Halloween 2013

We nearly missed the cut-off for carving a pumpkin this year with the busyness of life. I'm glad we finally "carved" out the time because we had so much fun. Eli still doesn't like to touch the insides of the pumpkin. :)

I might say this every year, but I love the pumpkin carving kit Marc and I bought our first year of marriage. I found it on sale after Halloween at Restoration Hardware. I don't know if they still carry them anymore, but it has been so useful and durable. It is fun to have something familiar to bring out year after year. :)

 Gotta keep those seeds. They taste yummy toasted!

 The finished product

This Halloween was a wet and cold one! We had to change plans from a family gathering at Marc's aunt's house to an indoor church festival where we could be out of the rain. The festival was held at a shopping mall so we were still able to do a little trick-or-treating at each of the shops that were participating.

Eli and Hailey both picked out their costumes by themselves this year which was fun for them and me!

There were tons of fun games to play at the festival and, of course, a candy treat at the end of each one.

Isaac had a lot of sights to take in!

Mama Reenie and Papa were able to come over to Peoria for a little bit to see the kids all dressed up. Eli and Hailey loved showing them their costumes!

We finished off the night with dinner at Flat Top Grill since kids ate free that night! What a fun night! I thoroughly enjoyed ransacking the kids' candy after they went to bed. :) Happy Halloween!

Weekend in Arkansas

Marc and I really cherish the time we are able to spend with both of our families. We frequently talk about how we wish we had more time to share with everyone (we have some big families!). Even though road trips aren't quite as easy as when it was just Marc and me, we still try to make it to important events when we can. The last weekend of October we attended my cousin's wedding in Arkansas. We were also able to squeeze in some time with grandparents and many aunts, uncles, and cousins. We had a great time catching up with everyone and being a part of the wedding festivities. Hailey loved seeing Natalie's pretty wedding dress and talked about it for weeks. :)

Marc took off two days from work so that we could spend an extra day with my family in southeastern Arkansas. My grandmother continues to amaze me with all that she does. She is always such a welcoming and gracious host to our rambunctious family and prepares yummy food for us to enjoy. She tells me that if she ever gets to where she isn't physically able to serve her family in such a way, then it is time for her to go home. I often pray that God makes that possible for her. :)

After a while, Isaac really warmed up to Poppy. Poppy might be 89, but he was crawling around on the floor with Isaac like he might have forgotten his own age. Shh! Don't tell him. :)

Isaac is crawling full speed now at 9 months!

The cotton fields were a beautiful sight on our way from Memaw and Poppy's back to Little Rock. I sometimes forget after growing up in the cotton belt that not everyone has seen this field of white! I pulled the van over to the side to pick some cotton for the kids to have. Marc was surprised how soft it felt. The kids were grossed out by the seeds in the middle. They thought they were bugs and quickly handed the bolls back to me. Ha! I guess we'll have to save the field trip to the cotton fields for a later date.

Our first stop in Little Rock was to Pappaw's nursing home. He was in good spirits and seemed to enjoy our company. Isaac wasn't so sure about this first meeting, but I am glad we got one quick picture. :)

Pappaw with some of his great grandchildren.

Then it was time for the wedding at my Aunt and Uncle's house. Hailey just loves dressing up. I remember not liking to wear tights and frilly dresses (especially the itchy ones) as a little girl so I am continually amused by her enthrallment with it all.

So much for a cute brother/sister pic. :)

 My mom's whole side of the family

And just in case you think we didn't maximize every single second of this trip, we were able to meet my dad's sister and husband for breakfast on our way out of town. Nana got in a few more snuggles with her girls before we had to say our goodbyes to head back home.

'Till next time Arkansas!

Hailey June turns 3!

Sweet Hailey. She had been looking forward to her birthday nearly every week since Eli turned 4. I love celebrating my kids' birthdays and she was eager for her special day to arrive. She told me she wanted a "purple princess party" and that is what she got! We had her party at a place that sells outdoor play equipment. They rent out their showroom for parties. This allowed the kids a place to play when it was too chilly to be outside! We had a great time and are thankful for all our family and friends who helped us celebrate.

I had a happy little girl when she saw the pink and purple cupcakes I made her.

Unfortunately, we lost the candles and had to substitute with a lighter flame! It didn't seem to bother Hailey a bit. However, I'll admit mommy was a little frazzled about it. :)

We went home to let Hailey open gifts from family. We enjoyed spending the rest of the weekend with my family. We are thankful they come to help us celebrate our kids' birthdays when they are able, even though we don't live so close. I know it means a lot to these little ones. :)

Happy Birthday Hailey! Oh, what a delight you are to us and to the God who created you. We look forward to many more years of celebrations!

Apple Picking Fun

I love being outside. If we lived in a place with beautiful weather year round, I could totally do without a few walls to my house and glass on my windows. I love the smell of outside, the breeze, and the sounds. This love has only intensified since I married Marc who is also so easily wooed by the beauty of creation. Now that we have kids, I try to find activities that we can do outside as a family. Nature walks, trips to the park, bike rides. Fall really lends itself to this kind of fun. This year we decided to visit an apple orchard just north of us. Marc remembered visiting this spot some as a child and Marc's dad even made trips to this same orchard as a child with his family. We were excited that Mama Reenie and Papa decided to come along with us for our day at Tanner's Orchard.

This place has quite the business going. There is a store where you can buy apple donuts, cider, mums, and other fun Fall items and they have a kid area with lots of entertainment. We decided to pick our apples before the kids spotted that area because I knew it would be hard to get them back. :)

I was hesitant to eat the apples fresh off the tree because some had a white powder on them (that I suppose was a pesticide). Marc was much braver and after a quick polish he put down an apple or two along the walk. Eli and Hailey enjoyed nibbling as well.

After we had gathered a peck of apples, we were ready for the kids to run free. They had so much fun with the barrel ride, pony ride, and car race.

We enjoyed a yummy snow cone on the way out. It was a fun-filled day and the kids were fast asleep in the car as soon as we headed home. This will definitely be a repeat event for our family next year!