Fall Festival

 Last week the kids decided they would like to dress up as the characters from "Despicable Me" For our fall festival this year. They were more than thrilled when Troy agreed to dress up as well :-) So last week was spent getting all the right outfits and accessories in order to pull it off. Of course we couldn't get Troy to shave his head, but the kids thought he was the 'perfect' Mr. Gru!

 The fall festival is always a very busy 2 hours for me so I was only able to grab a few pictures of the kids having fun. The kids played lots of games, jumped in the jump house, did the big slide, ate cotton candy, snow cones and pop corn, and loaded up on candy.

 We had a great time hanging out with friends and seeing what everyone was dressed up like. Marla got a little cranky at the end, but did pretty well over all. The kids loved that she was 'Agnes' and laughed very hard when her hair stuck straight up after we took the rubber band out. We made some great memories with the kids who are already talking about next years costumes ;-)

My Lil' Pumpkins

 Saturday we had some perfect weather so we headed to the pumpkin "patch" in town with some friends. The kids had a great time and we brought home a few pumpkins to decorate the porch :-)

Fall is my favorite time of year here and we have really been enjoying this one!

Fast, Very Fast!

 We have been enjoying a little bit of cooler weather in the evenings. The kids like to go out and ride their bikes, man can they ride fast. It seems like we were just picking out their first trikes and pushing them from behind to get them started. Man, that went fast.

 On Sunday I came out of the shower and found this. Didn't we just bring her home from the hospital? My baby can't pull up can she? Wasn't I pregnant on the couch yesterday planning Christmas 2012 in a very pregnant state? Now I have my list complete for Christmas 2013 and I'm working on plans for a 1st birthday party. Whew...this year has gone by fast!

Meg can't believe this year is almost over either. 

We are looking forward to the last few months of 2013, and I'm hoping somehow to make time slow down a little before my "littles" are zooming off like my older two.

Baseball

 Sam started baseball this fall. He has wanted to play for a while now, but we decided to wait until he was 7 to play and just avoid the t-ball years. He and Troy play pitch and catch a lot and practice batting so he knew most of the fundamentals going in. He has really enjoyed practice and his coaches have been great. Their first game was last Tuesday and they won 16-4! Before the game all the boys on our team huddled up, took a knee and said a prayer. So cute! At the end of the game Sam was awarded the game ball by his coach for "working so hard" in his position. Oh man, was he excited!

 Sam played catcher, which he loved. He liked having all the extra gear on and getting to stand next to the batters. The umpire and the coaches for both teams were very encouraging to the boys during the game which I appreciated. I'm going to have to work on my baseball photography, but I took these pictures from the bleachers while holding Marla Grace, feeding Meg a picnic supper and keeping an eye on Maddie on the playground near by...I'm glad Troy will be able to come to his next game to help me out!

Here he is batting...He is #12 on the "Lynn Haven Navy Blue Crushers". He hit the ball each time he batted and even scored 2 runs. He already knows his next game is on Monday at 7....we hear about it at least 10 times a day! I'm glad he has found something he enjoys and is getting to make some new friends and work at being a team player.

9 Months

 This little cutie is nine months old now! She is growing up fast and really keeping us on our toes. She wasn't in the mood for pictures on the 7th when she turned 9 months, I told her it was ok because the older you get the more your birthday might seem a little depressing :-) She is also actively cutting a bunch of teeth so I think that may have been the cause. She has gotten her 2 bottom teeth in the last week and her 2 tops ones are about to break the surface.

 She has gotten VERY active in the past month and doesn't like to sit still for long. She can get to anywhere she wants to go now and today I found her climbing the stairs! She loves to pull over our shoe basket and dump the shoes, take a detour under the kitchen table to see if anyone dropped some goodies, and then head into the school closet or the bathroom if the kids have left the door open. A new favorite saying around the house is "Shut the doors!" Megan's new favorite past time is to follow her around and say "No, No little silly!" and then save her from putting something into her mouth :-)

 We tried a hair bow out the other day. Maddie and Meg like to pick her outfits and then accessorize with things in her dresser. The bow lasted a few minutes and then it was ripped out. I found it later on one of the girls baby dolls....probably a better choice anyway!

Uh- Oh...someone left the school closet open and Marla found the marker bin. Glad we found her before any lids were removed :-) I'm thankful now for my three older helpers who do keep an eye on her, even if they occasionally leave the doors open.

Sweet Momma