Pumpkin Time!

Every year we take the time to visit a pumpkin patch and allow the girls to pick out their own pumpkins. We went with a few other homeschooling families and had a great time.

Pumpkin Pose!

Lily is searching for the perfect one

Lily found hers...

...now it's Zora's turn.

Is that Ma & Pa??? No! It's Zora & Lily :-)

Here is Zora & Aub having a duck race. Lily waits patiently for her turn to compete!

Three little friends anxious for the hayride!

THE END :-)

Lights, Camera, Action!

We stayed extremely busy during the month of October. I can't believe that the month is almost over and I'm just now finding the time to update! We started off the month with a trip to our downtown performing arts center to see a live showing of the ever-popular Click, Clack, Moo! The girls and I both love to read the books and we also love the theater so how could we pass this up?!?!?!? I wasn't allowed to take any pictures of the show, but we got one of us waiting for the show to start! Real nice, huh? Lol :-)
We also went to see Veggie Tales Live this month. I'm not really sure who enjoyed it more - me or the girls! The show was The Ultimate Silly Songs Countdown so all of my favorite ridiculous Veggie Tales songs were sung.


And by far, my absolute FAVORITE song of all - The Belly Button Song!

Thanks Jen & Jake for inviting us!

Leavin' On A Jet Plane

Ok, so I'm actually COMING HOME on a jet plane, but I love that song... any other fans out there???

My mom is moving on October 16 and I decided to go with her! I had already planned for the girls to have a fall break from October 18-22, so it worked out perfectly! I'm going to help them drive their van to Arizona and stay for an entire week to help them unpack and get settled in. Then the girls and I will fly home on the 23rd. I'm a little nervous about riding an airplane with both of my girls without the help of my husband, but I'm sure we'll be fine. And the girls are SUPER-excited because they have never flown before and can't wait to do it!

I bought the tickets last week, but I had this grand scheme on how I wanted to tell the girls. I was going to make up little clues and arrange a scavenger hunt. After they collected all of the clues they were going to have to figure out the plan. But my dear little Zora is just way to nosy and smart for something like that. She's apparently been eavesdropping on my conversations with Nana without my knowledge, and put it all together. She just came right out yesterday and said, "Mom, are we going to Arizona with Nana and then flying home?" Well, I NEVER lie to my children, so I confessed everything right there. So, BAH-HUM-BUG to her. No fun games from this Mommy. But that really doesn't matter...we'll still have a fun trip :-)

Ladies' Lunch & Mass Destruction

This weekend Joel and I each got a few hours to enjoy what we each like best.

We started out Saturday morning getting ready for my Pampered Chef party. My husband was gracious enough to help out when I asked so that everything would be in order when the guests arrived. He also watched the kids while the ladies all enjoyed a couple hours together and a very yummy lunch. I didn't have a huge showing of people, but we definitely enjoyed one another's company and the fun of "shopping" together! (If you are interested in buying something my show won't "close" until Thursday, Sept 30, so you can still order... just click here and then enter my first and last name under option 1).

After the guests left and I got the kitchen cleaned and back in order, Joel got to enjoy some macho-man time. I don't know if all men enjoy tearing things apart, but I know Joel does. As I mentioned in a previous post Joel built us a new shed because our old one was falling apart - the door fell off a couple of years ago and the floor was rotting. Well, he spent the afternoon tearing down the old one. It actually was tougher to tear down than we had originally anticipated, but with a truck, towing chain, chainsaw, and sledge hammer, the job was finally complete. Not only did he get it torn down, but we even got it all cut up, on a trailer ready to haul off, AND the ground re-leveled in a matter of 4 hours! Whew!

Shed before...

Timber!!!

After... now we can see the new shed :-)

We still have a little bit of cleaning up to do around the new shed, but it already looks much better! And now the girls have that much more play area in our backyard :-)

Family Treasures

Decorating is not my talent, but I do love to do it. My taste is probably very different than a lot of other people's, but it comes from a desire to house family treasures. In many cases these things would not be treasures to anyone else, but they are to me because they are items passed down from elder generations in my family.

