2nd annual adults only halloween party

Yesterday we hosted our second annual adults only Halloween party.  I love dressing up in a costume so we always have to create a good excuse to do it.  The there this year was musical duos.  We were Jessica Simpson (the mom jeans picture fiasco) and Nick Lachey (circa 1999-2000ish in the 98 Degrees boy band era).  Here I am finishing up Adam's costume - drawing on his custom 98 Degrees tattoos...

And that is a chicken of the sea can around my neck.

Ohhh the mom jeans - I bought and am going to return an awesome pair of mom jeans from Marshalls - fabulous back sequined pockets.  Mom jeans really do alter your shape - stay away!

 My prayer triad!  Carrie is pimping us out in the picture.  Carrie and Tyler were the Blues Brothers - I voted for Carrie for best costume because of her commitment to this outfit!  I love it!  Mary and Dave were Miley and Billy Ray Cyrus.  

I love that my friends (and several others not pictured here but also with awesome costumes) are brave and bold and fun enough to dress up!  Can't wait for next year!  We are already contemplating themes...

pre Halloween week

This week has been a beautiful week weather wise - I love it.  We have spent a ton of time outside.  Some on the porch... 

I love how Andrew is watching Caleigh in this picture - he is always watching what she does.

Thursday (the 28th) was Caleigh's Halloween party day at her school.  She had a fun time and came back with some cute pumpkin face paint.

 We carved our pumpkin this week too!  The kids enjoyed it after getting over the initial shock of the sliminess (mostly just Caleigh was shocked by this).  Andrew looks so interested...

 Leaving the dirty work to the boys (just briefly)...

on the way to school

On the way to school this morning we stopped to get flowers for one of her teachers Ms. Beverly, whose mother-in-law went to be with the Lord last week.

Caleigh just before we walked in to get the flowers (drinking out of my water bottle):
C: "Oh Mommy, that's cold water."
me: "Oh brrrrr"
C: "No Mommy, it not make me brrrrr, it make me happy (with much inflection)."
"Cold water makes me happy!"

While trying to decide on flowers...
me: "Caleigh what color flowers should we get?"
C: "Brown ones Mama, they match my tights."

To her point they would have matched her tights, but somehow brown (dead) flowers for someone in mourning over the death of a loved one didn't seem to symbolize the right kind of sympathy.  So we went with yellow.

girls weekend! (1st of 2)

Last weekend we took a girls trip to Charleston and stayed at the Jackson family beach house.  Carrie, Mary, Lauren, and I went down on Friday afternoon and came back Sunday after church.  Somebody took this "artistic" picture with my camera - but this is what we did: we ate, we drank wine out of mugs, and we had several intense discussions regarding hot topics as if we were on "The View".  It was fun - heated at times - but fun.

 This was really funny.

 I gave Lauren and Carrie my camera on Saturday when we went shopping downtown and these are what I got - several action shots.  And Carrie is pointing in every one.

I am sad that I have no cute posed shots of all of us when we were dressed up to go out to dinner.  Oh well.  At least I have picture evidence that we went on this trip.  We really did have a great weekend!  After Halloween next week the Uptown women's retreat is the following weekend.  Lots of girl time!

pumpkin patch!

Yesterday we went to the pumpkin patch for our traditional pumpkin / fall festivities.  I LOVE traditions.  I think they are my love language.  Going this year to the same place and doing the same things helped me remember so well what it was like last year.  I love it.  I remember telling Adam last year, "Sometimes you have to pay for memories."  Because this place isn't free - not too expensive but not that cheap.  Anyways... we had a fun, special, family afternoon.  Caleigh was super excited.

Telling us about what we were going to do...

Andrew was pretty excited once he saw that their was an entire field covered in "balls" (ie pumpkins).

We tried to get a posed picture on the tractor.  Didn't work out too well.

Cute family picture.

Andrew treated the pumpkins like balls - picking them up, carrying them, and throwing them.  Seriously he is ALL boy.  And Caleigh is ALL girl.  I love it.  I love their differences and also seeing how much they love each other.  I love seeing how each of them are different than Adam and I are.  I love how God created us all so perfectly, so intricately, that none of us are completely alike and yet we are all made in His image for His glory.

A particularly heavy one...

The requisite posed pumpkin sibling shot...

Take 2 - Andrew always with that worried expression on his face...

Take 3...

Take 4 - with the arm around brother...

My spitting image...

And my sweet baby boy.

Seriously Mom, I am like 16 years old and way too cool for this type of public affection...

Hmmm... what is this? I better climb in it and check it out...

The did a GREAT job feeding the animals.  Neither of them were scared at all.  Andrew was awesome at holding the food and opening his hand at just the right time.

Feeding the goats...

And they got to pet the bunnies.  Andrew wasn't so fond of that.

Checking out the cows.  I love this picture.

And this one.

And this one...

I think my guys look so much alike too...

We really did have such a fun time.  My real love language is quality time so I love love love things like this where we are all together and it is fun.  I want to hold on to the time - I feel like it is just flying by.  I find myself often praying when we are all together as a family at sweet times, "Lord please help me to remember this."  I love our sweet little family.  What a blessing from our good God.

licking the beaters

I made pumpkin spice bars with cream cheese icing for supper club last Saturday and the kids throughly enjoyed the fruit of my labor.  Them licking the beaters from the cream cheese icing...

 On second though I probably should have let them do that pre-bath and pre-pajamas.

Yum!

Hopebuilders 5K

Two weekends ago, Adam and I "ran" our first 5K - the Hopebuilders 5K to support Levine Childrens Hospital.  We didn't actually run the whole way - but with how crowded it was were were pretty proud of our 39:07 finish.  Especially pushing 60-70 pounds of kids in the stroller.

 There were fun festivities afterwards - I was hoping Andrew would be a little more excited to meet Sir Purr, but I guess I can see how a GIANT black panther could be a little scary.

 And a quick pre-race picture with the Dirks.  (who were a little to fast for us on this race)

We had a great time though, got some great exercise, supported a great cause, and had some yummy bagels afterwards.  What a great Saturday morning!

Diana's baby shower

The first weekend in October we celebrated Diana's sweet peanut (their first of unknown gender!).  She is due on Christmas Day and just moved out to Memphis, TN.  We had so much fun celebrating her while she was in town.

Elizabeth, me, Kim, Diana, Susie, and Jessica.