That Time Again....

I can't believe that Halloween is already tomorrow. Where has the time gone?! Well, my "kiddos" decided, ok maybe I decided, that they were going to be pirates this year :) They ended up matching perfectly together, which is super important, and they looked sooooo cute. Let me show you :)

 

We went to our church's Fall Festival that night and the kids had soooo much fun. They all played games, sang some karaoke, had hotdogs, hung out with friends....it was just a really fun, and safe way to celebrate Halloween. Tonight, we are going to gut and carve our pumpkins. I have some really cute ideas, but of course, I will let the kids help too. Maybe :)

With Halloween almost over, it brings me to the scarey realization that we only have four paychecks until Christmas!! WHAT!?!?!!! Luckily, I have been picking up items here and there for several months now. I have been desperately trying to get solid answers from the kids on what they will ask for from Santa. This is always the stressful part of Christmas for me. We go see Santa half way through December and then I have to scrounge for the next two weeks finding what they asked for!!! Too much stress!!! Not this year....I made the kids make a list of what they want for Christmas and then made them rate their top 3 items. Then I told them to choose wisely because there will be NO changing their minds. Brilliant!!! Then I told them they needed to decide pretty quickly what they wanted to ask for from Santa. The girls are adamant that they want a LalaLoopsey....say that again!! What the crap is a LalaLoopsey??? So I did a little research on Amazon.com and found that they are dolls. Dolls? They can ask for anything, within reason, they want from Santa and my 9 and 8 year old decide on a doll? I questioned them a little and tried to convince them to choose something else, that they probably wouldn't even play with them...no. They weren't budging. So now I have to find the doll they want. See, you get to choose the doll you want. They come in different colors, different hair, each with a different pet....crap! There are TONS of LalaLoopsey dolls! Let me show you what they look like...

They are cute, but this is something I see my 3 year old asking for...Well, nevermind. If this is what they want, at least it doesn't cost a small fortune. Braxton says he wants Super Hero action figures from Santa. Cool! I can do Super Heros. Now Madison is a different story. She doesn't really play with toys and still a little young to grasp the complete idea of Santa. I ask her what she wants and she has a different answer every time, usually being stuff she already has. Any ideas of good toys for a 3 year old?? I will try to plant an idea in her head and see if she goes along with it...I'll keep you posted :)

In other news, my brother is turning 30 years old this month!!! Man! We are getting old!!! Let me see if I can find a picture of him....

She will probably kill me, but this is the best picture I have of them. Anyway, this is my brother, Paul and his wife, Hali. They are the ones that I talked about in an earlier post that just bought and moved into their first house. I can't wait to see it all unpacked and decorated when we have Thanksgiving over there this year :)

This time of year is always so hectic and crazy, but just make sure you take the time to enjoy every crazy second cause they will fly by before you know it.

Maxwell's Pumpkin Farm!!!

Love Love Love taking the kids to Maxwell's Pumpkin Farm. There is always so much to do and the kids absolutely LOVE it!! This year, our church made a day of it and we all trucked out there together. It made it that much more fun to get to it all with friends! The kids went down a zipline for the very first time...so, of course, I recorded it....

Not the best narrator, but that's real life right there. Even though they wrapped themselves around a pole, they had a blast and rode it several more times after that. They slid down a hill on potato sacks, jumped on a crazy bubble thing, played in the corn box, raced tiny tricycles, rode the cow train, had a hayride, went through an obstacle course and picked a pumpkin out of the pumpkin patch. And, of course, I got a picture of everything!!

This is such a great place to make fun memories with the kids. I am hoping this will turn into an annual tradition for our family. God is good, all the time....

Just Updating....

Kyle's first week of school has finally passed....Whewww! It hasn't been too bad for us, but I am already seeing signs of exhaustion in Kyle. Last night, he was trying to get some homework done after the kids went to bed and could not keep his eyes open. He would get up to get a drink or to check his Facebook, anything, just to stay awake. Eventually he gave up and fell asleep exactly where he was on the floor. He is also already starting to have a hard time knowing he will be unable to attend church on Wednesday nights. He will now only be able to attend church every fifth Sunday....that's it! The Fall Festival is coming up this Wednesday night and he realized he would have to miss it. But thought, never-mind, I will just go trick-or-treating instead....nope. Halloween is on Monday this year and he, again, will have school that night. He is just such a social kind of guy and is already feeling unplugged. I know he can do this...I know this is just temporary and our family will be blessed in the end, but I just worry for him. It just seems like the devil is trying extra, extra hard to grab a hold of him. One of Kyle's weaknesses is definitely his socialness, is that a word? Well it is now...his socialness, his NEED to be connected with people, specifically, people that he loves and cares about. The devil, obviously, knows this and is already putting doubt in his mind. Please continue to pray for him and the next time you see him, just drench him with love and encouragement. Thanks in advance...I love you all so much!!

In other news, my brother and sister-in-law have officially and completely moved into their new house!! Yayyy!! So proud of them!! And just have to say that I am looking forward to the holidays all the more this year :) I am passing the torch for, at least, the next three years...love you guys!! I am sad to say that I was unable to bring back with me any pictures of the move :( Why, do you ask? Because I forgot to grab my camera!!!! I am still kicking myself for that one....oh, well. Moving on....

I am happy, and proud, to report that today I am 98 days smoke free!! I cannot believe how long it has been and the truth is, I don't even crave it anymore! I am praising the Lord everyday because He is the only one that could have taken these cravings away. God is so good and I love him more and more each day. Also, I am 15 weeks coca cola sober...Yayyy for kicking addition!!!! So excited to feel free from these damaging rituals in my life. I am sad to report that I am now hooked on Sprite :( I feel an intervention might be needed. Ha ha ha!! But yayy anyway for achieving some huge goals in my life!!

Not that it isn't already, but things are fixing to get really hectic around here. The Fall Festival at church and Halloween are coming up. Then Our Sunday school class is having their annual Murder Mystery. This year their theme is Western....this should be interesting. I received our "roles" that we are playing this morning in class....I am Poker Alice....need I say more. You know I will post pics, but until then, I wish you another blessed week!!