Trunk or Treat

Trunk or Treat was on Wednesday this year. It was Waverly's first real experience at the old 'trick or treating' thing. She was pretty darn cute. At each vehicle she wouldn't let the person put the candy in her pumpkin (I think she thought they were trying to steal things out) but insisted that they hand the candy to her and then she would 'daintily' place the candy into her pumpkin herself. She would sit and stare at any car that had brought jack-o-lanterns---she serisously is memorized by puh-kees. One van had little orange lights and a guy in a creepy mask lying down in the back of the van. He would lay really still, and then scare the kiddies as they got close. I though Wavee was gonna FREAK, but she walked up really close to get a better look at the lights, and when he went to scare her she kind a looked at him cock-eyed and just gave him a high five.

I wasn't very on the ball in the photo department, but I mangaged to snap a few near the end of the night.

Court looks REAL excited to be here!!


As usual Laetner was a 'natural' poser!

And Wavee started gettting bored---FAST!

(especially love the look of the white diaper through the black tights)


Here is the last shot I have of her before she wanders between two parked cars and then VANISHES!!! Talk about panic!!! She is a wanderer, and our church parking lot sits on a very busy street (with no lighting). I frantically searched the outside and then ran inside hoping she might have wandered in there. Someone noticed my panic-stricken face and asked if I was looking for a little Ladybug by chance?? They had seen her on the other side of the building. Near her nursery classroom---trying to get into the toys no doubt!!!!

Fall Break

We were tempted to head up to Pinedale for Fall Break this year, but Court had a few appointments in town so we decided we could stay busy here!

We ended up at the zoo---two days in a row. Crazy, I know. On Tuesday we went for for fun and then we were talking about how Court had an interview on Wednesday in the same area, and we decided to have him drop us off at the zoo while he did his interview. Worked out great. We have a zoo membership, and it came with some free safari tickets, so we finally took a ride on the train!!!


Of course the kids stayed COMPLETELY glued to their maps as usual. Such nerds---where do they get it from????


But by far, the most fun for all was at the petting zoo. Who knew that Waverly would love the goats so much???



What are my children doing to that poor cow????


This shot is actually from the 2nd day, but this was one of the first times that we were at the zoo in the morning. (I personally like to wait til after lunchtime) And for ONCE the elephant was out and about. (as were most of the animals Ü)

Of course we ended both days at the splash pad, which I have to say is the smartest 'exhibit' that the zoo has EVER added. No pictures....

Easter Egg Hunting in October???

You heard me. The 'Ladies' are laying their eggs in full force now. Only some of the 'Ladies' don't like to use the nesting boxes so graciously accommodated for them. In the beginning they would lay ALL their eggs right in the nesting box. But September was sooo stinkin hot, that we started opening up the chicken coop and just letting the chickens roam free in the yard. They are masters at finding the shadiest coolest spots. Then all of a sudden their daily egg production seemed to drop and we coudln't understand why. One day I was heading out to the coop to change their water when I heard a bush make a sound! How could the bush make a sound. I walked up closely to the bush and couldn't see anything, but as I turned to walk away I heard it again. "What in the world?" This time I crouched down behind the bush and sure enough, tucked way up in the bush there was one of my chickies. I had to wait for her to be done with her business, but sure enough---a whole nest of eggs.

So now when we go check for eggs and things seem a little low in the nesting box, we send the kids on an easter egg hunt to search under and around all the bushes to make the chickens aren't leaving their presents elsewhere around the yard.

When all eggs are accounted for, we end up grossing 5-7 eggs DAILY. So if you are interested in some farm fresh, organic, eggs, send me an email and we might be able to work out an 'arrangement'. We seem to have a few for sale! Ü

Cupcake Wars

Have you seen this show on Food Network?? Laetner is OBSESSED with it! He begs every week if we can have a cupcake war. Soooo, the last two Sundays we have obliged.

Last week: RED VELVET with cream cheese icing (aka Red Velva if Laetner is talking)

We used of recipe off of Food Network from Cooking with the Neely's and baked 1/2 of our cupcakes in the regular muffin cups and 1/2 in ice cream cones.

The verdict: The ice cream cones actually kept the cake moister---although the cones didn't have a whole lot of crunch left in them. But the presentation (with a dollup of cream cheese frosting) was so stinkin cute that they won HANDS DOWN!!!

Tonight: Mom's Heath Bar Cupcakes vs. Laetner and Delainee's Reese's Peanut Butter and Caramel Cupcakes.

