Halloween 2019

We loved celebrating Halloween 2019 with friends who are more like family!  As I looked at the big kids tonight, I thought about how many years these kids have gone trick or treating together and I wonder how many years we have left with them wanting to actually participate. But just for tonight, I am super thankful we had another year together.  It was definitely a blast to the past for the girls...80's girls it was with a super scary, creepy guy in the mix.  Pretty sure this will year will be remembered as the year of the Mountain Dew.  They all thought it was a cool treat and they were sadly mistaken when they realized their parents weren't letting them have it at 8 PM! :-)

The girls and I had fun creating "Halloween" food for everyone to enjoy!  We had mummies, monster punch and monster brownies.

 These two hung back together and were so sweet holding hands!! :-)

 Once we got back to our house, the big kids took over the den and the little girls went to Maggie's room.  They poured out their candy and began sorting and trading depending on what everyone liked.

Halloween 2019 was a huge success!  We had fun and have memories that will stay with us for years to come!

Fall Festival

The church where Maggie and I go to school hosted their fall festival tonight.  It's a HUGE event with HUNDREDS of people in attendance.  The girls look forward to going every year.  They get to see their friends, play games and trunk or treat.  The girls had a blast and came home with lots and lots of candy!  Everybody was happy!

Science Gallery Walk

Caroline's science class has spent the last week or so working on a science experiment.  The teacher gave them directions on what they needed to do and it was their responsibility to work through the scientific process to complete the task.  The students had to make supply lists and bring what they had from home.  Today we were invited to take a look at what they did.  The students presented to us what they learned.  It was so neat to see these kids take ownership of their learning.

Our friends are back in town!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our friends made it to town this past weekend!  I got a text for Courtney asking if we were available for dinner tonight and of course I said YES!!!!  We were blessed to see Jude and Lincoln this summer but it's been 2 YEARS since we saw Jeremy, Courtney and Olivia!  It was sweet medicine for my soul! I think Andy would agree.  I am so thankful that time nor distance affects our friendship.  I love that we, along with our kids, pick right back up where we left off.

Halloween Camping

We spent the Halloween Weekend at Pirateland and had a great time.  It had a rough start but thankfully it turned around and we had a great time!  I was able to enjoy a beautiful sunrise on the beach Saturday morning, all by myself.  Enjoying the beach at sunrise is one of my absolute favorite things to do...it's a reminder of a new day and the beauty that comes with that.  Such a gift.

The girls cooked us breakfast.  We played putt putt golf and completed the scavenger hunt all before lunch.  After lunch the girls and I went to the beach for a few hours.  Gotta love playing on the beach in your bathing suit in October. :-)

The girls decided at the last minute that they wanted to go to the costume contest.  Caroline wanted to watch, Maggie wanted to participate.  We quickly got showers and got dressed.  Maggie was a little nervous but totally wanted to go on stage.  When they began announcing the winners in her age group she said "I wonder what I am going to win???"  And sure enough she did win...the cutest costume!  She was SO EXCITED!

We left the costume contest and went to the Trunk or Treat event at the campground store.  It was so fun!  The girls played games, got their face painted and got lots of yummy candy!

After trunk or treating, we went back to the camper for dinner.  Andy grilled us some yummy burgers!!  My favorite!  Then Maggie and I went to a magic show while Andy and C went to the haunted house.  It was totally Caroline's idea but she said afterwards, she wouldn't do it again! :-)  We enjoyed a cool night ride on the golf cart looking at different camp sites decorated for Halloween.  Poors Mags couldn't keep her eyes open any longer...she fell asleep on the ride.

The girls woke up around 7 this morning.  So we put on our shoes and enjoyed another sunrise on the beach, this time in our pj's.  I enjoyed the beauty of the day and the girls enjoyed the beauty of playing on the beach!

The part we dislike the most, packing up and heading home.  It was a good weekend away from the daily responsibilities at home...they will still be waiting when we return but just for a little while we escaped.  We will soon winterize the camper...we do a few maintenance things to get it ready for the next season.  Then we will wait until our first camping trip of 2020! I'm thankful for the memories we've made this year...we've had 4 fun trips.   I can't wait for the trips to come!!

The things we do for our children...

