My 3 little pumpkins

Every year since Bailey has been born we try to decorate a pumpkin for her. Normally, Bry ends up doing most of it because of the whole knife safety issue. So last year we used markers and drew faces on our pumpkins.

Well, this year I found some really cute alternatives to pumpkin carving and because you aren't cutting into them they last a lot longer and stink a lot less. The major plus though was that the kids really got to participate in making their own jack-o-lantern. They were so excited!! And they turned out really cute. Bay wanted me to show them off on my blog so here they are, my 3 little pumpkins and their jack-o-lanterns. :) Enjoy!

Bend it like Brando!

Yesterday I had the privilege of watching my nephew, Brandon aka Brando, play soccer. This is his first year to play and he is so excited about it. I have been hearing about what a good job he is doing so I was very happy that I was able to go watch. Before the game I asked him if he would score a goal for me and he said "Mmm... Yeah. I think I'll score four. " :) Well, sure enough, he kept his word! The kid is hilarious and apparently he is also talented. I had so much fun watching him run around the field and give us thumbs up whenever he did something he thought was awesome. :) I am so proud of this little guy!! Way to go Brando!!

I got all four goals on video if you would like to see a future soccer star in the making...

(Oh, and keep scrolling for a little bit of cuteness involving Cameron and Carson.)

Goal #1

Goal #2

Goal #3

Goal #4

I had to show off some extremely adorable pics I got of the fat boys in their Halloween costumes. They are just too adorable for words!! I always say "I could just eat them up!" but in these costumes it really was hard not to do just that!

Over the Hill

Well, it's hard to believe but I am actually married to a 40 year old! 40! Fourty!! Forty?!?! Wow! That is insane! That is older than either of my parents age when I got married!!

Well, in all honesty it really doesn't seem that old to me anymore. But I do remember a time, not that long ago, when I thought of people who were 40 as grandparents. My Grandmother was a grandmother when she was 40. Of course, the fact that she started having kids in her mid-teens contributed to that fact, but still.

O.k., I'm getting off track. I intended to get on here really quick and talk about my wonderful hubby and tell him Happy Birthday but it just hit me... 40! :)

Anyway, Happy Birthday Babe.

You may be officially "over the hill" but you are still the man who makes my heart skip a beat. (Granted that's with your driving skills, but still...)

You are still the man who brings a smile to my face.

(Usually when you do something goofy like tripping over a toy on the floor.)

The man who is my hero.

(No one can tame a toilet with a plunger like you.)

The man who is so considerate of me.

(Courtesy flushes, exhaust fan and lighting a match! So thoughtful!)

Still the man who I want to go to sleep next to at night and wake up with in the morning.

(No really, I mean that one just like it sounds.)

Happy Birthday Babe. You may be and old man. But you are MY old man!! :)

I would also like to send Happy Birthday thoughts to my beautiful, talented, sweet, precious friend Liz! I hope all of your wishes come true!!

And to my "adopted" father-in-law Pops! Happy, Happy Birthday to you!!

Fall Break

The day after Bry's big party we packed up and went to Nashville for Fall break. Bailey rode with Gabby and we met up once we got to Nashville so that Bay and Haley could get in our car. Haley spent the first night of our vacation with us. Bay LOVED that.

Anyway, the first night we went to the Rainforest Cafe. The kids loved the fish and all of the animals at the restaurant. I thought they might get scared when the "thunder" started but they did great.

The next day we went to the Adventure Science Museum. We've been there before but the babies were really small so it was a totally new experience for them. Bay loved it just as much as the first time we went. It is probably the best Children's museum that we've been to. After that we went to the Opry Mills mall and shopped for a while and ate way too much! We love that mall. The kids rode the carousel several times and we watched the stingrays at the Aquarium. Gabby invited us over for dinner that night. It was fun getting to hang out with her and her fam. We don't get to do that enough! Bay was sad to say goodbye to Haley so Bry took her swimming when we got back to the hotel. We went swimming every night we were there but that night it was just her and Daddy (which she loved!)

(Luke and Haley playing wheelchair basketball at the science museum.)

(Presley playing the giant piano.)

(Luke loved the huge slide. So did I.)

(Haley being silly at the dinosaur exhibit.)

(Bay at the Space exhibit. She got to see what it was like to be weightless like an astronaut.)

The next day we took a lunch cruise on the General Jackson Riverboat. We had seats right in front of the stage. First they served us a yummy lunch and delicious dessert and then we got to watch a performance by the Peking Acrobats. They were awesome. The kids were in awe of the whole show! We spent the rest of the afternoon shopping and swimming and yes, eating!

