Halloween Fun

We have had such a fun night! We just got back from trick or treating and we have lots of candy. We went out last night to a local church for some trunk or treating. We didn't last long because it was sooo busy, and it was very cold. But Abby ran into some kids from her class at school and was thrilled to have 13 pieces of candy. :)
Tonight we were supposed to go out trick or treating with some friends, but their son came down with strep throat and there was no way I was about to get close to that. I just don't want to make another trip to urgent care. So we made other plans. Our amazing friend Hannah called to tell us that Hope College was having trick or treating tonight so we headed over there. It was so fun. There were games to play, crafts to make, tunnels to crawl through and of course there was candy. Hannah walked with us and Grace was happy.
Then we came home and did a few houses in our neighborhood. Abby was running from house to house and thrilled with each new piece of candy. But she tired of it quickly and then just wanted to go home to hand out our candy. We only got one visitor. I think the rest of the kids had come while we were gone. Needless to say we now have a bowl full of candy that was to be handed out and Abby's bowl of candy. We have plenty to share, so please come on over! :) Abby decided to be Ariel from the Little Mermaid on Friday night.

Today she chose to be Snow White and we dressed Grace as a little lady bug.

It was a little chilly out so I layered her in two shirts and pants before putting the costume on, but she was so excited she didn't care.She's definitely a princess!!

Here are the girls waiting for the Hope festivities to begin.

Yeah for Hannah, Hope College, and CANDY!

VIP Day!

Yesterday was VIP Day at school. This meant that Abby could take a Very Important Person to school for an hour of fun activities in the morning. Abby got to take Hannah!! She was beyond excited and all week long we had to count down the days until Hannah could come to school. Then yesterday after school, I got the complete run down on all the activities she did with Hannah. One of the things they did first was to sing several songs for the visitors. I didn't put all of them up here on the blog, but I did put one. I hope you enjoy it! And Hannah, we LOVE you! Thanks for being Abby's VIP! :)

Conquered!

This week Grace has conquered walking! It's like all of the sudden she decided she wanted to do it. She still tumbles and if she really wants something she will resort to crawling, but most of the time she just pulls herself up and walks. I love watching babies learn to walk because they stagger back and forth. It's so cute!!

Pumpkin Carving Fun

Today was such a great day. I absolutely love Sundays! After a great worship service and a fulfilling and tasty lunch, it's just me and the girls for the afternoon. The house is usually clean, the laundry is done and the school work is finished so Sundays are just "be together" days. Yep, they're the best!
Here are some snapshots of our day: Here are the girls cuddling together in the morning. These two seriously adore each other! I love proud momma moments like this.

We decided to attack our pumpkins this afternoon. Abby was so excited until she saw the inside of the pumpkin and she got grossed out. It was so funny to watch.

She only put her hand in one time and that was it! Don't you just love the look on her face? She was so completely grossed out by the seeds and the pumpkin innards. I tried to get her to just feel it, but no way. She wanted nothing to do with it.

She did however, love the carving part. She had drawn a picture of what she wanted the faces to look like and was so happy to poke out the triangles after I carved them.

This is how Grace spent her time while we were carving. She loves the tupperware cupboard. Such a happy girl!

Finished product! She was thrilled. Don't you love that one pumpkin has teeth and one just has a big smile? These look just like her drawings. She was explicit in which one was to get which smile.

We couldn't find any candles in the house so we'll have to get some later, but Abby was happy to put them outside on the front porch for all to see and admire.

Yep, Sundays are good.

Friday Night Fun

Last night we got together with our friends for dinner, dessert and laughs. We all brought the kids and it made for a loud, but very fun night. Abby and Aliya just hanging out and waiting for dinner, or maybe they're just hoping for the dessert. Oh the choices! Brownies, ice cream, chocolate covered pretzels, and apple strudel. If you're Abby, you ate all of the above. Yum!

Yeah! Jocelyn's home! Amy proudly showed off her newest daughter. She reminded me so much of Grace when she was younger. They look so much alike. What a cutie!

Near the end of the evening the kids found the musical instruments and formed a band. Aliya had the tambourine, Alex had the drum, Abby had the cow bells and Levi was on drums too. What a joyful noise! Thanks for a fun night ladies!

13 months 22 days

13 months and 22 days. That's how long it took until Grace started walking. I know that I blogged about her walking before school started and she was. But then she only took 3-4 steps and she seemed to have forgotten about it and reverted back to crawling. But! This week (today especially) is different. It seems as though she has decided to walk and she is determined to do it often. She walked across the kitchen tonight and from couch to couch. I think it's only a matter of time before she starts running. Where of where did my baby go?

That's right! We look good!

Last weekend in the gorgeous weather, my family got together to get our family pictures taken. My good friend took them and so is soooo great!! If you need a photographer, let me know and I'll pass along her information.
The kids had decided to get family pictures for mom and dad's Christmas present. We did it now since we wanted outdoor ones. We had an hour for pictures and man did we get a ton of different poses. I didn't put them all on here, but I chose a few of my favorites. Enjoy! Here's the whole clan. What started with 2 people, quickly became 15 people. And don't they look good! We decided to wear jeans and a solid colored shirt. We didn't want anyone to have to buy new clothes, but rather to just look in their closet. We didn't coordinate colors at all, but I think it all turned out great!

Here are my 2 favorite girls!! Such cuties!!

Here's our family pose. Don't you love the face on Grace? This was near the end of our hour and she was done smiling. Oh well, this photo captures my life right now. I'd say it's pretty right on.

Here's my brother and his family. They all look good too. My brother is so photogenic, I'm jealous.

Here's my sister and her family. She has three adorable girls.

Yep. This is what started everything. And the 2 shall become 15! We love you mom and dad!

Isn't this great by the rocks? I was skeptical at first, but I think it's one of my favorites. And I love the fact that everyone, and I mean everyone, is smiling!!

There was a gazebo nearby so we used that for a few photos too. If you can enlarge this one, look at Grace's smile. It's golden and of course we got it on the last picture. Too funny!