In Science Class, Caroline and 3 other friends are working on a science experiment.  They are responsible for planning and bringing in all of the materials they need.  They did a great job of assigning materials for things they had at home.  After the first day of looking at materials they realized they needed bigger containers to hold their dirt...which meant they needed more dirt.  Caroline attempted to dig holes in our back yard but for the amount of dirt she needed, it was obvious we needed to buy some potting soil.  It was 8 PM when we made this realization so I told her we would stop at Lowe's on the way to school.  As we were pulling in I thought "Lord I hope my children remember these moments when I save their hiney vs the ways I mess up regularly.

My faithful assisstant

I had to go to Sam's today to pick up stuff for school.  Maggie, my faithful assistant, was in charge of our list.  What she didn't realize was that we were working on number and letter recognition as we checked things off our list.  Fun times!!

Caroline's recorder recital

Caroline's school does special area classes for a quarter at a time.  She has spent the last 9 weeks in music.  They learned to play the recorder and had a recital for parents to attend.  I wasn't sure what I was getting into but y'all I was so impressed!!!  These kids did a fantastic job!!

My first wreck

After 23 years of driving I had my first accident that was my fault!  It was a bumper bender with minimal damage.  I was backing out of a parking spot, trying to avoid a car that was parked incorrectly beside me...the tiny Honda Civic was in my blind spot and I totally didn't see it until I felt the bump.  Thankfully I was going extremely slow but never the less, I still scratched the other car.  I went in 3 stores before I found the owner and ya'll it was awful.

The owner of the car yelled at me and NEVER once actually spoke to me or acknowledged that I apologized.  The girls were shocked and speechless for once.  I was a nervous wreck and so disappointed in myself.  I felt horrible that I had done this...Andy was at the hospital with his mom so Tomi Jean came and picked up the girls while I waited for the police to come.

We exchanged information and were on our way.  As I sat in my car, overwhelmed by all that had just happened, I had a light bulb moment.  In that very minute, I felt the weight of my sin and guilt and I am so thankful that I serve a savior who took that to the cross for me.  While the owner of the car didn't extend one ounce of grace, MY HEAVENLY FATHER does and I am so thankful!  I'm thankful that I don't have to live with the weight of each and every mistake I make...Thank you Lord!

Once I got home, I was able to wipe away the most of the damage and pop the panel back in place...very minimal damage on my van.

Caroline's First Middle School Dance

Caroline had a blast at her first middle school dance...The Spooky Dance!  She went as an 80's girl and loved hanging out with her friends!!  Oh how I love this kid!!

Picnic with friends

Maggie and I were invited to the park for a picnic with Mrs. B and her granddaughter Elisabeth.  It was a gorgeous day to be outside.  After lunch, we visited the little library in the park. Mrs. B brought a few books to add to it and of course each needed one or two. :-)  I captured the sweetest picture of Maggie reading under the tree while waiting for everyone else...

Annual Apple Picking Trip

I'm not sure who was more excited for this years apple picking trip...the kids or the adults.  We missed last year after 9 consecutive years...but we were back this year and had the absolute, most PERFECT weather!  It was cool but not cold...we didn't need jackets and that was great!  We started the morning with yummy apple doughnuts and hot apple cider.  We took pictures in the worm and with the 'how many apples tall' are you.

Then we headed up the mountain to pick.  We are so thankful for Uncle Ed's homemade apple picker.  We wouldn't have gotten any apples if we didn't have it.  All the apples were at the top of the trees...folks were super jealous of our little contraption. :-)  Uncle Ed taught Caroline how it worked and she picked apples for over an hour.  She was awesome!  Her sister on the other hand enjoyed playing in the orchard with sticks and such.  She did sit on her Daddy's shoulders to pick her own apple.  We all enjoyed a few yummy apples in the orchard.  We picked over 40 pounds of apples...here's to apple pie, apple bread, applesauce, apple doughnuts and apple anything else we might have forgotten! :-)

Another one of Uncle Ed's contraptions.  He took an old jogging stroller and attached a basket to it.  Andy and Aunt Lill were in charge of that.

We had a delicious lunch in downtown Charlottesville.  After lunch, we headed back to Richmond to enjoy the science museum downtown.  The girls loved it!!

It was a fast trip but so thankful for the opportunity to be with family, making memories!!