happy halloween

Our church does trunk-or-treat on Halloween every year and I stress about my trunk for the entire month.  I always put it off until the last minute and rush around like a crazy person trying to get it together the day of.  I saw where someone had done Mike Wazowski from Monsters Inc/University and thought it would be a big hit.  I asked my friend Barbara to help me since she is way more creative and crafty than I am.  We divided and conquered this morning and gathered supplies and then met back up at my house to create this masterpiece!

 

 

I think it looked amazing and I'm pretty impressed that I was able to recreate it when we got to church.

 

The cousins helping MeMa set up her picnic.

 

Kelly did a tattoo parlor.  So fun!

 

My little mermaid loved trick-or-treating.  I was a nervous wreck making sure she didn't get any peanut/peanut butter candy.

 

Barbara was so excited to see our masterpiece in action when her family came by so the kids could trick-or-treat.  It was a big hit with everyone!

 

And a little Halloween fun from earlier in the week.

 

bryce's harvest festival

Bryce had his harvest festival and party at school today and got to dress up in his Halloween costume.  I typically leave Emmy behind for school events, but I couldn't resist dressing her up in her mermaid costume and bringing her along!

 

 

Emmy loves mermaids.  Kelly found this costume at Old Navy during a flash sale and bought Emmy and Taylor matching costumes.  We'll have to get a picture of the two together.  Emmy has the thickest accent when she says mermaid and it cracks me up!

 

Bryce the knight!  The helmet gets in the way a little bit.

 

Emmy joined right in with all of the activities with Bryce's class.  She enjoyed playing with Henry's sister Emily.  They've become friends on the baseball field while the boys play!

 

Bryce and his best buds from school.

 

After the kids played Halloween themed games, they went to music class and the parents got to watch.

 

After music they did crafts and then headed back to the classroom for lunch. 

 

Happy Halloween Eve!

these are the days

We haven't been to the Children's Museum in a while so I decided to take the kids today.  Her pretty blonde hair is getting long!

 

 

She's totally sporting a mullet though (business in the front, party in the back).  Her hair in the front just won't fill in!  She has mastered the "cheese" face

 

 

Bryce made himself right at home in the "sand" box.  I'm not sure what they call that stuff, but it's way better than actual sand.  I still think I'm a fan of corn over it all though! 

 

We went the Short Pump location today because it's much easier for me to take both kids there by myself.  I was pleased to see that they had changed a lot of the exhibits. 

 

The grocery store is always a favorite at the downtown location too!  They had a cute diner and a racecar, but Emmy the blur wouldn't hold still long enough for any of the pictures.

 

There is a fun candy store right down from the museum.  The kids have come to expect a stop by there after the museum.  Fine by me!

 

Tuesdays and Thursdays are my favorite days because Bryce is home with us all day.  It's starting to sink in that he's going to be in kindergarten next year.  I am so thankful to have this time with him now that I'm staying home.

a busy saturday

We skipped fall and hopped right into winter this weekend.  There was frost on the ground when we got up Saturday, but that didn't stop us from bundling up and heading out for a fun filled day. 

 

 

Our first stop was to a local park to celebrate our friend Avery's 2nd birthday.  The only picture I got of Emmy and the birthday girl.

 

Emmy would do anything to swing all day long.  I'm not sure if this swing doubled as a baby and handicap swing or not, but Emmy was a little small for it.  The only other swings were for big kids and she can't handle those yet!

 

Bryce enjoyed the slides because he went super fast since he was wearing his baseball uniform.  We headed to his baseball game straight from the party.

 

We had to leave in the middle of the party to get to baseball, so the kids had to take their cupcakes for the road.  They must have been good because Bryce had already eaten his by the time I got my camera out!

 

I'm so sad I don't have any baseball pictures to share.  Jason is the coach and I'm the team mom so that leaves little time for picture taking.  Next week is our last game so I guess I better get on it!  We left the kids in Nana's hands at the game and hurried home to get ready for a wedding.

 

Jason's aunt got married last night and Jason's dad officiated.  It was a great family affair!

 

Something about food and drinks at a wedding.  Always better than at home!

 

Jason's cousin did the cake!  If you're in the Mechanicsville area and you need a cake or other pastries, Williams Bakery is the place to go!

