November Happenings

I am SO behind on posting, and I didn't take very many pictures during the month of November, not even at Thanksgiving! These few pics are from Thanksgiving at my aunt and uncle's house. The Bean loves playing with her cousin Shyla, and this year we have a new little cousin, Annie. She was the sweetest little baby, and I never heard a peep out of her! The kids had fun playing in my aunt and uncle's big back yard, and Shyla keeps some toys there, so the girls played dress up too. Of course the food was delish...I am not very strict about what the kids eat at such family gatherings, as there are always desserts and snacks within their reach. And other family members willing to give them what they want anyway...right, Mom?? :) It's a losing battle. But I think Bubs had about 4 brownies on Thanksgiving and not much more. Oh well!

Also, on the big news front for November, we found out we are expecting our third child! We didn't tell our kids until right before Christmas so that I could get in one more doctor's appt to make sure we heard the heartbeat and everything looked ok. The heartbeat was 162, and the doc said he felt like everything was going well! I am almost 11 1/2 weeks today. I'm thinking girl, but we'll find out in a couple of months. We are thrilled! And the Bean could not be more excited! She is somewhat of a reserved gal, not usually wanting to talk to unfamiliar people, but she told all of our neighbors when we were passing out Christmas gifts.

The Bean also had her K4 Thanksgiving party, but I only brought my phone...anybody know how to download photos from a Samsung Fascinate smartphone? I will update this post if I can figure it out. They made cute little Indian shirts and necklaces and hats.

Hope you all had a Happy November!

October goings-on

Wow - I am so far behind in posting stuff. I've gotten a new smart phone so I can check email and get on the internet on my phone,which makes getting on my dinosaur of a computer very unappealing! So...here's what we had going on in October!

For Halloween, we were staying at my parent's house for the weekend, so we went trick-or-treating in my brother's neighborhood. I think every kid in the town was there! The streets were packed! They even had a flatbed truck driving kids around to trick-or-treat. The kids had a blast trick-or-treating with their cousins, and brought in quite a haul!

Lexie and Marianna were "dressing up" by wearing funny hats, so they made me wear the Fedora. Marianna thinks I was pulling it off and should incorporate it into my regular wardrobe.

This is Fireman Bubs and his friend Cy. For those of my high school friends who read this blog, this is Lexie Y's son. He's 6 months older than Bubs. Cy was a spider, and his grandma Brenda made this outfit...it was pretty cute and original!

The Bean, a.k.a. Sleeping Beauty, and Evan as Spiderman.

My sister-in-law Marianna, and their daughter Sarah Grace, who was the cutest little flower ever!

Bubs was excited about being a fireman. I was excited that we borrowed his entire outfit from Evan and had to buy nothing!

The chicas

Bubs caught on to trick-or-treating really quickly and was all about it.

Bubs never complained about walking even though we were out for an hour and a half...Princess Bean's heels starting hurting halfway through (I'd thought ahead and brought her Crocs.), so she and Spiderman Evan took turns riding in the stroller while Bubs walked and Sarah Grace walked or was held.

The Bean's K4 class went to the pumpkin patch on a field trip. To say she had a good time would be an understatement. It was a very fun pumpkin patch complete with scenic hike, cookie break to refuel in the middle of said hike, hayride, hotdog lunch, petting zoo, tee-pee storytime, and more. And we got a free pumpkin...very fun!

The Bean's first time to ride a bus...

The Bean's BFF Lynley...

Mrs. Thompson's "F.R.O.G.'s" - that's their class theme...Fully Rely On God

On the hayride

Eating a hotdog that was roasted on the campfire...we roasted marshmallows too!

The Bean's crew - Grey and Lynley, her BFF's. She talks about them all the time!

Bubs First Day of "School"

I like it when Bubs look like a sweet little baby (like in this pic...this is what the kids wore for recent family pics), but more and more I am starting to dress him in polos and jeans. Sigh. It has to happen sometime!

