Halloween Parties

 

All smiles after a sugar-high!

I spent the morning standing in line to vote early.  I know I will be glad I did come Election Day. I was able to go to both kids' parties at school this afternoon.  They were excited I was there!  The parties basically consist of eating and not much else.  Both kids wore their costumes at school this morning for trick-or-treating.  Katherine's class also decided to make it pajama day.  So, she was in her pajamas all day.  We made it home in plenty of time to get ready to trick-or-treat the neighborhood.

Pumpkin Carving

The kids would not cooperate with picture taking tonight.  We waited a little late to carve our pumpkin this year.  Luke cleaned most of the "guts" out by himself.  Katherine helped, too.  I got the job of the actual carving.  I don't know if it was the pumpkin or my knife, but it was hard to cut!  The kids lost interest pretty quick.  Since we didn't have muck luck, we just did one.  The kids didn't seem to mind.

Ninety Seven Years Young

Captain America!

Katherine liked her pumpkin ears

Jon helped work the Halloween puzzle

Birthday Girl!

This is the face I got when I cut her off after one cupcake!

We celebrated Kitty's 97th birthday today!  She is still loving the assisted living facility.  We think her hearing is getting worse so conversation over the dinner table was quite funny!  The kids dressed in their Halloween costumes and we stopped to see Memaw on the way.  Jim and Claudia were sick with colds so they weren't able to join us today. It was fun celebrating Kitty!  One of the funniest things is the fact that she keeps telling everyone she is 100!

Brrr......

Katherine likes watching Luke play

A cold day for soccer

We are definitely getting a taste of Winter in Tennessee right now.  The lows have been in the 30's at night.  We all bundled up for Luke's soccer game.  His team won again!  Luke continues to improve every week.  He is not as shy about going after the ball.  We still don't think he really  understands what is going on most of the time!  Luke picked McDonald's for lunch.  Nonna came with us.  The rest of the day was low-key with football watching and normal weekend chores.

Packing It In

Paul and I never get our picture made...

One last snuggle before goodbye

LOVE Cheekwood this time of year!

The kids loved this one -- Llama Llama Scarecrow Mama!

I can't tell you how many times we tried (and failed) to get this picture

Beanbag toss -- harvest edition

Today was fun and hectic.  We wouldn't have had it any other way.  We went to Mom's to for breakfast to see Andrew and Mandi before they left.  The kids love having them here.  So glad that Thanksgiving is just around the corner and they will be back for a longer visit!

We went to church after breakfast then ran by the house to get the stroller.  We decided to go to Cheekwood.  It was a gorgeous day here!  It actually was warmer than I thought so we were all pretty hot walking around.  It is always a great time when we go to Cheekwood.  There is lots going on there right now -- we saw a mini version of the Trains! exhibit as well as one of the Treehouses.  The main attraction were all the scarecrows.  We have been the past several years and it just seems to get better and better!  The kids loved looking at all of them, but were more interested in the trains.  I bet we stood there 30 minutes!  They would run back and forth chasing the trains.  We had to pry them away with the promise of a treehouse and pumpkin patch.  This is the first year they have had a pumpkin patch.  We didn't buy any pumpkins, but the kids had fun playing the games and looking around.  I ran into an old friend from college and his family that happen to be friends with some people that live in our neighborhood -- small world!

Both kids fell asleep when we got in the car. We took our time getting home so we could maximize their rest time.  Paul and I painted our hallways tonight.  After five years of fingerprints and smudges it was time for an update.  There was a gallon of paint that the previous owner left so we just had it shaken at the store and it was good to go.  While he and I did that the kids watched a show and played together.  I love that the halls look so clean and fresh, but now the trim work looks dingy...it is always something! Cheers to an excellent weekend!

All in the Family

We were still smiles after the game...

