In Search of the Great Pumpkin.....

Today, was our outing to the pumpkin patch. The weather was beautiful, a little warmer than one would want for a fall day, but otherwise it was a great day to go hang out with the pumpkins! Although the morning did not look as if it was going to fare very well, as upon our arrival at the pumpkin patch, and upon debarkation from my vehicle, I promptly ( and obviously unbeknownst to me) stuck my flip flop wearing feet into a very angry ant hill! Too bad there is no video to commemerate the next moments of waving, shaking, slapping, and throwing of shoes to get rid of those awful pests! So to begin our day, I was itching like mad, almost in tears, and seriously considering getting in my car and driving back the 5 miles to nearest CVS for some Benadryl. Thankfully the kind organizers of the pumpkin patch had some Benadryl spray that I was able to borrow. Note to myself- due to Jack's bee sting a few weeks ago, and now my run in with the ants, we may want to just travel with Benadryl in our possession! The rest of the day turned out great as you can see from the pics ( however those were a feat unto themselves. It is very nearly impossible to get two children to smile and stay posed at the same time for longer than say, 3 seconds!) Rylie and Jack both had a blast in the bounce houses ( great improvements for Rylie in this category- she is getting so grown up!) We also enjoyed a fun hayride and picnic lunch with a group of our friends from church. There was even a maze made out of hay bales that Rylie and her friend Jacob were able to lead Jack through. Jack really thought the smaller pumpkins were large balls put there for him to practice his throwing skills, so I think some of their pumpkins may be a little mushier and most definitely bruised after our visit! As we were leaving Rylie picked out some baby pumpkins for our souvenirs to take home and decorate our front porch steps with. Today was a wonderful way to spend a fall afternoon!

There's No Place Like the State Fair of Texas

It's that time of year again in North Texas, time for the State Fair. I love the Fair. The exhibits-who can resist a sculpture made entirely out of butter, or a giant sandcastle depiction of the Dallas skyline, or sitting in all the latest models of cars, that we will never in a million years actually own. ( The most comical thing was to watch all of the people,including ourselves go gaga over the newest model mini van- we have so gone down a level on the coolness scale.)Then there are the animals-for instance, there is Boris, the gigantic pig who seriously weighs 5,000 lbs or something crazy like that. There is something grossly intriguing about an animal of that magnitude. Of course there is also the petting zoo, where you can get your hat stolen by an ostrich, spend a fortune of animal food, which mostly gets spilled on the ground by your four year old, and hope your other child doesn't climb into the pen with the billy goats. Oh, and where else on earth can you possibly call it a day, only after you have had the chance to catch a show entitled " Dancing with The Dogs" I am so not even kidding. This is an actual new dog sport called "freestyling with your dog"( Mom- you and Jonah- so should get started on that!) Let's just say, we wished we had seen the other dog show instead. Dancing really should stay a people sport. Now we come to THE attraction of all attractions at the state fair- the FOOD. I fully believe that most people go the fair for that reason alone. The corny dogs, funnel cakes, nachos, cotton candy, turkey legs, and I can't even begin to list all of the fried nonsense that is being sold - the two new ones that I had never heard of were Fried Coke and Fried Latte. Did you make sure you had your IV drip of Mylanta before you came? Some things were just not meant to be fried. This year the fair had a different feel for me, because due to WW- I knew better than to eat any of that food out there, so I think that I may have been the only person- plus my two children, who brought their own lunch into the fair grounds. There were a few stares and gasps as I pulled out my turkey sandwich and grapes from my cooler. I thought I may get kicked out at one point for not partaking in the traditional corn dog, but I have to tell you, boy did I feel better at the end of the day, when all I had partaken in was a Nutty bar-eaten with saved up points! Not that I think that it is bad for anyone else to eat that food, for goodness sake, that was Luke's top reason for going, and he enjoyed every bite!I just knew how sick I would feel at the end of the day, and how dissapointed I would be on Saturday when I weighed in! Another great part of the fair is the Midway- and what was even greater? That we managed to avoid it altogether! Lastly, I must mention the people. We all know that the most interesting part is to people watch at the fair. We happened to have gone on Senior Day, and I tell you I have never in my life seen so many motorized riding vehicles. It really was a deliberate effort on our part not to get run over. You really do see some of the strangest things. All in all we had a great day. There were lots of fun hands-on things for the kids to do and see and Rylie even participated in her first Pee Wee Rodeo! Her Mimi would have been so proud of her barrel racing skills! The best part of the day? We did not leave having bought a Veggie Blaster 2000, an Oreck vacuum cleaner( seriously saw someone walking out with one),a magic, super absorption cleaning towel, a pet rock, or a jacuzzi hot tub!

Check this out.....

Check out this video on NOOMA.com from Rob Bell, it is one of his older ones, but I love it. It is so powerful. For those of you that don't know him, he is the pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church, one of the fastest growing churches in the country. Click on Rain. It is worth the 11 minutes of your time. Interestingly, he is doing a speaking tour and will be in town on November 16.
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It's Pumpkin Time!

