Check out our handsome Tiger! Here is Griffin’s pre-school picture from this year and below is his Tiger class photo along with teachers Miss Jen and Miss Irma. He is really enjoying school and comes home telling stories about what he did and talking about his friends. It’s pretty cute! He eats lunch there too and typically eats really well. When I pick him up and he is telling me about his day we check out his lunch and he is so proud when he eats really well 🙂
On Tuesday, Election Day, we headed to the polls and took Griffin along. Our polling location is always active and busy yet we don’t have to wait so we were in and out pretty quickly. Afterward we headed to our traditional Annie’s Southern Kitchen for a tasty breakfast before Kevin and I headed to work. 
Here are a few others from this week before we left on our annual trip to Tennessee. Finn loves player with Cooper and Cole whenever they are home and outside. They enjoyed a fun afternoon playing in the leaves. He also made some fun artwork with Debbie this week including a Turkey, a pilgrim hat, and a feather hat. Â 
I made it to Fox in the Snow for a special treat one afternoon after a doctor appointment at Riverside. Â We met with a genetic counselor, the specialist, and the sonographer who performed a detailed ultrasound called the Ultra Screen where they look at the thickness and fluid in the cavity of the spinal cord area at the base of the baby’s neck (called nuchal translucency). This measurement, along with a blood sample of mine that we had sent off in the mail, is used to assess the risk of Trisomy 18, 13, or 21. An increased thickness can indicate possible chromosomal issues and because of our history with Nathan and his Trisomy 18 diagnosis, we opted for the least risky procedure that would provide insight on the health of the baby. We were elated to learn that the scan showed a very normal spinal area/thickness. The baby was actually in a perfect “textbook” position when she first looked so she got some great images. They also look at the nose for the presence of a nose-bone which is another positive, as the lack of one can also indicate chromosomal issues. Everything looked wonderful. I left feeling so relieved. It doesn’t mean everything is guaranteed to be perfect by any means, but it was reassuring to hear from the specialist that the baby looked great.
We left early on Friday morning for our trip to the Smoky Mountains. We arrived at our cabin, Smoky Bear, and were a bit scared at the sight of the driveway and its pitch. Yikes! It was kind of like going up and down a roller coaster where you can’t quite see where you are headed! But after a few trips we were good to go 🙂
Finn loved playing with the oven mitts and a package of ping pong balls that we purchased to play some “baseball” in the cabin. It was amazing that he was able to catch so many!
Smoky Bear had a pool! We enjoyed playing in the pool although it was not very warm! So our stints were rather short but we had plenty of good times!
One of our first adventures in Tennessee was a new adventure for us. We drove through part of the Smoky Mountains National Park and saw some landmarks there like the Chimney Tops area on our way to Clingman’s Dome. A new adventure for us this year as we walked the paved, very steep, half-mile trail to the summit at 6,643 feet, which is the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Here is our family selfie at the top of Clingman’s Dome. Â It was a hazy day, with all of the forest fires in the area, so the views weren’t as great as we were hoping. But it was a fun adventure to the top!
I’ve been looking back through the blog lately and seeing how much better my photos used to be. I’ve gotten pretty lazy and only on rare occasion do I break out the “real” camera as I usually resort to my cell phone out of convenience. Even though I have an iPhone I can’t seem to take a good photo with it! So, sorry for the quality of these pics but I’m still happy to have the memories despite their blurriness.
Several nights before bedtime lately we’ve been reading the “family rules” print that hangs in Griffin’s room. One of the rules is to try new things. Debbie put this pic in the app this week from lunch time with a caption along the lines of “I love to try new things Miss Deb.”. I thought it was pretty cute. 
On Friday Kevin, Finn, and I all went to the pediatrician so that the boys could get their Flu shots. I had told Finn about it the day before so he would know he was getting a shot. At first he acted nervous and pretended to shake his arms, but then I explained how he always is just very observant and watches the nurse come in the room and then quickly give him a shot. Normally he doesn’t even cry. He was ok with that and I told him we’d go do something fun afterward. Sure enough, Kevin and Finn got their shots and he had asked Kevin to go first so he could watch. It was super quick and then it was Finn’s turn, he got his in his thigh (not his arm like Kevin). It was so fast he just watched, flinched for a slight second, and bam we were done. No tears! So we headed off to the place of his choice – Graeter’s for a monster sundae. 
I realized this week that I never really took pictures of the pumpkins that Finn, Debbie, and Sam carved – so here they are. Finn’s is on the left, then Sam’s is the small one on the right, then Debbie’s on the back right. The middle medium size pumpkin was just an extra I guess. And then they spent some time painting the other pumpkins too. 
On Saturday Kevin and Finn mowed the yard after Kevin repaired the mower. Â The belt that operates the blade deck had shredded. Now that it is replaced it mows so much better and is pretty much like new! After mowing they raked big piles of leaves – can you find Finn?
On Saturday we were thinking of making a quick trip to Mansfield to see mom and dad we’ll be gone most of the time up until Thanksgiving. We were enjoying an early pizza lunch and decided to let Finn play at the Worthington Mall playground for a bit after. I was walking around the mall when Kevin texted me to come back as Finn had fallen and hit his tooth and lip on the slide :(. He’s not normally much of a crier, but he cried for a good long bit and had a bloody lip and tooth. That solidified our idea to head to Mansfield so Grandpa could check his tooth out! Turns out he seems fine and after a nap in the car on the way there Finn was full of energy and ready to watch the Buckeye’s late game. While I didn’t snap any pics while we were there I did get one of Lily in the car. She’s very excited when she first gets in and when you almost arrive at the destination, but for much of the hour long ride she just sleeps. Once we arrive, that’s another story! She starts pacing and just wants to get out since she knows where we are!
And here is our 5-year, first-date-aversary pic. It was five years ago, November 5, 2011, that we went on our first date to the OSU-vs-IU football game at Ohio Stadium. So, what better way to celebrate that to watch the OSU game on tv?
On Sunday after church we headed to Enon for a visit with Grandma and Grandpa Armstrong too. Another beautiful fall day to be outside, this time playing soccer and baseball. 
After Finn’s appointment we headed to Mansfield for an afternoon adventure to Grandma and Grandpa Beilstein’s. We had Lily in the car with us too, she waited patiently out in the car while we were at the eye doctor. We enjoyed a low-key afternoon hanging out followed by dinner out. Grandpa and Finn were being goofy at dinner while we were watching the Indians play baseball. 
And sweet treats of Reese’s pumpkins to finish the night. 
Finn is really practicing his sports skills lately. He’s always wanting to play baseball, football, or some other sport. This night Grandpa was working with him on running and catching at the same time. He caught several. We love how whenever he completes something that he’s proud of or happy about he does a single “clap” to show how fired up he is. Â You can see it in this video too.