{ Painting Pumpkins - 2012 }

We have a busy weekend planned and started off with a fun Friday afternoon activity.  Painting pumpkins!

The kids put on their painting clothes and got to it!

 Sarah's looked like a traditional Halloween pumpkin.

 Emma Taylor's color block pumpkin.

 Harrison's starting with a maroon base!  

 Papa Smurf blue

 Anna Grace put a Phil 4:13 on hers!

 Emma Taylor added some dots...

 GO STATE!

 I just stuck with stripes.

 I love the top of Anna Grace's...even a cute stem!

 

Lee showed off and made this super creative and awesome pumpkin!  This Papa Smurf pumpkin is so much fun!

 Hard at work...or posing for the camera!  :)

Painting pumpkins is better than carving for our family.  This way we can all do it together rather than taking turns watching someone get their pumpkin carved by Lee - the kids get bored with this really fast.  I'm not a good carver...I get nervous that I'm going to cut myself.  The kids don't like emptying the "guts" out either!  The kids may decide they'd rather carve pumpkins when they get a little bigger and self-sufficient, but for now I love this tradition! 

The pumpkins are still sitting on the counter.  Once they're moved to the porch I'll add a picture of everyone with their completed pumpkin!  Happy Weekend!

{ homecoming dance recap }

Anna Grace and her friend, Brooke, had a ball at the Guntown Middle School Homecoming dance.  Here they are before the dance.

Remember how I mentioned the girls were wearing their Vans with their dresses?   Well, here they are....check these girls out!  7th grade is FUN!  

{ pumpkin patch }

I was afraid some of the kids might think they were too big for a trip to the pumpkin patch, but I was wrong!  We all had a fun time and made the most out of our Columbus Day holiday!

See, Lee wasn't even too big to join the fun! 

We went on a hayride, found our way through the corn maze and ended up in the pumpkin patch where we all picked out pumpkins.

Emma Taylor

 Sarah

 Anna Grace, complete with pose

 Harrison

After that, the kids found even more fun!

hoola hooping

these girls are getting busy with the hoops!

 petting the sheep

face paint

 playing in a big tube!

 sack race

 

Jumping in the bouncy house

We had a super morning at the pumpkin patch.  We finished up with lunch at Chili's.  Goodness we love long weekends! 

Have  you been to the patch yet?  :)

{ lately }

I haven't taken many pictures lately and now I regret it!  I've been hooked on instagram, so I've taken snapshots here and there, but it's not the same as taking pictures intentionally with my regular camera.   Pictures seem more thoughtful and important if I actually had to locate my camera to take them!  I've got to get back in the groove.  Until then, here are some of our recent instagram pics.

at the park

 quinn's LEGO party

 love the "stache!"

 fave 4th graders

 loves to read

our very own junie b. jones

 first grade is fun

 hall monitor

Anna Grace makes herself scarce now that she's 12, but I promise she's still around!  She's hanging out in her room and doing her own thing most of the time.  I remember doing that when I was in 7th grade...talking on the phone (and having to answer call-waiting in case someone called for my parents!) and listening to my cassette tapes!  Lee, the other kids and I are definitely not as cool as we used to be....or maybe we never were.  Ha!  :)

{ Book Character Day }

The little girls had a fun Friday.  Their school was having a Literacy Kickoff, so the kids were encouraged to dress like a book character.

I took Kacey, of Kacey's Poodle Skirt, and Junie B. Jones, from the fun Junie B. Jones series, to school on Friday.  Don't they look cute?

The girls and their school mates had a parade through the school and then did some work in their classrooms on the books that they chose.  Such a fun way to encourage reading.  I think Friday was their favorite day of the year so far!

Now happy about a looong weekend!  :)