Just a few

Oh my stars what a busy month October has been! I have so many post and still have to post on those 3 birthday parties I promised a few weeks back. 

1.  Trips to the Pumpkin Patch in Selma both kiddos and Clanton for Wiley

2.  Halloween on Dixie Costume Party 

3.  Company for a weekend

4.  Play date with Foster and his Momma

5.  2nd Annual Witch Party at Julia Anne's

6.  FBC Fall Festival

7.  Trick or Treating

8.  Wiley and I have been so busy in the kitchen baking, cooking and con cocking (is that a word?!!)   

9.  Did I mention that I fit in two 5 hour classes of French Hand Sewing and a full time job?!

10.  New Bible Study on Monday nights!

11.  Soccer Games every.single.Saturday.

12.  Halloween Parade

13.  Sickness for me and Wiley and trips to the Doctors (me-going on 4th week)

14.  Trip to Emergency Care in Birmingham for my severe allergic reaction

Ummmm, that just exhausted me typing that!!  BUT--It has been so much fun and I will do it over and over again in a red hot minute!

I will share a few of my favorite pictures that I captured this month~ but I promise I will post more! Some how I will manage to fit that in with everything else.



Just one of many~Julia Anne's FAB Halloween decor!



Liebster Award

The Liebster Blog Award...



Kristen from Joy in the Journey honored me by giving me a blog award yesterday! How sweet was that?!! Kristen lived next door to us when I was in High School and I always thought she was the cutest little girl.  Who knew that we would have babies the same age now?! She, her husband and her adorable, curly headed baby boy, Foster, have moved back to our hometown! YAY for a "new/old" friend to come back! My favorite thing about her is that she L.O.V.E.S. the Lord and her family so much!  I can't wait for our friendship to blossom even more. Go and check her blog out, you will love them! 

 

What does the Liebster Blog Award mean?

The Liebster Blog Award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. Liebster is a German word meaning dear, sweet, kind, nice, good, beloved, lovely, kindly, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.

To keep this award going, pass the award along to 5 other new deserving bloggers who have less than 200 followers.

The rules for the Liebster Blog Award are:

1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you. 

2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog

3. Copy and paste the award on your blog 

4. Have faith that your followers will spread the love, too!

My Five Liebster bloggers:

1. Shea at The Ford Family has been a friend of mine for years.  She and her husband have been together for a coon's age and that means f.o.r.e.v.e.r. Shea's sister and I graduated from H.S. together and we re-connected through none other than facebook.  I was a follower of her blog for a long time before she inspired me to become a blogger myself.  Go and get to know her, such a wonderful wife and Mother!
2. This cute Momma of four- 1girl and 3 boys is adorable! I love her blog so much.  She can make you laugh and cry all at the same time.  A wonderful and fun family who are so involved with their children! You will love getting to know April and her cheerleader and baseball crew.
3. Kristin at Olivia Charles Antiques has been such a inspiration to me for the past 11 months.  She is such a wonderful and Godly woman.  I learned about them through a mutual person we both know.  I began praying for this family before I even knew their names.  Long story short- I have been praying for them since last November and stumbled across her blog about 3 months ago and put two and two together that this was the family that I had been praying for. I sat out on my back porch and read every single post and cried for two hours solid.  Total God thing! Please visit her blog and support her foundation that she has created for in memory of her precious Livy.
4. Dr. Rayne Osborn Originals is a friend of mine and a Christ follower.  She and her husband, Dr. James also just moved back.  They have the cutest and sweetest little boy Lane.  Her sister Jana is a wonderful friend of mine as well (our boys are just a few days apart and are best buddies) and Rayne's brother Mac and I graduated together...small world.  Any-who you will love her blog and her sweet family.  She was another one who inspired me to become a blogger :)
5. Lindsay at Ole Miss Mom has the cutest family of six.  They have four children, 2 girls and 2 boys! How perfect.  I stumbled across her blog from a mutual friend.  She has some really great post and her recent one about Growing Kids is one we all need to live by and is an eye opener.

This was a fun post.  Thanks to Kristen at Joy in the Journey for giving me this award!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  We sure did!! 

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

This is my go to recipe during the Fall and Holidays (thanks to my Sis).  It is super easy and so delicious! It was a big hit with Wiley's teacher's last year, so I am certain I will do it again.  The best part is, is that you can freeze it, pull it out and warm for a minute or so and it taste as if it was right out of the oven. 

I have never used a spread or icing on it until now.  Darby from Fly Through Our Window posted about a Maple Cinnamon Cream Cheese that she spreads on her Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread.  Well if I must say it is pretty tasty on mine too!  You can find that recipe for the Cream Cheese here.



Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

• 3 cups white sugar
• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup water
• 4 eggs
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Grease and flour three 9x5 inch loaf pans
3. In a large bowl, combine sugar, pumpkin, oil, water, and eggs.  Beat until smooth.
4. Blend in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda and salt
5. Fold in chocolate chips
6. Fill loaf pans to about 2/3 full.
7. Bake for 1 hour, or until an inserted knife comes out clean.  Cool on wire racks before removing from pans.

Enjoy and let me know if you try it!  I have some really fun Pinterest activities planned for us this weekend and I can't wait to share them.  Happy almost Friday.

Sneak Peak into 3 Birthdays

I am bone tired, but can't put off another second of this sneak peak into my next post!