(Beautiful Bay on the General Jackson.)

(Me and my sweet Luke on the outer deck waiting for lunch to start.)

(Bry and his girls.)

(The Peking Acrobats. They were so awesome!)
It was a really great trip. Actually quite calm for us. Well, unless you count when Presley got her big head stuck in the gate around the carousel at the mall...

Happy Birthday Mom!!

I didn't get a chance to blog yesterday so I'm a little late in posting in honor of my Mom's 53rd birthday. As usual she started her birthday helping someone else. I needed to be at Bay's school at 7:45 yesterday and Mom insisted that she come over and watch the babies for me while I went. I hated doing that since it was her birthday but she wouldn't hear of me calling anyone else.

That is just how she is. She rarely thinks of herself and will go out of her way to help anyone, especially her kids. The only times I remember her ever doing anything "selfish" are the times when we have forced her by buying her a gift certificate to a spa or sending her on vacations. Otherwise, she probably would never do things like that.

Anyway, the kids and I ran to the store the night before and got her some flowers, balloons and a cake and made her a bday banner so when she came in we could surprise her. She was so excited when she saw all of it! She says that I always make people feel special on their birthdays but she doesn't realize that I learned it from her! For as long as I can remember she has taken the day off on our birthday and she would come check us out of school and take us to do something fun. She did whatever she could to make such a big deal out of our birthdays. I have always loved that and I wanted to do the same for my kids.

Anyway, I just wanted to say Happy, Happy Birthday Mommy! And to say a few thank yous for some of the things that you've taught me and done for me...

Thanks for teaching me to find and hold on to the joy in life.

For teaching me to laugh at myself (and others), :)

For showing me that there is always a silver lining.

For reminding me that people are SO much more important than possessions.

That a smile can make someones day.

Thanks for being such a goofball so that I have someone to laugh at and make fun of. :)

Thanks for loving my babies so much and being such a good Grammy to them.

Thanks for loving my hubby like he is your own son and not always taking my side. :)

Thanks for teaching me your only as old as you feel.

Thanks for being my mom.

I am so grateful that God blessed this earth with you 53 years ago. I can't and don't want to imagine a world without your smiling face lighting it up everyday!! I love you!!

Totally Rad Birthday Surprise!!

Well, I can't believe it but we actually pulled of an awesome surprise party for Bryan's 40Th birthday! The theme was totally 80's so of course we had to have it at a skating rink. Everyone came dressed in their 80's best and let me tell you it was a sight to see. I was really impressed by everyone's creative costumes. We posted 80's slang all over the walls, had a PAC-man cake, played 80's movies and all 80's music.

Bryan thought he was attending a Sunday School reunion party. And since it was so close to Halloween we just decided to make it a costume party. He had NO IDEA! I am very impressed by all of our friends and family and their ability to keep a secret. Thank you so much to everyone who came and helped out! We are so blessed with such wonderful friends and family! Bryan said that when he realized that he'd been tricked that he actually tasted metal b/c his adrenaline picked up so fast! I guess we need to be more careful about surprising the old man. :)

It was such a fun time! I think we may have to make it an annual thing! What do you think guys?? Are you up for a yearly 80's party?? After seeing how much you all enjoyed dressing up and skating, I would think so!

Enjoy the totally wicked pics of our gnarly group of friends and fam!!

Just another bath...

I was giving my kids a bath tonight when a thought struck me. This is probably one of the last times that I will be giving all 3 of them a bath at the same time. Bailey usually takes showers now. She is getting to that age where she needs my help less and less. Every once in a while she will hop in the tub with the babies just for fun, but it is rare.

I remember giving Bailey her first bath like it was yesterday. We were so excited and nervous! She was so tiny and helpless and we weren't really sure if we were doing everything right. I don't know if it was because she was cold or what but she screamed when we put her in that water. From that day on one of us always got in with her until she was ready to get in on her own. After we started that she LOVED bath time!! She just needed to feel Mommy or Daddy close to make her more secure. And once she knew we were going to be there if she needed us, she was able to go it alone.

It won't be long before the rest of her life will be like that. We will spend all of these years teaching her, comforting her, guiding and loving her and then one day she will feel secure enough to go it alone. And she will know that we will always be here if she needs us.

I just wonder who is going to comfort us when that time comes!

Funny how a routine bath can send your mind in such a direction.