Yeah, it's fall! I love this time of the year. After reading several other friends' blogs today, I can see there are many who share the same sentiment. I love that the weather starts to change ( by writing these words I hope to make them come true here in Texas, since it was 92 degrees today, October 1st). I love fall because it means college football, and I don't even care if it is on all day on Saturday. I love fall because of the State Fair and all that it entails. I love fall because it means going to the pumpkin patch and taking a ton of pictures of my children posed in piles of pumpkins, all with the hopes that I will get at least one where they are both looking at the camera! I love that fall means a new season of television shows like The Office- I LOVE that show- it is just so hilarious! GO JAM! I love that people start to put out their fall decorations ( including myself). I love seeing the wreaths, mums, hay bales, pumpkins, and scarecrows all over porches around the neighborhood. The other day I got out my fall decorations, which was not really an easy task, as locating them after the move, was somewhat challenging. But I did not care. I was happy. Just so happy looking at my fall wreath, my colored leaves, my spice candles. It made me smile to put my scarecrow out on my porch. I love that the leaves begin to take on the look of fall and that mean leaves to rake, but you don't mind, because you get to be outside enjoying the gorgeous fall day. I love that God made seasons. In the beginning, He created the earth with seasons. I think that Fall makes God smile too. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:1 " There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven." I am so glad that there are seasons to our life. Not just seasons of nature, but seasons for our spiritual relationship, our marriage, our parenting, our friendships. As I enter into this fall season, I do so with reflection, looking back on the year to date. I am so thankful to all the blessings that the Lord has showered on me through His grace. I know that while I do not deserve any of them, He, in His infinite mercy has saved me. Just as the trees of fall lose their leaves and grow them new in the spring, the Lord shows me areas of my life that need to be shed or lost, so that He can begin a new work or growth in me. " But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in transgressions- it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus" Ephesians 2:4-6. " I hope that each of you enjoy and celebrate this season. Happy Fall! Go get a pumpkin- or 5!

A Royal Affair

The third and final installment of celebrations marking Rylie's transition from 3 to 4 years took place this past weekend. She will have a reality check when she realizes that most of the time she will not have an entire month devoted to her birthday! The party was a royal success and I believe that a fun time was had by all. All the little girls enjoyed dressing up as their favorite princess and getting to wear fancy shoes, tiaras, and boas and do all the things princesses do. We played lots of fun games, including a pinata, which finally broke, thanks to help from mom and dad. We had a pretty princess tea party with tea pots and cups ( lemonade instead of tea) and finger sandwiches, cookies, and fancy colored marshmallows. Rylie had a beautiful birthday cake in the shape of a princess crown! The highlight of the party for us, was when Jack dragged Poppy back to Rylie's room and picked out a dress up outfit for him to put on and wanted Poppy to dress him so he could play with the girls! Alas, Poppy did not, so we have no pictures to pull out at a later date, say..... for a future girlfriend or even better, his rehearsal dinner! As stressful as it is to do a birthday party, I am so glad we did it at home and that we had a princess party. Rylie had a blast and I think that the other girls did too, it was just too cha cha for words!

Game Day

Does attending one game, officially make me a soccer mom? We experienced our first foray into the world of soccer on Saturday, when Rylie "played" in her first match. As you can see from the video, she was content to play outfield most of the game. I guess we need to help her get out of T-ball mode and into a soccer mindset! I also must keep my competitive spirit in check, as she is only 4. I do not want to be one of those parents who gets kicked out of PeeWee soccer. At one point, the coach told her it was her turn to sit out, which she did gladly, and when he asked her to come back in, I literally had to drag her off the bench to get her to play again. I think she would have rather continued to sit and chat with her friend! There is also no " real" score in 3/4 year old soccer, just like last seasons T-ball. Obviously though, parents can keep score. Let's just say...our team put up a valiant effort, but the goalie on the other team was like 15 or something, he actually dove for the ball to block the goal. Is that even developmentally possible for a child this age? I am not quite convinced, hmm........ But, I do know this for sure, Rylie had fun, even if she wasn't quite sure why she was running around the field!

Long Time No See

This weekend we had the great privilege of hosting Uncle David ( Dabid- as Rylie calls him) and Aunt BaBa ( Bethany). We have not seen them since May, so it was wonderful to visit with them and have them in our new home. Rylie and Jack were so glad to their aunt and uncle. Although, David and Bethany may need to rest and recover from the weekend once they get home, well, mostly David, since Rylie did not leave his side the entire time they were here. She is obsessed with her uncle David. As you can see from the slide show, Rylie led them in a couple rounds of a new game she got for her birthday, which was lots of fun for all! They also came bearing gifts for her birthday. She got some more furniture to go with her doll house, so she was pumped about that! We had a great time while they were here. David and Bethany got to witness the first soccer practice, so they too can attest to the skills that were portrayed on the field! We also took a trip out to IKEA ( with much arm twisting for the men- since a day on the couch watching football was more in their plans). It is always fun to walk around IKEA though, and look at all the gadgets and furniture. David and Bethany found a really cool stool in the " as is" section of the store for their bathroom, for only $19! So that was a steal, although it was touch and go at the end of the trip as to whether it would make it home or not, since we had some difficulty fitting it into the car, and I am afraid Bethany had to ride back with a stroller poking into her neck for the entire trip home! After returning home, we had a relaxing afternoon, enjoyed a dinner at Abuelo's that night, a little bit of music Scene It, and an awesome Arkansas- Alabama game! We look forward to getting to visit more when we go to Clinton in a couple weeks! We only wish that the rest of the Fam could have been here!