3 Cute Birthday Parties over a 2 week period

Foster turns ONE:  His cute Momma's blog here

Anne Frances turns SIX

Mom made the adorable tennis rackets--to die for!

My sweet Niece Maisie turns THREE

I will be back with a detailed post from all 3 parties

A Baby in Cowboy Boots

This little girl is loving sliding her feet in other peoples shoes at home these days!  Her new found favorite, her big brother YY or Widee or Bubba's cowboy boots!! He is a trooper and doesn't mind at all if she has them on! 

The other night just before bath, Robin yelled for me to grab the camera and come quick!  This is what I captured--Definately a "framer" She had gone in his room (in the dark) put his boots on the correct feet and proceeded to walk up and down the hall...and gracefully I might add! 

Me and Alice say "Put your cowboy boots on because I sure am enjoying mine in this chilly weather" 

Sister's turn: Fair Part II

Finally, both my kiddos at the fair!  Let me start by saying that while I am inside getting our things together, Robin has both kids outside.  The reason being is that Alice is a bit of a clinger and likes to perch on my hip the minute I walk in the door! 

She always bolts towards the road so they, being Rob, Wiley and baby were in the road and she takes a nose dive on the asphalt!  He brings her in screaming with blood gushing down her face and I say "What did you do to her" I didn't mean it but was thinking it and it came out.  Like he pushed her down or something~ Her poor nose  :'(

After a good old peroxide to the nose and a pit stop at the W.D. for Neosporain + pain relief, we made it!
My parents brought my sister's kiddos to join us!  The boys had so much fun together and so did the girls--hard to believe that Alice can ride already. 

WARNING:  Picture overload




The best picture I could get



Her first time on the Carousel and she LOVED it so much!  When it stopped she screamed and jumped up and down, so back around we went for another ride!! 






weeeee~Holding on tight



I think this was their favorite--It is mine too!

 



Can't go to the Fair without playing "Pick up Ducks"

Maisie and Alice had so much fun riding the boats!  Sissy knew exactly what to do, hold on and steer!  Wiley was sweet and caught a duck for Alice to "choke" poor duck--wasn't but for a split second.  And Robin took her for a slide ride! 

She was fascinated by all the lights once it was dark.

I gave her a taste of my Caramel Apple with nuts and she took over!  I didn't get it back, but it was worth it because it kept her content until Wiley finished up at the dunking booth before heading home! 

In about 4 months Wiley will ask how long will it be before October gets here.  The countdown will begin and will be here before we know it!  Happy Fall to all!

Out like a light after a smash with the pavement and a night of rides and sugar!

Central Alabama Fair Part I

Candy Apple lips

The town Fair rolled around the 1st week of October again this year and it was chilly!  Baby was barely 5 months old and it was way to cold last year so she stayed with our babysitter.  Of course I was sad because I wanted her to "see" the fair or was it for everyone to "see" her--well both :)  So this year the same thing..way to cold for her to be in the night air after being sickly so she didn't get to go again :(  I just knew she would love it too!


Big boy wanted to go straight to the back this year and ride the B.I.G. rides.  I couldn't believe it and Robin rode all of them with him, except one!  As they were standing in line for the paratroopers Lucy (1st grade) and Avery (4th grade) were in front of them.  Well it was time for the girls to get on and Wiley looked at his Daddy and said "Dad can I ride with the girls" after the girls screamed...WILEY come ride with us, he was gone!  I was fearful of course because he is still a baby boy at 5, but Robin insisted he was big enough now...tear :'(

Avery, Wiley and Lucy








Swing = Me a nervous wreck!



See my fellas in the way back!



Barron and Wiley



A baby chick



Ready-Aim-FIRE



Bumper Cars

This pretty much sums up the night!  We ended it with a couple of baseball throws at the dunking booth and my little guy NAILED it!!!  And his precious face says it all as he walks away with pride that he GOT HER!!

This post is Part I of our Fair week because guess what?!!  It warmed up and we were able to take Sister Bear back on Friday--The weather was perfect and the crowd was minimal!!

Good Night and God Bless!









Ginger and Casper

A few weeks ago Robin and Wiley went to his parents for the afternoon and later Alice and I joined them. Baby is uhhhbesssssed with C.O.W.S.  she loves them and Wild Man does too!!!  Papa has had these two cows for a long time.

I am the only one awake to make sure that I got their names correct but they are the only two left and I am 90 percent certain.  We shall see when Rob reads this!!



Casper





and Ginger



Upward Soccer 2011

Our Soccer Player

Upward Soccer is such a great soccer program!  Every team is a winner, there are no losers and best of all--it is a Christian program.  Wiley asked last year to play and I didn't sign him up...selfishly because Alice was practically a newborn and the thought of getting a 3 month old baby up and out the door by 7:30 on a Saturday morning didn't sound great!  How's that for a run-on sentence :) 

He loves it and is really good.  The Falcons is the name of our team! He was sad to find out that Moss was on the Penguins but thankfully his other good pal Sam was on his team.

Wiley's Sis is his #1 Cheerleader!

Prayer after the game!



Happy Sister Bear!




Sam and Wiley take a break!

 What a beautiful weekend we had! The weather was nice and the sun was shining.  We had two birthday parties and they were both so stinking cute!! Stay tuned for pictures.  Saturday was a 1st birthday for Foster, my friend Kristen's beautiful little boy and the other was for Anne Frances who turned 6--SIX, hard to believe!!

Have a wonderful week!