5 on friday

 

:ONE:

 

Jason has started his every other Friday off schedule at work again and I LOVE it.  We were in Charleston for his first Friday off and now this week we'll be home and can just relax.  I love a three day weekend with the family every other week!

 

:TWO:

 

I am loving this pumpkin cupcake soap from Bath and Body Works.

:THREE:

 

I know I must seem like the most pumpkin obsessed person you've ever met since I'm always posting pumpkin stuff, but I really only like pumpkin from September - November.  I made these pumpkin cake balls the other night for our small group and they were delicious.   



SOURCE

:FOUR:

 

I love shopping and I love getting a few new pieces every now and then, but now that I'm not working, I can't shop like I used to.  I've gotten pretty good about just shopping at Target and I only shop at my favorite stores if there are sales and I have coupons.  This Sunday we did a little "Goodwill hunting" after church since the kids weren't with us.  I know some people may not like the idea of shopping at Goodwill, but if you're up for the hunt, you can find some great things.   I got a pair of Banana Republic jeans for $6.99, a pair of American Eagle jeans for $6.99, and a really cute pair of Target Merona brand polka dot skinny jeans (brand new with tags) for $4.99.  Jason got a pair of Gap khakis for $4.99 and a sport coat for $6.99.   

 

:FIVE:

 

I've been loving this look I pinned on Pinterest a while back.  I was excited when I realized I already had all the pieces in my closet except the yellow scarf.  And believe it or not, I was able to snag the scarf at Walmart for $5!!

 

SOURCE

 

I styled my striped shirt with the yellow scarf, black pants, and leopard flats for dinner when we were in Charleston and really liked the look.  Her shoes and stripes are camo, but I went with leopard and it worked. 

 

 

The weather has turned cold here this week so I added the black cardigan today and wore my new AE jeans I snagged at Goodwill on Sunday. 

 

Happy Friday everyone! 

pump it up

We went to a birthday party for one of the little girls in Bryce's class today and had so much fun.  You can't go wrong with TWO rooms full of inflatables. 

 

 

All the kids from the class were there and a few of her other friends!

 

Thomas, Henry and Addison are Bryce's good friends from class!

 

These two!  I sure hope after two years of preschool together they will have the same kindergarten teacher next year. 

 

And this cake.  The mom made it.  It was her first time making one. WOW! 

 

Happy Birthday Hailey!

it's hump day........woot woot

 

Nana and Pap couldn't wait until Christmas to give Bryce his new shirt they ordered him, so here he is in all his hump day glory today!  He loves this commercial.  We tried to get him a similar shirt in Charleston, but they only came in adult sizes.

we needed a day like this

We didn't have anything on the calendar today.  That is BIG.  We didn't have anywhere we needed to be and I didn't have any errands to run.  I went to bed last night with such excitement knowing that we wouldn't have to rush or be on any schedule today!  Sometimes we all just need a day like this.  We rarely watch tv during the day, but today was different.  The kids enjoyed cozying up and relaxing in front of the tv for a few cartoons this morning. 

 

 

After breakfast the kids helped me do some baking for our small group tonight.  They were great helpers!

 

Once we cleaned up our mess, we did a little work.

 

We were all still in our pajamas when Bryce's friend Thomas came over to play for a while this afternoon.  I had to finally get the kids dressed so we could go outside and play.  I didn't even get in the shower until 4:00 today, ha!

 

Bryce was excited about the 10 leaves that have fallen in our yard so we had to rake them up and play.

 

Best friends!

And then this happens!

 



 

The rest of the week and weekend are busy, but it sure was nice to relax today!



field trip

We were back out at the pumpkin patch today for Bryce's first school field trip.  He was so excited to board the bus with his friends this morning!  A couple of the moms rode with me and we met the kids at the farm.  First up was the hayride to the pumpkins.  Bryce quickly went off with his friends in search of the perfect pumpkin.

 

 

It didn't take him and Thomas long to find just the right one!

 

 

Bryce's friend Henry is also on his baseball team this year.  I'm so thankful for the sweet friendships Bryce is making.

 

It didn't matter how many pictures I snapped, it's impossible to get 10 preschoolers to cooperate for a group picture.

 

See what I mean?!?

 

Three sweet boys!

 

They didn't have this ball the last time we were here so Bryce was super excited for something new.  The kids loved chasing it around. 

 

Days like to today make me even more thankful that I can stay at home so I can be a part of all the fun childhood memories Bryce is making!