Halloween 2012

Yesterday was just a normal day at our house. I had a few errands to run. Brady loves corn dogs and Sonic had $.50 corn dogs for Halloween. I rarely let him get a corn dog, so he was pretty excited to have that for lunch.

 

Presley had no idea the day was any different. I have put her in the activity center a few times this week. She seems to like it. She has awesome head control, so she does really well in it.

As I mentioned before, we did Trunk or Treat on Saturday as our "Halloween". I had thought if Brady wanted we would take him down the street before church to Trick or Treat. My parents were out of town and weren't able to be at Trunk or Treat so they wanted us to come by their house so Brady could trick or treat them. We ended up just going straight there. We made one stop at my uncles house on the way. When we got to my parent's Brady was done. He took his costume off pretty soon after we got there. He was content with his few pieces of candy. We went to church as normal and Brady got a few treat bags there as well. We have enough candy for a while, but not an abundance.  I love all the holidays and the fun they can bring, but I do not like how they can get excessive. We want Brady to be thankful and appreciative. That is hard when you get tons and tons of candy. I am happy we stopped when we did. I really struggle with letting them enjoy the holidays and teaching them generosity and it isn't about more and more stuff.

Brady being a weirdo in his costume. I tried to get him to pose, but he was being silly.

 

 

Presley girl in her Halloween outfit. She looked so cute in it! She is so chunky! Look at that double chin.

 

Sweet story: My parents gave him $5 in his treat bag. My mom asked what he wanted to do with it, if he was going to save it. He very quickly replied, "No, I am going to put it in my jar for the kids that don't have mommy's and daddy's."  We have a container we have been putting spare change in to donate to a local children's home. I have been amazed with Brady and how much he wants to give to these kids. He volunteers to put money in it on his own all the time. This was just something we thought would help teach him about how blessed he is and how we should give. It has really made him think. I always hope he stays this generous and sweet!!! As soon as we got home he dug it out of his bucket and put it in the jar. Sweet boy! He is such a blessing to us!!!

Painting pumpkins

We picked up a couple little pumpkins at the Pumpkin Patch last week. I had told Brady we could paint them one day next week. He literally asked every day and some days multiple times a day to paint his pumpkin. Monday I decided we would paint them. The weather was perfect outside.

 

I painted Presley's while Brady painted his.

 

His is definitely unique!

 

 

Presley just watched all the action. Brady said over and over, "I think Presley really wants to paint." I kept telling him, she can paint one next year.

 

 

 

 

 This may become a yearly tradition. I enjoy this much more than carving. We did get a pumpkin gor carving. I think that will be a Daddy/Brady project closer to Halloween! :) Next year, I will have to get my own to paint.

 

I love fall decorations.

Pumpkin Patch

We decided to go to the pumpkin patch while Daddy was off work. We decided Wednesday would work best for us, so I checked the forecast, picked up some coupons, and planned on Wednesday.

I had a dental appointment early that morning, so as soon as I got home we loaded up and made our way to Lucky Ladd Farms.  We went to this same location last year.  I avoided the slides last year due to a little nausea and a strong suspicion of pregnancy.  ;) A few short days later we learned our family of three would be a family of four. Here we are a year later with an even more perfect addition than I could have imagined!

Brady and Presley looked so cute in there Halloween shirts!!!

The forecast said sunny and 66 degrees. It was not hardly 66 degrees and the sun was no where to be found. It was much cooler than we expected. The sun finally peaked out about the time to leave.

Even though it was chilly, we still had a great time. We could have stayed a lot longer, but it closes at 1:30 through the week. It was fine, because it was nap time. We didn't get a chance to go on the hayride or go through the corn maze, maybe next year.

 

 

 

 

 

I am trying to do better about being in pictures.  I am way to critical of pictures of myself. I would much rather see the pics of the kids and Caleb. However, I want my children to be confident with themselves and I think that starts with me being confident with myself. It would just break my heart if I heard one of my children criticize themselves. I think they look just perfect just the way they are. I like to think that this is they way God thinks about us; his heart is breaking each time I criticize the being he created.

 

 

I also want to remember that I was also there. They will know Caleb was there, because he is in every picture. They need to know I was there also. :) That I loved, played, laughed, and experienced life with them. I wasn't just confined behind the camera.

 

 

 

 

We had such a good time! Brady is so much fun. Presley just took it all in and was so so so good. Caleb is fun, great dad and husband.

Sometimes we have days where I just feel so blessed. The blessings all come crashing down on me and I am left overwhelmed with thanks. It is funny how something as simple as a trip to the farm can do that!

 

Happy October Friends! :)

Fall.

Fall is in full force here at our house.

The trees are changing, the weather is cooler, and our calenders are full. We enjoyed a busy, fall weekend this past weekend. I like busy, especially fun, stress-free busy.

I also like fall. I try to appreciate each season for its uniqueness. I can honestly say I don't have a favorite, but love certain things about each one.

In the fall, I love the decor, the pumpkins, the cookouts, bonfires, roasted marshmallows, sweatshirts, blankets, the leaves changing, the togetherness, the warm days, and cool nights.

Friday afternoon, Caleb and I loaded Brady up and headed to the pumpkin patch. This was my first pumpkin patch experience. Sad. I know. Especially since this is such a unique experience to fall.

 We all three had a blast. Brady LOVED the animals. He was not afraid at all.

We could have stayed a lot longer. There was so much to do.

We were pleasantly surprised that it was not that crowded. Brady got to ride the train twice back to back.

After we left the patch, we headed to a kid devotional with our church. This month it was a weenie roast and hayride. The kids had a blast.

You can't really tell from this picture, but I promise they did.

As soon as Caleb and I got in the car, we both said how much fun the kid devo's are. The kids are hilarious and they play so well together. It gives the parents an opportunity to talk and visit without having to entertain kids. It is also so fun and exciting to see them learning and growing.

Saturday night, we enjoyed a wonderful meal with Caleb's parents and brother and SIL. Everything was so so so good. She had really worked hard. We spent the rest of the night watching football. We are each blessed with wonderful parents. They are all four too good to us and Brady.

We have several more fall fun activities coming soon.

Fall, Family, Football, and Fun

That pretty much sums up my day with my boys.  Labor Day weekend is when I try to pull out all my fall decorations. With the weather a good 20 degrees cooler today than it has been, it has turned into a perfect day to make things look/feel like fall here. I love so many things about fall, especially the decor and pumpkin spice scents!

Today officially kicks off football season. Caleb is a huge sports fan! That is probably an understatement. So, the sound of football has been filling our house today. Football is one sport I actually enjoy in person and on t.v. I typically only like TN teams, though.  I celebrated football season today with a Tennessee Vols Gigi's cupcake. So yummy! It might be quickly becoming my favorite part of football season. Ha!

The three of us also spent a little time at the park. Brady has so much fun at the park. I love seeing him run and play outside. He loves to climb and slide the most.  I am so thankful that Caleb is willing and able to go play with us. He is a great dad!

 I love Saturdays! Happy Saturday!