It's Fall!

We are in full swing of Fall here, which is so amazing here. All the leaves are changing into their beautiful colors, the air is crisp and clean, pumpkin patches, apple picking, soups and stews, pumpkin baked goods.....hmmm what else??
I do love summer as it is hot and pool weather, but I love going into Fall with some warm days (like today) and then some cool days (like yesterday) where you curl up in sweats on the couch with a blanket, make soup, and watch some good tv!
I have been fighting off a cold for the past few days, and so far the girls seem okay. Steve was sick for over a week, and I thought I was in the clear, but havent been feeling great the past two days.

Taylor and I went to a pumpkin patch last Friday with our playgroup. It was fun, but strange to go w/out Mackenzie while she was at school. This past weekend, we had Mackenzie's soccer game, bbq at a friends house, and met some friends at a local winery here. The winery was fun, they are family friendly with picnic tables, areas to run around, and even goats to feed!!
Mackenzie is doing great in school...we had her parent/teacher conference last week. She is above the curve on the her reading level, and is doing great at learning to write complete sentences, simple addition, and making new friends....overall her teacher said she is very sweet and doing great!
Taylor is doing fantastic in preschool as well. Most of you know, she is very outgoing, funny and active at home. Yet, the majority of the time around other adults, she will cling to me and become very shy, not saying much to any other adults. She has always done well with other kids, and easily makes friends, just shy around adults. Well, last week her teacher (whom she LOVES, Mrs. Addessi) said Taylor is so sweet and outgoing in class. She has made friends, and consistently raises her hand with the answer in circle time, ready to speak up (and usually with the right answers too!) I am so proud of her! She loves school so much, and is even dissapointed that she only goes two days a week, so after the holidays I think I will start sending her 3 mornings a week. She is still doing Gymnastics and is loving it!!

The girls have both picked out their Halloween costumes and are SOOO excited, but Im not telling...you will have to wait and see the pictures!!
My first show is Tuesday and I am so ready and excited to start having shows!!! I also have a few candle open houses in the next month so hopefully I can help buy some Christmas gifts.

Steve is doing well with work..there are lot of changes coming down the line due to the changing economy and hard times. He is working harder than ever, dealing with harder than ever times. Steve certaintly wants to get promoted to the next level , and while this was a three to five year committment and hoping for more like three, it is too scary to think about moving right now the way the economy is.
These economic times are really scary. Part of me just wants to ignore it all, hoping that it will turn around and get better. Then the other part of me is wondering if we are heading into the next depression and what is to come with our country in the next year. It is frustrating that our banks and government have helped get our country into this mess we are in. I believe the banks were in the wrong for telling all these people they could qualify for loans that they couldnt afford and let them buy houses that they now can't pay for after their interest only loans are up. I fault the banks mostly for taking advantage of people, but at the same time, we are all responsible as humans and americans to take care of ourselves and stay within our means financially. It will be interesting to see what happens after we elect that next president of the United States. I certaintly hope EVERYONE out there is voting, as there is an issue that effects everyone in this election. Regardless of who you are voting for (the lesser of two evils in my book) our country will have to make some major changes. Okay, I didnt intend to talk about politics, but with less than a month until the election, there is so much on the forefront of everyone's minds about the future of our country.
The stock market is the scariest thing right now, as we are told and prgrammed to leave our investments for long term. They say the worst thing you can do is pull your money out, yet watching the stock market plunge day after day is really unsettling. We have our girls college fund, our retirement, and some other investments . I guess we have to faith in the system, no matter what our doubts are at the moment.

To close on a lighter note..... I have several girlfriends that are pregnant right now and expecting next spring.
Tomorrow I get a fun day out with some of the women in the neighborhood, going to a purse party in the morning, lunch, and then a movie! Taylor is going to spend the day at Oma's and is quite excited!
Nothing too exciting this weekend, just soccer and maybe going to a pumpkin patch as a family.