The cupcake itself was an AMAZINGLY moist concoction of yellow cake mix, eggs, water and instant milk chocolate pudding. The frosting was a mixture of butter, egg yolks, pwd sugar, and a cup of whipped cream---YUM! I then drizzled crushed up Heath Bar Candy Cars, for just a splash of toffee flavor and a little crunch! While Delainee and Laetner piled on chopped up Reese's PB Cups and drizzled with caramel---talk about RICH!!!!

Laetner had been trash talking me all day and CLAIMED that he was gonna squash me. I am not so sure about that! Ü

We made both flavors for Daddy to judge, and Court had us all giggling as he critiqued each cupcake with an 'OUTRAGEOUS' french accent just like the judge on the t.v. show.

I lost!

Don't suppose we have an unbiased judge out there ready to judge our throwdown???

Mr. and Mrs. Stewart

On one of our last weekends of Summer we headed up to the cabin with our good friends Jim and Jenny and their posse of kiddies that match up PERFECTLY with our kiddies. Delainee and Addi are best of buds and Laetner and Benjamin could pretty much be brothers. These 4 pretty much took care of themselves all weekend playing the wii, slip'n'sliding on the lawn, and even creating their very own bouncy ball.

With the older kids off keeping each other busy, that left our 2 1/2 year olds to their own resources. So meet the FUTURE Mr. and Mrs. Stewart!




We had an utterly delightful weekend, with PERFECT temperatures, and light rainfall nearly every day. One day we looked out the kitchen window to see this perfection off the back porch...


Do you see the double rainbow??? If you look closely, there is an entirely seperate (much lighter) rainbow that runs through the very top of the photo.

WOW!!!!

Good Face Discount

The very 1st Semester of Let's Play music is known as the Red Balloon semester and we have a fun song about a balloon that floats up and down on the staff and it 'almost' floats away at the end, but the children pretend to catch it at the last moment and exclaim "I got it!" They love this.

So as a gift, on day one of the 1st Year of Let's Play Music, each child receives their very own helium filled Red Balloon to leave class with. Very fun. This week we will have a little girl in class who could not make it to class last week, but she HEARD all about what went down in class last week, and so I figured I better get her her own balloon to take home.

Court was so nice last week to go to Party City and get 13 Red Balloons filled for me. Not normally a task my hubby would relish! And I must admit that I actually thought he would shoot me down when I explained that this week I needed one more single balloon. "No problem," he says. He is "running to get his haircut and can stop by after."

He walks in the door with his single red balloon and tells me he got a 'good face discount'. Say WHAT???? The girl helping him remembered him from last week, and told him the balloon was on the house---no charge--FREE!!!!

That NEVER would have happened to me!

She must have REALLY liked his new snazzy haircut!!!! Ü

Back to School

I am a little out of sequence with my posts as I have been trying to catch up. We made it back to school, and the very 1st Week is when Miss Naughty Pants took a nesquik bath in my bed---apparently she is bored with Delainee and Laetner gone to school all day, and mommy ignoring her while she gets ready for a new year of Let's Play Music to start. As much as I HATE getting up in the morning, I am already loving being back on a schedule!

We took our obligatory 'by the seasonal bear' photos....


Here they are 'faking' an action shot---as if they are actually walking to school---HAH!



You might notice that Delainee doesn't look so well in this photo. No sooner did I take this shot than she completely broke down into tears. I couldn't believe it! She has never cried before on 1st day. She knew absolutely NO ONE in her class and I could understand her feelings.

Only when she got home from school and I went to figure out if she was okay, I found out that the reason she was crying was becuz she was completed embarassed by my taking her picture in front of all her new classmates.

We had to have a chat.

Cuz, "the pictures aren't gonna stop, my dear!" As long as you are my baby, I WILL be there with the camera, and I WILL be embarassing you!!!! Doesn't mean I don't love you of course, but I WON'T be stopping! Ü


Now that is what I call a good looking car pool!

Last Minute Summer Fun

With school starting the next week, we just HAD to get one last swim in. We packed up our lunch and headed over to Uncle Jaron's house to swim in his pool.


Talk about TRUST!



The best for last....

The Semi-Monthly Misadventures of Miss Naughty Pants!

Man alive does the girl ever quit. She just seems to move from one substance to the next. But why, why WHY did she have to do it on MY bed?????


Can you figure out what it is this time????


At first she started to smile when I got out the camera, and I started wondering what was the 'worse' reaction? Getting all mad and yelling at the child, or getting out the camera and documenting it like it is the best thing ever??? I met her halfway and told her "NO" in my most stern voice. The smile quickly turned to unsurety and then she lost it....




There's your answer---Pink Nesquik. NICE!!!

Friday Night Fun With Daddy

"I get to have BOTH beaters????"
"
Daddy is the best!!!"