Trick or Treating

We left the house at 6:00 to start our trick or treating excursion. We left that early for several reasons, other people started trick or treating so the kids were ready to get out there too, we needed to finish in time for Elizabeth to go to bed without the crankies, and I wanted to chat with Matt before he left for work. So far I have missed Matt online and Elizabeth got cranky before I was able to shut the door to the neighborhood trick or treaters. Hopefully, I won't have any tricks for closing my door and turning off the light at 7:15. Anyway, here are some of our better pictures. I know Matt is looking forward to seeing them since he had to miss Halloween two years in a row. It looks like he should be able to trick or treat next year though since it's on a Friday night. Oh, and btw the weather was perfect for trick or treating. Not too chilly and not too warm, just perfect.

Pumpkin Carving

It took us two nights but we finally got our pumpkins ready for display. This year instead of doing the carving I opted for a more child friendly approach. We did the lite brite method of pumpkin carving. I think they turned out realy well too. We will have to wait and see how they look at night though. I'll post that picture with our Halloween pictures. But here are our carving pictures.

Gabe Says

With Matt being out of town emotions seem to be closer to the edge for all of us. Today Gabe and I were battling one another on his behavior. I had sent him to his room and later went in to talk to him. During our conversation I told him that I loved him very much. I also told him that if I didn't love him I wouldn't pay attention to the things he does and his behavior. He looked at me and asked, "Mom would you pay less attention to my fingers in my mouth."

All I could do was smile and laugh a little and then tell him that was something I would always pay attention to. That wasn't even the reason he got into trouble either.

Our First Trip to the Circus

Over our Fall break we took a trip to Tennessee to visit my family and then also took a quick trip to visit with Matt's family. My mother-in-law got tickets to the Shriner Circus. This was going to be the kids first trip to the circus. They had a blast. They rode the elephant, got souvenirs, cotton candy, and got to watch a great show. It was well worth it. Each child had a different favorite. Gabriel's favorite was the motorcycles in the dome, Abby enjoyed the "puppies", Elizabeth, while she was awake, enjoyed all the glowing souvenirs, and my favorite was the dog dressed up as a stuffed elephant.

Elizabeth Says

"dada, no, ribbit"

Not all at once. She also will wave Hello.

Abby Says

"I wanna watch Sleeping Booty."

Gabe Says

The other night we were eating hush puppies and Abby asked what they were. I told her and Gabe got this comical look on his face and said, "Are they really puppies?"

Just Weather

I am so ready for fall. I love the changes of the seasons, I think that is my favorite time of the year. But as of yet we have not had a season change. We are experiencing record breaking highs this weekend (90's). It's made it hard to get into the spirit of fall. I checked weather.com today and it looks like the cool down I have been waiting for will happen on Wednesday. Just in time for the Fall Festival at school. Hopefully, it won't be as chilly as last year. But it would make it that much more variable.

Thursday Thanks Tank

There is so much for me to be thankful this week.

1. My Father: This is the biggest thanks of the week. My dad has had his surgery and is now recovering from the operation. Though he is still in a lot of pain he is on the way to recovery. This is wonderful news to hear.
2. Gymnastics: Abby had her first gymnastic class tonight. She had a really good time. This afternoon seemed to take forever with her waiting and asking if it was time to go yet.
3. Bible Study: I decided to do the MOPS Bible Study again this year. I really enjoyed and got a lot out of it last year. We had several new moms join so it will be good to get to know them better as the year goes on.
4. My wonderful loving Husband: Matt has been so understanding this week as I worried, fretted, and tried to make decisions involving my dad. I am so glad I have such a wonderful husband who will move mountains to help me if he could.

Waiting Is the Hardest Part

Yesterday I got a call from my mother that my dad was on the way to the hospital. He got thrown off his horse and was in a lot of pain. They were running dogs and he wanted everyone else to get the birds out anyway. Eventually he had my mom call 911. Mom drove the trailer to a spot where my brother-in-law could meet her and then traded cars and went to the hospital. A friend meanwhile stayed and rode in the ambulance with my dad. He later said that dad was in so much pain it almost made him sick. Later that afternoon the doctors finally determined that he had torn the ligaments and tendons in his pelvic bone. It looks like he will need surgery to help fix the tear. From what I understand so far they will be putting in a metal plate to hold the two pelvic bones together. He will then be on bed rest for at least 6 weeks and then it will be another 3-6 months before he will begin to get back to normal. This is going to be an extremly trying time for everyone because my dad is so active and isn't kept down easily. Please keep him in your prayers.