Me and Mom before the game

Morning came early around here -- kickoff for the game was 11:21.  Paul was on kid patrol while I enjoyed the game.  We left Mom's around 9:30 and got to campus in time to stop by the Reynolds' tailgate.  I hate that I did not get a picture of Virginia and me.  Oh well....Andrew and Mandi were able to see some of their friends, too.  I had zero expectations going into the game which turned out to be a good thing.  Auburn is awful this year -- I could barely watch some of the time.  After the game, Mom kept saying "at least we got to enjoy some time together".  That is one way to look at it.  It was nice to see some people we have not seen in a long time and I must admit it was nice to be back at a college football game.  The weather was perfect, cool, brisk with beautiful blue skies and wonderful fall foliage all around!  It is my favorite time of year

I got home around 4.  We spent the rest of the night at home watching football and relaxing. The kids and Paul had fun.  They met Bill and Paula for breakfast.  Katherine went home with them while Paul and Luke played at the park.  They all met back for Luke's soccer game.  Paul said Luke played good and actually got some good kicks in, but no goal.  His team remains undefeated!

Garage Sale Success!

Katherine and I soaked our tired feet!

"Smushing the boxes"

I took the day off to help Mom with a garage sale.  Three communities in her area where all having sales this weekend.  A lot of stuff made it to Mom's new place that she no longer needs so we had high hopes of getting rid of a lot of stuff.  It was c-o-l-d today!  We were pleasantly surprised at how busy we were -- we really were not able to sit down all day.  We joked and said we had planned to catch up on our magazines and plan the holidays today.  But, we were so glad that it was the opposite.  Mom did really well and was able to declutter a lot in her garage.  I did not take much to sell -- but I sold everything except some dining chairs.  The day flew by and before we knew it I needed to get the kids picked up.  When we got back they wanted to help pack up stuff.  Mom broke down a lot of boxes for recycling.  The kids took turns getting in the bin to "smush" the boxes.

Paul stopped and picked up bbq for supper.  About the time we finished eating Andrew and Mandi got here!  They are in town this weekend for the Auburn/Vanderbilt game.  We had a fun night together, but Mom and I were worn out!

Halloween Preview

Katherine tried Luke's mask on

Luke was so excited that Paul found a "muscle man" Captain America costume and shield today.  He had to try it on tonight after soccer practice.  Katherine was jealous and wanted to wear it, too.  The costume is too big for Luke, much less Katherine.  She was satisfied with just the mask.

Just Me and Mommy

Lovin' our time together

I made him wait until after supper to put his new Lego together

Luke has been looking forward to this day for weeks now.  We both had dentist appointments this morning and we planned a date after that.  Unfortunately, Luke has a little cavity that needs to be filled.  In a way I was shocked, but in another way not.  He brushes his teeth, but not as often or good as he should (obviously).  So, we go back in a few weeks to get that taken care of.  Dr. Barkley said to "lay off the sweets and floss and brush everyday".

After that we had some errands to run before we could go where Luke wanted -- Opry Mills.  Of course, he wanted to go to the Lego store and pick something out.  He chose to go there first before lunch.  He looked around for 20 minutes or so and could not make up his mind!  We were so glad when Paul joined us for lunch!  Luke wanted to eat at Johnny Rocket's.  It was good and quick.  I drug him to a few of my stores before we made the loop back to the Lego store.  He finally settled on a large dump truck. I told him this was his last Lego set until Christmas.  He seemed ok with that.  Since we were so close, I ran over to Bates to get some more pansies for the landscaping.  We also made a few stops to look for Captain America's shield -- this is what Luke wants to be for Halloween.  Not really sure where this came from as he is not in to Super Heroes at all and has never seen the Avengers or any other super hero movie or cartoon.  But, whatever the costume itself was a lot easier to find than say a Lego, which is something he mentioned a while back. We did not find the shield so we are going to let Paul scour the stores on the west side of town.

By the time we did all that it was time to pick Katherine up.  She never even realized Luke had not been at school all day.  Her day out with Mommy will come soon enough!  I had such a fun day spending time with my little fella.  He amazes me all the time at what he  knows and what a critical thinker he is!  Love him!

Hayride 2012!

The kids had a blast!

Not sure what this face is -- at least Conner cooperated!

Katherine kept sneaking the snack mix!

My sweet girl

Paula and Martin

Apparently Baylor and I are solving the world's problems.

This cracks me up -- the girls with a whole bag of chips!

We had the perfect day for the hayride! The weather was great.  We worked in the yard this morning before we got ready to go to the farm around noon.  We had planned on Mom watching Katherine this afternoon while we went to get everything set up, but she was having no part of that.  She was having no part of that.  She was ready to see BopNene!  It has been a couple of weeks since we have been up there and with Paula's recent eye surgery she was supposed to be low-key this past week.  It is hard to be low-key with two crazy kids running around!