Bubs and his "teachoos"...as he says

Oops...here it is mid-way through October almost, and I forgot to post Bubs first day of school pic! Well, here ya go! He likes his class, although he doesn't really have any "friends" (i.e. my friends kids that we hang out with!) in there this year. After about the second or third week, he told me "No paint, Mama. I no paint class. I play owside." In other words, he wasn't a big fan of craft time...he preferred the playground! But I think he is coming around b/c he is gets excited and proud of himself now when he shows me his crafts from class. Also, he has started having Sunday School lessons in the nursery at church since he's a big 2 years old now, and he's really listening! I asked him a couple of Sundays ago what his lesson was on, and he said "Jesus...big boat...rain and rain and rain and rain." And after looking at his take home paper, his lesson was on Noah and the Ark! He still thinks Jesus drives the big boat, and the Bean corrects him every time..."No Bubs!! Noah drives the big boat! Not Jesus!" And Bubs will usually reply..."No Jesus!!" Funny how kids can argue about Jesus. Anyway, little Bubbers is growing up fast, talking in whole sentences, and getting so tall! He is also starting to show a lot of interest in the potty. Sigh. I guess I will need to start on potty training soon!

First Day of School

I can't believe the Bean is in K4 this year! She barely makes the cut-off , so she was actually 3 when she started! She is just going two days a week, so it's been a great way to transition her (uhh, or me) from Mother's Day Out to going every day next year. Her teacher's name is Mrs. Thompson, and it would be an understatement to say that the Bean loves school. They have music and PE each day (what??? for K4??? isn't that wild?), and library time too. They memorize Bible verses each week and get to pick something from the Treasure Box at the end of the month if they know their verses. They go to the playground and do crafts each day as well. She also got a sassy new haircut for school. :) Like Snow White again. I think she'd live with Mrs. Thompson if she could, but I am glad she likes school. Bubs is sad when we drop her off, and says "Play Bean (insert real name, of course), Play Bean" over and over. Can't believe I have a kid officially in elementary school!

Summer Part 2

I spruced up our entryway with a few thrift store finds and bargains.

We had a friend's b'day party/playdate for the Bean, princess-style, of course.

We played games.

We decorated crowns and cupcakes (not at the same time...glue and icing don't mix).

The crew

The Bean changed clothes several times. Here she is as Belle.

Here she is with her friend from "From the Shore to the City."

As Belle again with a friend from Green Eggs in the 'Ham.

More friends...Snow White this time.

She started off as Cinderella.

We had a family birthday party for the Bean & Grandpaw (both August b'days) at Mimi's house. Mimi graciously provided cute cupcake toppers, princess plates and napkins, baked the cupcakes, and made chocolate castle-shaped suckers. Do you think the Bean was in heaven?

The Bean helped ice some of the cupcakes and picked out the icing colors.

We went to my niece's baptism.

We've only lived here over a year, but I finally got around to decorating the bookshelves in our kitchen w/ some help (ok, a lot of help) from my friend. Most of the stuff came from thrift stores or the Hob Lob. :)

Where do I begin??? (Summer Part 1)

Made some roman shades for my Mom's guest room...

"Re-did" my powder room mirror with a little Rub-n-Buff...

After: oil-rubbed bronze

Before: pewter

The Bean had a rite-of-passage and cut a chunk out of her hair one day.

The Bean learned to go underwater and hold her breath. She loves it! She is on her way to learning how to swim!

We went to the beach in July and had a great time. However, we did wreck our new-to-us minivan of only 2 months while on vacation. About 6-ish weeks later, we got a new minivan. (We did have a rental for about 4 of those weeks.) Craziness!

A trip to the Falls

I'm a little behind on blogging...this trip to Noccalula Falls happened in June. The Falls has a mini-zoo, including a petting zoo. It also has a playground, train, trails, and lots of pretty scenery. The highlight of the trip for Bubs was definitely the train. It's been almost 2 months since we went, and EVERY DAY Bubs and I have the following conversation:

Bubs: "Choo-choo...Grandpaw."

Me: "Grandpaw took you on the choo-choo?"

Bubs: "Two!"

Me: "You rode the train two times?!?"

Bubs: "Uh-huh!! Yeah!"

The kids also enjoyed petting the rabbits and chasing the ducks. Fun times!