A Great Halloween!

We all remembered last year...rainy, cold, but cleared up just as we went hunting candy for little people. This year was completely the opposite. It was almost warm and the sun was still shining at 1800 when we set out for a fun evening with the kids.

Everyone had a great time! The kids came home with a bunch of candy and were good enough to share a few pieces with Mom and Dad. Thanks, kids. Only Joe got a little fussy. We forgot his pacifier. Maybe next year he'll be better about the candy collecting.

Enjoy the pictures!

John chose to fit into his cowboy costume again. I think it has something to do with the cap guns making noise. But he loved it! The red neckerchief is a carry over of the costume he wore to school. He was Brer Rabbit there and the neckerchief was originally on a stick as Brer Rabbit's hobo bag. Good thing we can use these pieces for more than one thing! He even had a shoot-out with several neighbors as we went trick-or-treating.

Aren't those the cutest princess's ever? It's amazing that Kelsey still fit into her Snow White dress. The maroon dress looked beautiful on Bekah. Wow! And they hardly needed jackets over their pretty dresses. Amazing!

Jack had plenty of room for his candy. That honey pot has an extra pouch in the front and it got weighed down as the night progressed. Jack's trick-or-treat bucket was half the size of the other kids. Cute, but meant for littler guys who don't appreciate candy like Jack.

Joe spent the day as in a pumpkin sleep n' play. For the evening, he dressed up in a warm tiger costume. I think Jack was a little jealous, but he got over it once the candy started flowing.

One of our favorite neighbors brought home some work and chased around our kids with a robot bus. It was pretty hard to get this close. They weren't a big fan of a talking, moving bus. Ah well. It was good times.

I think next year we may see even more excitement for candy. The kids will be older and braver about approaching "strange" doors and asking for treats. They will teach Joe all about the joys of Halloween. Here's to hoping your Halloween was memorable as well!

Happy Pumpkin Days!

The kids picked out their pumpkins and most of them chose the design they wanted carved into the pumpkin. I still can't tell you whose, is whose...I just carved them for the kids. Enjoy!

I think Kelsey wanted the "Trick or Treat" one. John wanted a hissing cat to be like our Bob-Cat. Bekah wanted a witch....then she wanted the bat in the moon. And I don't think Jack really cared. And poor Joe didn't get one this year. I don't think he'll really mind.

Look for the costume party, coming soon!

Farmers' Market Fun

We decided to take a trip up to Thanksgiving Point and see the art show. While we were there, we checked out some of the other sights. The kids loved the fresh fruit and jams the vendors were selling. Free samples of actual tree ripened peaches, apples, pears, and fresh raspberries were heavenly. You don't get that kind of flavor from the stores!

We also piled all the kids into the oversized rocking chair. We all fit! Even with Daddy and Mommy included.

Then it was off to a little village. The kids loved the little dance hall and jail. It was fun seeing them run around the farm area. Poor Kelsey still has a sensitive nose. She bypassed the pigs with hardly a backward glance. Ah well. They really aren't that beautiful. But it was a fun evening out and a good way to end the summer season.

Bicycle Fun

Here's behind the scenes from taking school pictures with John and Kelsey. The other kids (Jack and Bekah) were feeling a little left out of the spotlight. I can only imagine they won't want to have any part of picture taking in the coming years (eg. teenage school pictures with boys are going to be fun...hah!), but they were sad not to have pictures taken of them. To keep them happy, Mom let them ride Bekah's bike. Shawn came up with this idea...and it made the rest of us laugh!

And Jack wouldn't be outdone by his big sister...so, he had to have a turn too.

Hooray for wheels and little kids! It makes us all have smiley days!

Fruits of our Labors

We have done fairly well with the little garden at the side of our townhome again. This year found new veggies on the vine and a trial for bell peppers. We've done okay with our zucchini. We haven't seen any cucumbers like last year, but those plants got a late start. I guess we should be lucky we got much of anything since Joe was born right when we should have been seeing peas growing in the garden. But the kids have been super excited to see tomatoes, zucchini, and now peppers. We have been blessed!

Now, if only I could get Jack to smile for the picture...

It's Back to School Time!

And here are the kids, all ready for a new school year! Don't they look great in their new uniforms? John's going to be in first grade and Kelsey gets John's class in kindergarten! Mom's looking forward to naptime with only three kids at home! Yippee!

Kelsey did a great job posing for the pictures. Such a pretty girl!

Can you believe she's such a big girl? All ready and excited for kindergarten!

And John's so excited for first grade! He's ready to show off all he's practiced over the summer to his new teacher. Such a good lookin' kid!

Let's get ready to learn!!

Happy Birthday Jack Jack!

Jack Jack's two years old!? We very nearly didn't get any pictures for his birthday this year. We had a small family party on his actual birthday and had chicken decorate cupcakes to celebrate. He called them "ducks" but just about any bird is a "duck" to him. He actually blew out the two candles we put on the cupcake. He wouldn't do it for the larger cake we ordered for Saturday. Ah well. So goes life.

But he was in love with the fishing pole and magnetic fish that went with it. His brother and sisters were in love with the Duplo Lego set that he got. He got to play with all of his toys later, but it was funny to see how possessive he was of his fishing pole.

Happy Birthday, Jack!