We had a great turnout this year -- over 30 people were there.  We had some first timers again this year which is always fun.  Since the soy beans have not been harvested yet the hayride was actually on the road this year.  Paul took a back road to keep out of traffic.  I actually liked it better - not near as bumpy!  The kids had fun pointing out the cows and horses.  The chili and s'mores were good as usual!  Luke and Conner were a little rambunctious, but that was to be expected.  The boys were far outnumbered this year.  Luke, Conner and Brady were the only boys!  Well, baby Henry but he is not old enough to be stirring up trouble yet.  Paul and I said if we had thought about it we should have planned to camp tonight because it was so nice.  That is on our list to do before it gets too cold.  We think Luke would love it!  It has been a long time since I have camped but know I would enjoy it, too.  We have even talked about renting a little pop up camper one weekend.

All in all, it was a great day and night for everyone!

Peek-A-Boo

I see you!

Luke had soccer again tonight.I took him while Paul and Katherine stayed home to get things packed up for the hayride on Saturday.  The practice went pretty good.  Connor's Mom and I basically talked the whole time.  We are in the beginning stages of trying to decide where to send Luke for Kindergarten next year.  We went to an Open House at Davidson Academy on Tuesday which is where I went.  They offer a very appealing Alumni discount.  We want to visit the county magnet school as well as our neighborhood public school to see what we think about them.  The magnet school is virtually impossible to get in to.  Even if you test in academically you are entered in to a lottery and there are usually less than 30 spots available for Kindergarten.  We shall see...

A Fun Day!

Looking for the perfect pumpkin!

Luke wanted his picture made in the straw

Today was a fun day Wednesday!  I had my annual optometrist appointment.  I have had some crazy bad luck with my contacts lately so I was glad to be going!  Mom took a half day off this afternoon so I picked her up at noon.  We were on a mission to get the kids some new clothes!  The cooler weather caught me empty-handed when it came to the kids' wardrobes. They each have new dress shoes, and the few things I picked up at consignment but that was it.  I dressed Katherine in too-short pants this morning and Luke had on some church pants.

Mom and I went to Opry Mill for lunch and hopping.  I told her it was the first time we had been shopping together in forever -- she said probably since I was in High School.  Mom is not much of a shopper. We were able to find the kids most of what was on my list in a couple of hours.  I can pick up the rest of what they need at Target or Kohl's.  We went to pick the kids up from school and stopped at a little pumpkin stand to get the kids some pumpkins. They had fun looking at all of them.  There was lots to entertain them there.

Hello, Weekend!

So excited Gigi came!

Nonna was there to cheer Luke on, too!

A post-game lunch at Chik-fil-a has become our routine

I was so glad the weekend was finally here!  I was exhausted last night so we ate a quick bite at the local Mexican restaurant and had  a low-key night.  This morning we got up and got to work on the landscaping.  We really got a lot done.  I transplanted a lot of perennials and thinned out some more that I have been wanting to do for the past couple of seasons.  We (Paul) got all the shrubs planted. It was very chilly here this morning so we all bundled up good.  The kids were great to just entertain themselves or help us pull weeds and haul off debris.  Paul also started trimming the existing bushes.  We got a call mid-morning that Paula was having unexpected surgery for a retina tear.  Not exactly what we were hoping for.  The doctors felt like it could not wait until Monday so we are hopeful the recovery process will be manageable considering she just had another round of chemo last week.

We went to Luke's game at noon and were glad to have Gigi and Nonna there with us.  It was an intense game.  His team really has not been challenged thus far and today's team actually scored some goals.  We were all yelling and bouncing up and down.  Poor Luke was so close to scoring a goal, but he kicked it toward the opposing team's goal!!  Oh well, he still had fun.  He asked that Nonna and Gigi come to lunch with us.  They happily agreed!  Today was the first day Katherine called Virginia "Gigi".  So sweet!

Tonight -- Luke asked when he could go spend the night with Gigi.  Paul said Gigi stayed up too late for him to spend the night with her and there was no way she could go to bed before 9 o'clock.  She is a night owl!  Katherine then proceeded to get her phone and have a full-on conversation with Gigi. It was so cute to see her having a pretend conversation -- she told her who all was here and what we were all doing.  We spent most of the night relaxing and watching football.