trick-or-treat

 We decided to start a new tradition this year, we cleared out the garage and started a fire, made some hot chocolate, invited family and friends and waited for the ghosts and goblins.  It started with a down pour....I was worried the entire night would be a bust.  We decided to be the die hard family and sent the little ones out in the rain.  The girls....NOT so "witchy", but still, smiles of anticipation!

The evening started worrisome but ended great.  Casey being patient as ever took the girls to go around the neighborhood at 3 different points.   As the rain stopped and our crowds increased I think they realised the LOOT to be attained :)  Gentry at one point asked Nana for a bath, Nana was kind enough to help her bath and get into bed. While Papa was a trooper handing out hot chocolate to all our neighbors!    The Rasbands were our trusty sidekicks, they provided the really great donut holes and silly bands, (THOSE were a hit!)  not to mention laughter and fun!

Thanks for coming, friends!  Plans for next year are already in place.

See you next time!

Thanks Courtney for this picture!  I love how you know how to make my camera do what I want.  I am going know how to do that one day.

parade

Today was the Halloween parade at the elementary school. This year is Hayli's last year to participate, next year she will be too old. I have to admit it made me pause for a minute today. Man, my kids are getting big quick! As a side note 3 witches has had my wave iron working double time this week. But it does make their hair look like they put their finger in a light socket!

On the way out we ran into a couple of other cute witches. While they were posing for this picture their fun Mom said, " won't it be fun when they are all in Young Women's....." WOW! I thought 4th grade seemed old and all of a sudden they are teenagers? All in a matter of a hour! I am grateful that we do have such great neighbors to grow up with, and if they postpone the teenage years for a bit, I am OK with that!

carving

For family night the girls wanted to carve pumpkins. We have been blessed by the pumpkin fairy as we have SO many pumpkins this year. I thought we would carve one for both the girls and save the rest for my porch for Thanksgiving, and why would we carve all 9 pumpkins? Then Dad came home and after dinner and discussing what we should carve. My vote was polka-dots, Hayli wanted a bat Gentry just kept saying "Me too! and Mine too!" She was very worried about being left out of what ever we were talking about. :) So we began cutting and cleaning the first pumpkin. Kate's was first I had successfully convinced her polka-dots were the way to go, I began to draw the dots and then Casey made Hayli go count the pumpkins and soon we had this.

Casey was a trooper carving 7 pumpkins in all... at one point he and I were cleaning out pumpkins and 3 little girls were running around like a crazy house. Casey said "I thought this was supposed to be a family night activity" ..... He did get Hayli to help clean out the last one. But I have to admit when you decide to carve 7 of the pumpkins, girls with short attention spans lose interest quick. So in the end Casey and I had a great family night without the family! Hayli did take this picture which I guess shows who really did the work!

Now you all have to stop by on Halloween night to see them in LIGHTS!

lucy

We had my niece Lucy for the weekend. It was fun to have a 4th girl. They all wanted matching hair. Before a 9:30am primary program practice. Braids were all I could come up with. (We were 10 min late.)

Casey was gone again this weekend, so it was just the "girls"! We played furry frenzies, watched movies, bought and traded silly bands, painted nails, went to McDonalds with the May family, made pizza, popcorn and gummy bears! I was surprised what a spectacle four, may I say adorable, girls can be. I was stopped several times with comments on "how fun" they are. I have agree they are fun girls but I grew up with 3 sisters, four girls feels normal to me. I am going to have to check with Mom.....were we famous too?

We make pizza because it is fun, not pretty...

Funny, things we've done so many times before are SO much more fun with a friend!

Thanks for coming Lucy!

spelling

Hayli has loved school and always been successful. That being said I realize that she is only in the third grade and so far there hasn't been any unattainable expectations. But when she brought these worksheets home the other day they made me smile. Speaking as a HORRIBLE speller, (I would never make it without spell check!) who can spell suspicious and not feel? Third grade makes you think huh?

view

I take for granted our great neighborhood. The terrific neighbors, fun friends for my kids, a place where we feel safe. Because I do work from home I have a fair amount of people coming in a out of my home every day. I have been grateful as so many have commented on our view of the mountains. I don't seem to take the time to look enough. Having people bring it to my attention makes me take a moment to remember we DO love where we live,(we could have a bigger, nicer home, a larger lot etc.) but honestly we are Happy here and we couldn't ask to be in a better place for our family at this time. Thankfully, I think we will be here for a long time. Happy Fall! We love those mountains!

