Thanksgiving 2012

It was wonderful to have my parents, my brother and his fiance to our home for Thanksgiving.   We read a passage from William Bradford's journal recording the pilgrim's landing on Plymouth Rock, and we took turns saying what we are especially thankful for this year.  Casey said, "I'm thankful the wedding is only 80 days away."  :)  We're thankful for Sherrill, too!

Halloween

Kate decided to take a break from her long-time princess affinity and be a Rock Star for Halloween.  Jill, of course, wanted to go as whatever her sister wanted to go as...but I decided I couldn't handle a two-year-old Rock Star.  So, I used glittery wings to persuade her to be a fairy, or more specifically, the Tooth Fairy.

We had our small group over, plus other neighbors, friends and family, for pizza and trick or treating.  Twenty kids in all!

 The girls had a blast, but we are all now in a weird haze of tired + sugar buzz.

Here's some other pictures from recent days...

Jill's first attempt at scooping the goop out of a pumpkin.

 Kate's Kindergarten Fall Party.  Jill is right in there with the big kids!

  

Sweet Berry Farms Pumpkin Pics 2012

This weekend, while camping at Inks Lake State Park, we went to Sweet Berry Farms near Marble Falls.  We love taking pumpkin pictures at this place.  We went there last year, too.  There's something about pumpkin pictures that I just love!  Welcome, fall!

Pumpkin climbing...more challenging than it looks.

Striking a pose on the "Berry Bounce."

Jill quickly learned that goats' tongues are quite ticklish.

We enjoyed picking our own flowers and getting some very pretty pictures.

Kate's First Day of Kindergarten!

 We took our baby to kindergarten this morning.  My, how the time flies.

Summer 2012 Recap

Here's our summer in a nutshell:

Lots and LOTS of pool time

Kate's first jump off a diving board

 

Swimming with Cousin Hannah

Kate and Adelaide, BFF!

The occasional sweet treat. (Did I mention my kids are sugar junkies like their mama?)

Many play dates with our great friends and neighbors, the Jupes

   

Visiting the splash park

Jill's first hair cut

Replicating at home

Father's Day (The girls made Josh a pencil holder to take to work.)

Doing our part to Eat Mor Chikin!

Spending time in the country at Grandma and Grandpa's.

Grandma's old fashioned water fountain.

Riding the golf cart with Great Granny.

Enjoying the beauty of God's creation!

Relaxing on the Grands' back porch

Feeding Aunt Linda's chickens

Giving Cinnamon and Amber special treats

Beating the heat at the 3D IMAX.

And always being very silly at home.

Summer 2012 Beach Trip!

In July, we took a group vacation with two other families (the Carters and the Jupes) from our Bible study home group. We rented a beach house in Port Aransas and had a fantastic time enjoying the ocean and each other's company. The kids had a blast!  We also celebrated my birthday while there, and it was extra special to spend it with such wonderful friends.

Our beach beauties!

The kids enjoyed playing Rock Band at the beach house.

Birthday cupcakes, surrounded by sweeties!

Home base.  Surprising amount of stuff to haul...thankfully our house was just a short walk over the dunes.

Jill was a little nervous about the seaweed and the waves.  She was also concerned about the possible presence of alligators.  Once we assured her there were no alligators in the ocean, she seemed to warm up to the idea of getting in.  (And no, we did not share details on what does actually live in that water.)

Digging for shells with Cavin and Ella.

Surfing with Cav!

(L-R) Caleb, Silas, Jill, Kate, Seth, Cavin, Ella

Surfer girl! She loved boogie boarding!

Lots of sand castle building...and knocking down.

 

Great memories made with special friends!