Pumpkin Patch

I took the boys to the Pumpkin Patch today. I said we were going to pick out a white pumpkin (we already have 6 big orange pumpkins and 5 small pumpkins at home), which we did. But, I'm sure that you realize, I was just taking them for the photo opportunity. Here are some pictures of my sweet boys. How I love their sweet smiles!!!

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Autumn

This past Saturday AJ & I took the boys to a fall kids day at the Botanical Gardens. It was the grand opening of the children's garden. It was so fun! They had all kinds of neat things for the boys to do, like decorating pumpkins, making bird feeders, making a walking stick, planting bulbs, taking fall pictures, painting gourds, etc. At each station they also got a candy which was obviously a big hit with the kids.
Avery with his pumpkin...
Avery decorating his pumpkin.....

Finley decorating his pumpkin (well, scribbling on it).......

AJ working on the walking stick. They had all kinds of neat, old tools. They got to pick their own stick and then AJ carved it smooth and drilled a hole in it. Then, they got to put beads on a leather tie to string through the hole. We let them paint the sticks once we got home. Finley is more interested in his chocolate milk. Big surprise.

Finley's new smile...I think he's trying to make a monster face....

AJ & his boys

They're getting so big!!!!

Avery actually took this picture.... not bad!

So, that was our fun fall morning. I love the seasons we have in Arkansas.

Happy Fall!!!

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Detox

We pulled the plug.

No more network t.v. . . . well almost. We'd been feeling it for awhile...television was just taking up too much of our time and ourselves. For a few months now, I've been feeling disconnected from God. Every time I would think about it or pray about it, I just had this nagging feeling in the back of my mind that the t.v. was a big problem. The Holy Spirit possibly?? But, I would just say to myself, "Self, you're just going to limit yourself and not turn it on so much." Self-control is hard when it comes to mindless entertainment. But it really is mindless and not improving me at all. It really is a waste of time. Anyhow, about a week or 2 ago A.J. and I started talking about it, and he was feeling the same way. Like, we are paying for bondage. It's so easy to get sucked in and spend an entire evening watching t.v. There are so many great books that I've wanted and needed to read but by the time we get into bed after watching all of our shows, I'm too exhausted. Besides the fact that the world and it's values are slowly creeping in and changing the way I think about things. Yuck, I don't want any part of that. Also, Avery has been asking for different toys he sees in commercials. "We need to buy that mommy." I do not want my children growing up thinking about the next new toy they want. I want them to learn to be content with what they have. They are so blessed to have the life they have, they don't even realize it.
So, a week ago Friday, we disconnected the t.v. service. I will say we aren't totally detached as we watch Friday Night Lights and The Office online. I felt sad immediately after I did it, like I was saying goodbye to an old friend. Honestly though, we really haven't felt that much of an effect. The boys have plenty of dvd's they can watch, we still rent movies, and we've been really busy. I just don't want to spend my days thinking about what's happening on this show or that. There are so many other worthy things to think about. Also, I haven't started reading like I'd like yet....I'm afraid I may be replacing my t.v. addiction with the computer...do I have an addictive personality?? Sometimes I just dream of selling everything we own and moving to a foreign country and finding a slow pace of life. I don't really know how to create it here. Maybe this is a step in that direction . . . Pin It

Lions and Lemurs

So, I'm sorry I have been so bad about posting lately......life has been BUSY. This past weekend my friend Emily and I had a craft fair so we have been spending the last few weeks getting ready for that. It was a really fun and successful show. It was our most profitable one yet. Then today we drove down to Fort Smith to drop off our "stuff" at another craft show. This one is great b/c we don't have to be there. We just had to drop off our stuff and then pick up what's left and money on Thursday! It is really fun to have my own business...and one that I enjoy too!

So.....last weekend both Nick and AJ had to work, so Emily and I decided to take our kids to the Wild Wilderness Safari . It was quite a trip! It was really fun and a great way to spend a Saturday morning. The time flew by and we were home in time to put the kids straight to nap!

When we first got there we did the drive through part of the safari...and I use the term safari liberally. There were TONS of emus. They must be very fertile. They would come right up to the window and stare at us ....it was hilarious and the kids loved it. You can't tell in this picture, but this one had a lazy eye...it was awesome.

