Trick or Treat!

Trick-or-Treat night was a family affair again this year.  My (Jenni's) dad's birthday was a few days before our town's trick-or-treat night so we invited the family over for the festivities and had a birthday dinner together after handing out our goodies.  Thanks to Aunt Shell for taking pictures!  We're glad she's a shutterbug or we wouldn't have pictures of a lot of our family events.  I usually get so busy with child-wrangling that I forget I have a camera along for the ride.

Emily's cousins, Abby and Ben, came over to walk the neighborhood with her.  There's nothing like following a butterfly, Sleeping Beauty and a skunk around town while they're collecting the goods!

Eagles?

As we were leaving the doctor's this morning, Em shouts, "Look!  Eagles!"

I clarified that they were geese.

She responded, "I like their barks!"

.... Gifted class here we come!

Halloween Prep

I can't believe I just found Halloween pictures that we haven't posted here yet!  I'm just a few days late...

Grandma came over a couple of weeks prior to Halloween to help us decorate our pumpkins.  I decided to go a bit against the grain this year and not carve them.  I saw a few ideas in a magazine (maybe Better Homes and Gardens?) and ran with them.

With the aide of a hot glue gun and some odd and end craft supplies we had a decent run at some unique pumpkins this year!

EMILY'S PUMPKIN

Emily modeling her pumpkin....

EMILY WITH GRANDMA'S PUMPKIN

DADDY'S PUMPKIN... we "decorated" it so it would fit in 

but he could modify it later if he wanted in on the action!

MY PUMPKIN... 

Just goes to prove we shouldn't decorate pumpkins under the influence...

of PMS.   :-)

Some more pictures for you!

May 14, 2010 - "Slip Me Some Skin"

May 21, 2010 - "Asleep at the Wheel"

June 5, 2010 - "Hot Tamale"

July 19, 2010 - "VBS - Part 1"

July 20, 2010 - "Doodlebug"

August 2, 2010 - "Check, Check, Check-Up"

A Gift of Love for Mother

My mom found this in a stack of clippings that my grandma had saved... it seemed fitting for some pictures I took earlier this fall.

A GIFT OF LOVE FOR MOTHER

Has there ever been a mother

Who has not received the gift

Of a bunch of wilted dandelions

Clutched in a chubby fist?

She exclaims, "O my, how pretty!

I'll get a vase real quick."

Then proudly she accepts the gift

That Love has stooped to pick.

For days each time she passes

The vase of drooping weeds,

A smile will light her features

And her heart again is pleased.

When she cannot keep them any more,

She's as careful as can be;

She discards them very carefully

When her little one can't see.

For Love is such a special gift

Though offered as withered flowers;

And when mother's days are filled with Love,

They gleam with happy hours.

-Dorothy Smith

1984, Warner Press, Inc.

Hand-selected by Emily... from Grandma's flower bed.