making jacks

The day before Halloween was the perfect fall day.  We decided we needed to transform our pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns.  Mary Reese got us all set up...



Everyone picked a pumpkin, drew their favorite face and dug in...







The finished jacks...



We had a little melt down about the heart eyes.  They weren't done quite up to specifications.  Heart eyes on a pumpkin are a little challenging.

As you can see we recovered...



...and decided the heart eyes didn't look that bad.

I thought they turned out pretty cute...



We carefully separated the seeds from the pulp, wash & dried them...



...tossed them with a little butter and kosher salt.  Then we roasted them for about an hour...



A delicious & delightful snack!

haunted cart barn

Yesterday Owen had a little Halloween party with his friends from school...



Then entire family was invited.  Owie my fireman and Mary Reese my Toothless Wonder [from a Junie B. Jones book]...



Banks wasn't real thrilled with attending a "baby party". Oh my, have we reached this stage?  He was a good sport and threw on his Trent Richardson jersey with his baseball pants.  We stopped by on our way to the Haunted Cart Barn [something more his speed].

All the kids hopped on the back of Mr. Allen's hay ride for a trip to the Haunted Cart Barn...



Junie B. Mary Reese was excited to find her BFF Eloise Gray...



Off they go in search of goblins and ghosts...



The parents enjoyed dinner and cocktails while the kids ran through the haunted barn.  At the end they discovered a surpise...



A campire with all the necessities for s'mores.  Nothing is better to my kids than making a s'more.  I can't say I don't agree!

They ate hot dogs, devoured s'mores, ran through the haunted cart barn a gazillion times and took as many hayrides as Mr. Allen would allow...





We can't wait to see what Mr. Allen comes up with for next year!

toothless wonder

Mary Reese's top teeth have been loose.  After school on Monday, one was really loose and the other one was about to fall out.  She wanted to run by Popsy's office so he could work his magic.  She thought she was just loosing 1 tooth.  Little did she know...



...she was about to be a toothless wonder!

We was super excited to find double the payment from the tooth fairy...



In less than a month, she has lost both her bottom and top two front teeth!  The tooth fairy has spent a lot of time at our house this year!

a reunion @ the capstone

Since graduating from college, all of my buddies have been reuniting at the capstone for a home game each year.  The crowd and the game varies from year to year.  Last year was the first year we didn't do it...kids and commitments got in the way.  This year we were back on for the Alabama/Tennessee game.

Lori and Bill graciously opened up their home in Northport for those wanting to make a weekend of it.  Jody and I headed down Friday afternoon.  We enjoyed a super late lunch on Iguanna Grill's patio, we shopped around on the strip [which was made up of bars and restaurants when I was in school] and we helped Lori and Bill secure our spot on the quad.

Bethany and Justin and Amy and Bobby made it to town later that night.  We grabbed a quick bite at a local mexican dive, caught up on all the gossip and hit the sack to rest up for a day of tailgating.

Thankfully the game didn't kick-off until 6:00 pm, so we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast before loading up all the neccessary tailgating equipment for a noon quad arrival.

Here are the girls...



[Amy, me, Bethany & Lori]

...with the husbands...



[Lori & Bill, Bobby & Amy, Jody & me, Bethany & Justin]

We enjoyed the atmosphere you can only get on the quad in Tuscaloosa.  We tailgated with Moe's [who delivered and set everything up at our tent] and some homemade goodies...



We visited with our families...



Nicholas, me & Stacey



Me, Stacey & Christoper

All my sibilings were never at the same place at the same time.  Go figure.

We ran into tons of people we haven't seen in years...



Jody & Cody [one of Patrick's buds]

We are planning it all again for the Alabama/Georgia game next year!

While the parents were away, the kids played.

Popsy and Gigi picked them up from school and had a weekend full of activities planned.  Friday night they rode scooters...



...and roasted hot dogs and marshmellows in the outdoor fireplace.  Drank hot chocolate while wearing a witches hat...



Saturday they headed back to Taft, TN for another fun day at Lyon Family Farm...















I heard Owie had to be drug out of the "popcorn" bins!

What a fun weekend!

farm field trip

On Tuesday, Mary Reese's class had a field trip to Lyon Family Farm in Taft, TN.  I ♥ farm field trips and will be sad when I go on my last one.

We had never been to Lyon but as soon as I pulled in the parking lot...I knew it was going to be a fabulous day!

Mrs. Propst got her class together for a quick picture before we started our day...



A precious class (minus Mary Bibb and Jayden who were out sick).

Mrs. Propst told them to make a funny, scary face and this is what we got...



They are all so funny together.  She does a great job by creating a little family with her class.  They all get along so amazingly and treat each other with respect!

After learning the "rules" of the farm, we divided up into groups to explore the farm...





We started at the petting zoo...



with the piggies and the alpaca...



We also saw chickens, cows, horses and donkies.  Mary Reese wasn't that into the petting zoo.  Can't say I blame her.  She was We were glad to move onto the School House Barn...



...where we learned how Mr. Richard planted pumkin seeds and how they turned into pumpkins.  We also learned about all the different pumpkins and gourds he grows.

Finally it was our turn to load up...



[Mary Reese, Abby & Mia Kate]

...for the hay ride to the pumpkin patch...



Two of our buddies...Crawford & Bo




We jumped out in the middle of the patch...



...in search of our perfect pumpkin...



...and with a little help from our friends...



...we found them!

Once everyone found a pumpkin, we loaded back up for a ride back to the farm...



Eliza, Mary Reese, Mia Kate & Kenzie



Mary Reese and her mommy

When we got back to the farm, it was our turn to explore the corn maze...



...and hopefully end up at the playground...



We might have gotten turned around and ended up coming back out the entrance...I will never tell!

The kids had a ball playing on the farm themed play area.  They played in bins of corn...



Isabella, Mary Reese & Mia Kate

They zoomed down a massive slide...



And jumped on a huge pillow...









Mary Reese opted to ride home with me.  We grabbed a picture with Mrs. Propst...



...our pumpkins and a drink for the road...



...and headed home.  A super fun day down on the farm with our class!