I need to learn Photoshop and make the sky blue then it would be a pretty picture.

one

Yesterday Casey's Aunt Beverly pointed out that my tree was turning red ONE leaf at a time. Neither of us had ever seen that before. I am not sure I would have noticed our one red leaf at the top of the tree, had Aunt Beverly not showed it to us. Funny how it is easy to over look the details in your own yard! Thanks Beverly for making us stop and find the beauty of one!

time

I have seen people lately post things like flashback Thursday, or something like that. I found these pictures on Casey's point and shoot when I was getting the pictures of the deer. Who are these LITTLE girls? This was my baby sisters wedding, I keep saying she "just got married" obviously time has snuck up on me because my girls are little in these shots and now they are big PLUS I have another one? A major flashback for me! Time flies when you are having....fun!?

deer

To say,Casey loves to hunt, is a understatement. He and his brothers go every year, some years they go on the muzzle-loader, rifle, elk hunt, deer, ducks....(I really don't even know but I am sure there are 10 more opportunities to hunt then I just mentioned.) Other years they are lucky to make one weekend. But I know that these are the times that Casey looks forward to most in the year. Time on the mountain with his Dad and brothers + nature are priceless in his book. They don't do the easy hunts either, some years Casey has hiked so hard he has lost his toenails. That's when you know they had fun! This deer was a work out for Casey, took 2 trips to track down, he was going for a "monster" deer and on the last day settled for this one, but for a nobody like me who doesn't understand points and span and other things I have heard them talk about, looks like a good one to me! Way to go, Case!
The last picture is a litle blurry of a bear they ran into along the way! So glad you are safe, and home!

kisses

Gentry is my best kisser yet. She is all around very loving and cuddly, but when you ask for a kiss. She puckers up, tilts her head back and closes her eyes. I find it adorable. I have been trying to get a picture of it but she doesn't do it quite the same when I am holding the camera. So here is the best one so far and I will try to capture it better still. Thanks for being you Genny bear, I love your kisses!

By the way I love how she is almost cross eyed in the last picture, could we love C'rella any more?!!

late night

Hayli has been asking for a late night since the summer time. I have always found away out if it because #1 it would require staying up late #2 I am not really a party mom. I tried a couple of friend birthday parties before and I am just not good at it. So obviously, Hayli kept asking so during fall break we decided to do it. I asked her to make a plan, so that they knew what they were to do. She presented me with her plan, and then she made it happen. I think they had a good time. The girls played board games, watched a movie ate Carmel popcorn, oreos and pringles. And then I painted all their nails. I am lucky Hayli has such good friends. (Plus she is turning out to be quite the party planner!)

And the best part is late night yesterday means early night tonight!!

cornbellys

Tuesday, Kate's preschool went on their annual field trip to Cornbellys. The girls had a blast! Gentry kept running off, all the while yelling "bye Mom!" Uh, who forgot to tell her we are suppose to keep together? Sooner than later I told Kate she was in charge of keeping Gentry safe. That was the best thing I could have done. Kate jumped on the chance to be large and in charge. She didn't allow Gentry even time to reconsider a slide before she was pushed to the end! Good thing Gen is a little bit dare devil or it might not have worked out so great. But Kate kept track of her for the most part and the both had fantastic smiles to prove they have fun together! Thanks Miss. Ginny for a fun day!

pajamas

What is it about new warm fuzzy pajamas? They make me want to squish her even more!

tail end

The last few from a fun day at the pumpkin patch. I like to think the kids had fun.
Smiles all around, to me say YES!

farm

What does the pig say?

the end

pumpkin patch

I like to think I am independent. I can do it. I am usually happier doing it my way anyhow :) Saturday I decided how fun would the pumpkin patch be while my nephews are staying with us! Lets be honest when I watch any kids I try to show them a good time so they might fill there Mothers ear with fantastic stories when she comes home. Stories of adventure, and fun things NOT stories about how that one lady yells a lot, or how they are so glad to be going home :). SO.....I took 5 kids (2 two year olds, 2 four year olds and 1 big helping 8 year old) to the pumpkin patch by myself! Over all a good experience, no one was permanently damaged and as we drove home 3 fell asleep signaling a happy time! But I had 3 different ladies call me brave while I was there. Does that mean my kids were out of control? Or did I just appear haggard? Needless to say even though these pictures prove that I should not become a family photographer, it does prove that we were there and we got some great pumpkins! Trey searched high and low for the "biggest ever." The first rule should have been "big as you can carry". But like Trey my eyes have always been bigger that I could carry how could I say no?

mom?

This one started calling me Mom about bedtime yesterday. In Kole's defence everyone else here calls me that, he probably just thinks it is my name. Nevertheless...it makes me smile.
And I am confident on Monday when his REAL Mom comes to get him there will be no confusion!

excited

It's Friday!!

the end. 

sweet

When I ask Kate to smile like she is laughing, she almost always tilts her head like this to the side. It gives her such a sweet, demure look in photos. How ironic her personality most of the time rides on the wild side! It is her wild side that makes me smile, (usually in retrospect) but sure makes me tired.

How I love my sweet, wild Kate.