After we drove around and saw bears, tigers, cougars, leopards, deer, wildebeast, emus, lions, bison, and several unidentifiable animals that we're pretty sure were inbreeds, we went into the petting part. This is no ordinary zoo where you get to pet some sheep, they pretty much let you pet anything. . . snakes, baby lions, etc.
Here's Avery talking to a Kangaroo. The Kangaroo just seemed annoyed. The boys loved watching the Kangaroos jump. It was a really great learning experience to see these animals up close.

Here is Finley holding an Albino rabbit. For those of you that know how much I hate rabbits, know that this was not a pleasant experience for me. The thing had red eyes, it was creepy.

Finley and Tenney walking hand in hand...so cute!

Feeding the Zebras.....

Climbing with the billy goats....

Here the boys are inside a monkey cage...lemurs to be exact. Yep, you read that right, inside the cage. Emily and I were a bit nervous about this but the boys had no fear. That's Tenney petting the Lemur. One of them jumped on Emily's back which was a sight to see since she is not a pet person.

It was a fun outing and we felt good about ourselves that it was educational. We now know what it looks like when you cross a horse and a deer.

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This one goes out to the one I love....

I want to say Happy Birthday today to my wonderful husband AJ. He is a dream and more than I ever could have hoped for in a husband and father to my boys. I am so thankful for these years I've had with him and look forward to a life spent with him. Happy Birthday my Love!
AJ and his little rugger. :)

This is how I see my AJ every day, with arms full of boys. :)

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Preview

Wow, this has been a full weekend already with STORIES to tell. We have another full day tomorrow so I'm sure I will have lots to ramble about next week. Let me just get you drooling with excitement for my blogs to come....so far this weekend I have....started a family detox....held an albino rabbit....been verbally assaulted in a store parking lot....and more...Oh the stories I have to tell. . . Pin It

I hate marketing

So I really never planned on "celebrating" halloween. There's always a fall festival here or there to attend so that my boys get to dress up. But halloween is EVERYWHERE. You can't turn down an aisle in wal-mart or target without running into some scary skeleton with fake blood dripping off of it. So my boys are constantly talking about what they want to dress as for halloween. So, I tell them that we don't celebrate halloween but I'm pretty much a hypocrite b/c we talk about their costumes constantly and we are probably going to a halloween party and even trick-or-treating (gasp). For some reason I just don't want to hear my boys say "trick-or-treat." Some of you may think I'm nuts, but it just seems yucky. They don't want a trick, they just want a treat, so why can't they just say, "may i please have a treat...preferably raisins, and not that crappy orange and black chewy, unidentifiable, $1/bag candy?" This is also the first year that my kids have had a say in what they are dressing up as. I like a theme, I really do. I like for them to coordinate. It just seems sloppy for them to have costumes that don't go together at all. Well, Avery wants to be a rock & roll star. This works great. I can have fun with this. I thought it would be perfect for them to both be rock & roll stars. I'd rip up some jeans, get a temporary tattoo, dye their hair...so fun! Well, Finley is not havin' it. Seriously. This is not cool. He just keeps telling me that he is not going to be a rock star, he is going to be Spiderman. First of all, he's obviously never seen a spider man movie. He only knows what he looks like from fruit snacks, A.J.'s old action figures, and all the marketing around target. How uncreative is this. It just irritates me to have one rock star and one spiderman. But, my soft mom heart also knows that he would LOVE wearing that costume. I would be happy to buy him a spiderman costume to wear around the house. Okay, I realize that I am completely over analyzing this and need to get over it already.

Just a case in point, showing my love of a theme: Halloween 2005, A Farmer and his cow. :

Halloween 2006: Family o' doctors.

My prediction for this year: a rock star, a spiderman, and 2 frazzled parents.... Pin It

Ridin' the Pony

We went to Dallas last weekend for my grandmother's 80th birthday celebration. While we were there we stayed with our great friends, Jackie and Greg. It was such a fun, relaxing time. On Saturday we went to the mall to let the kids play and ride the Carousel. Avery calls it a "miracle go round" for some reason. It's too cute, I don't want to correct him. :) They were VERY excited! Here we are waiting to ride, Jackie with her sweet son, Noah, and me and the boys.

The boys lovin' the carousel ride....

Jackie and Noah...how beautiful are they??!!

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