A splash of fall...

Have I mentioned that fall is my favorite season! I LOVE all the color...and normally we have to wait longer for it around here, but not this year. I don't know if it is all the rain and clouds that we have had over the past month or what, but I'm loving that the trees are turning before Halloween this year. Anyway, I snaped these pics last Saturday when we got home from Alec's soccer game. I just love the Oak trees in our front yard.

Friendly, Cute Halloween....

Well, every year we have been saying we were going to carve pumpkins, and we always end up putting it off and not doing it. So...we were determined...well, Alec was determined that we were going to carve one this year. So, finally a week and a half ago we did! It was a lot of fun, and Alec loved playing in the pumpkin gut goo. Ava was a little more dainty about it...picking out the seeds one at a time. I ended up toasting the pumpkin seeds with seasoning salt, and they were really yummy! Eriik was the actual pumpkin carver...Alec and I picked out a pattern on the internet...although, Alec wanted the scariest looking thing he could find, I like to keep Halloween as sweet and friendly as possible....not always easy. I had just told him the other day "We do cute, sweet, Halloween in this house...not yucky, scary Halloween!" Well...the next day he came home from preschool with a book he had picked out from the library called "Scary, Scary, Halloween". I had to give a little chuckle...that was his way of rebelling I guess. Boys are just fasinated with scary things I think. But no matter what I'm still keeping my front porch sweet!

Look at Ava's face...it says..."ooh gross"..such a little priss!

The Great outdoors!

We made a last minute decision to go camping this past weekend. It couldn't have been a more perfect weekend to go! The weather was BEAUTIFUL!!! We left our house around 3:00 Friday afternoon and the song playing on the radio as we were driving off was "It's a Beautiful Day" So fitting. Anyway...this was our first time to go camping as a family...(Eriik had taken Alec a couple times before) We had been putting it off because we weren't so sure how Ava would react to it all. Anyway...we got to Dangerfield park around 3:45 and got our camping spot. The kids had a great time "exploring" the woods while Eriik and I set up the tent. We did the typical roasting hotdogs, and smores thing for dinner. We took a long walk after dinner and the kids played on the play ground. We put the kids to bed around 8:30...well...they stayed up talking and giggling till around 10:00. Eriik and I stayed up late by the campfire talking and had a really relaxing evening. Ava was really doing great up until she woke up in the morning...it was cold and she was grumpy (even with all her layers of clothing). Eriik got up and had the fire built before I even got out of my sleeping bag. Eriik said that his favorite part of camping is the next morning waking up and making breakfast! Um...that is sooo not my favorite part...not a morning person so much...especially after hardly getting a wink of sleep due to hearing strange russeling noises outside the tent, and a symphony of snoring from the kids and Eriik! So in the morning Eriik made pancakes, eggs, and bacon...and even made coffee(he bought a percolator)! I was lovin life again after my coffee! Ava cheered up when she got her eggs. After breakfast we broke down camp and went fishing, and then decided to rent a paddle boat....which about killed our legs! The kids really loved watchin the ducks too. It was just a really great camping experience overall...I would do it again in a heartbeat!

Alec has his walking sticks in this pic...he said "When I go into the forest to look for weapons (sticks), you can just call me jungle man!" He makes me smile.

Checking out the tent before dinner.

Eating daddy's pancakes in the morning!

As they were walking closer to the water Alec took Ava's hand to protect her... it was so sweet.

Ava watching the ducks

On the paddle boat

Alec loves to fish!

Pickin Pumpkins

We visited Moore Farm today with some friends. It was chilly (low 60's) and cloudy and I loved that it actually felt like fall! This was our 4th or 5th year to come out here, and it was so fun to share it with some of our friends. We got to have little Mary stay with us over night because Mer was out of town. She is the sweetest little thing and we got to see a whole other giggly, silly, talkative side of her last night. Anyway...after the pumpkin patch we all went to eat a little Mexican food for lunch. It was great because all the kids sat at one table and we sat at our own..and they didn't kill each other. It's been a fun weekend...and it's still going...Alec and Eriik are at a Monster Truck ralley right now!

It was REALLY muddy! We were so glad that we had rubber boots for the kids!

Sweet smiles all around for Mary, Alec and Ava...they were happy with their pumpkins.

Not the best family pic, but at least it documents we were all there together :)

Carson, Ava, Mary, Alec and Matteos playing in the corn. Ava's doing her cheesiest smile!

Ava, Sophia, and AJ make adorable little pumpkins!

At the start of the corn maze. Matteos was our "leader" and did a great job of getting us through it. That's the top of Mary's head at the very bottom...for the most part she and Carson tried to stay out of the pictures.

Just another autumn day in Texas!

Last weekend was so warm that we decided to bring a little summer back and break out the pool and water balloons again. I actaully got a sun burn at Alec's soccer game and we were all sweating! I am so ready for some REAL fall weather!!! Fall has always been my favorite season. I love bonfires, cool weather, and the colorful leaves...we just have to wait for it a little longer for it around here. It will really feel like fall in November. Oh well...at least the kids got to enjoy their water fun for a little longer. This weekend is going to be at least a little cooler (70's to low 80's)!