I've been rather sentimental lately due to the upcoming relocation of my mom and step-dad, and this weekend as I looked around my home those emotions only intensified. I realized how much stuff I have that is seemingly worthless to most, but absolutely priceless to me... family treasures.

Old Bible
(My great uncle & aunt
Date in the cover: Dec 24, 1934)

Bowls
(Granny Bea)

White corner cabinet
Made by my grandfather
Handed down to me by my grandmother

Dishes from my Great Aunt Sis

Toothpick holder from my mom

Metal Pitcher
My mom has many fond memories of her mother making ice cold lemonade for her and her siblings and serving it in this pitcher

Old School Books that belonged to my aunts and uncle
Spanish, Zoology & Math books dated in the 1950s

Bed jacket that belonged to my Granny Bea

Hamper given to my mom from my Aunt Fonda who is a missionary in Mexico

Bowls
(Granny Bea)

Sewing Cabinet & Machine from Granny Bea

China Cabinet from Granny Bea

Stacking bowls from Granny Bea

Tea Pitcher
Granny Bea or Aunt Sis???

Granny Bea's red hat

Wooden plate and Mexican bowl
originally gifts to my mother from family friends

Granny Bea's old wing-back chair

Zora's dresser from her namesake
(great-great-grandmother, Zora)

Matching bed and chest of drawers
(great-great-grandmother, Zora)

Poem written about my great-grandmother, Zora (Zora's namesake)
By my grandmother, Lillie Bea (Lily's namesake)
This poem hangs in both of my girls' rooms since both namesake's were entwined

Glass pitcher and musical glass bowl
(Granny Bea)

Old Quilt Box
(Great-grandmother Zora)

Floral Lamp
(Great-grandmother Zora)

Floral Lamp
(Great-grandmother Zora)

Flower Girls!!!

Several months ago some dear friends of ours asked Zora & Lily to be the flower girls in their wedding. Of course the response was YES! The girls had two reasons to be excited about the occasion:

Reason #1 They get to be pampered like a princess and look like a princess!

In preparation for the big event, I took the girls yesterday afternoon for some "big girl" pampering. They both got their fingernails and toenails painted.

Reason #2 Their good friends, Reid & Pierce were going to be the ring bearers!

Here are the kiddos at the rehearsal last night. They were so happy to see each other!

Lily, Pierce, Zora & Reid

This morning Lily's allergies started acting up so badly that we had to start the day with medicine and breathing treatments :-( This is NOT what Lily had in mind for such a special day. But Zora came to the rescue by reading to her so she wouldn't be sad. What a good big sissy!
Then we were off to the hair salon to get pampered some more! The bride's mother is a beautician, so she was happy to fix the girls' hair for me. She did a great job!

Zora's hair

Putting on the tiara

Lily's hair is so thin and fine that in order to give it some body and get it to curl she had to start with it a little WILD... perfect fit for Miss Lily!

A tiara for the little princess, too!

The girls loved their beautiful new hairdos!

After getting their hair done we had an hour-and-a-half to wait at the church until picture time. I was a nervous wreck about this long wait because I didn't want their hair to come undone. So, how do you get two very active little girls to sit perfectly still for that long?

Put in a movie and buy them some pizza!

After the long wait was over I quickly put on their make-up and slid them into their dresses just before picture time. Here is Lily sitting so patiently and quietly waiting for her turn to take pictures...

And Miss Zora daydreaming the time away

Finally picture time arrived. The girls hammed it up for the camera!

Zora, Amber & Lily

Reid, Devon & Pierce

The entire wedding party

Zora

Lily

Giggling Sisters

Cute little flower girls

I don't really believe in bribery, but I totally used it this weekend. I was a nervous wreck about how they would act on stage during the ceremony. I told them that if they would do exactly what they were supposed to, and stand as still as a statue on stage for the entire ceremony that I would treat them to a date at the movies next week. It worked! They were great and the ceremony went off without one glitch! That makes for a happy bride & groom, a happy mommy and two very happy, beautiful little flower girls!