is. There must always be a fine line between admiring and wanting. I love to admire things, but have to catch myself when my admiration becomes strong wants for things I don’t really need. There must always be a balance. It’s a constant battle to find it. I struggle with this a lot, hence I have been staying away from some of my favorite fashion blogs for the past week.

So here I am making a list, not because I need these things, but because they’re pretty things to be admired and I like sharing pretty things. And maybe just maybe, one of you need a bag, and this cute one is what you had in mind or maybe you need some boots for the Fall and these glitter ones are adorable. I did send the baby sister a wish list to share with my parents earlier in the month (we always give each other wish lists to show to our parents) and this (and this) locket were pretty much all I sent. I’ve gotta say that my top two faves from the list is the locket and the boots. Again, not necessities, but just some pretty things to day dream about. And if the parents or the siblings decide to surprise me with any of these things, well, I can’t say I wouldn’t jump in excitement because I would.

Ben actually had a little present for me (it’s a basic white button down, a good staple), but he ended up giving it me early as a sweet little de-stresser surprise, so now he says he’s stuck. I told him not to get anything because if we do go on our little road trip to San Francisco, that was a good enough present. Thank you for all the San Francisco suggestions thus far and keep them coming if you have any! Also, we probably aren’t bringing the kids so your suggestions don’t necessarily have to be kid friendly. Ben and I are ready to relax together and explore.

1. locket / 2. pillow / 3. boots / 4. bag / 5. earrings

Our days are filled with lots of schooling. It’s the priority of the day and takes up most of it. I can definitely see how Brave has grown in these past couple months, her hand-eye coordination is getting better and her reading continues to improve. I’m thankful that I can be part of all that, but trust me, I am no perfectly patient teacher.

We are reading through Aesop’s Fables and True can read the stories to us! It’s so exciting. She loves reading and is always reading (or drawing). Ben’s mom tells us stories of how much Ben loved reading as a kid and I imagine True is pretty much Ben reincarnate. She really is. I, on the other hand, hated reading as a kid. I remember that when I had to turn in book reports, I would only read the first and last page of each chapter and then base my book report off of that. I can’t believe I was so lazy! My love for reading didn’t happen until middle school when I picked up a R.L. Stine book and fell in love with scary stories. After that I moved on to the Christy Miller Series and there was no stopping my love for reading any longer. Reading is like watching a movie in your mind… I love it!

I hope (and pray) I am able to instill in my girls a love for learning and reading. There is so much to learn that we are just barely starting to scratch the surface of it all. Also, despite how crazy of a mom-teacher I might be, I am so glad they like learning from me!

We’re thinking of heading to the beautiful city of San Francisco for my birthday. It’s been two years since we have been and it was just a quick stop on our Pacific Northwest road trip. This time Ben and I are eager to explore a little bit more. I will be pricelining a place to stay and yelping places to eat, but if you have any recommendations of some good eateries (or shopping!), please do share!

I can’t wait to get on the road again. I love sitting in the car for long drives! Actually, I like driving a lot too. The driver gets control of the music, so I am all about driving! *wink*

Baby sister and I, along with some of our friends, survived the zombie apocalypse. It was intense. It was the scariest 3 miles I have ever ran (and screamed) and I would totally do it again. There will be a full post with lots of pictures (Ben runs around, well, walks around fast, trying to find us on the course to snap shots), but if any of you have plans to do the Zombie Run, get excited because it is a whole lot of scary fun!!!

This week’s learned, links, and thankfulness…

We survived! I had such nerves before the race, but it was so much fun and do it again next year!

Zombies are just plain freaky.

Happy to see the adventure the girls had with their Auntie Linda (the BFF) and Uncle John. My girls love them so much!

Glow is getting more adventurous with her walking and is getting more confident in her steps. I hope she doesn’t master it when Ben and I go out of town. I will be so sad if I miss it!

Soul requires more patience and I am having a tough time with her of late. Oh man.

True and Brave are such sponges and it is amazing to see them learn. As hard as it is to be their teacher, it is also very rewarding.

This post about busyness helped me re-evaluate my life and time. I need to work on my prioritizing. I suck at it.

These images are so beautiful and inspiring. I want to see Fall in Colorado!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Chess Pie?! Yes, please!

Peanut Butter Balls?! Um, yeah!

Thankful that I can confess my shortcomings to close friends and have them encourage me on how to love God (and my children) more.

Thankful for my parents who babysat the girls so I could run the Zombie Run.

Praise the Lord we paid off two school loans and have one more left to go! Almost debt free… hooray!

Thankful for my girls. Yes, they drive me nuts, but I love them so much!

I can’t wait to go through the Zombie Run pictures and share it. I’m still on such an adrenaline from all the fun I had today!!! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!!