Annual Church Carnival

This was our 3rd year going to the church carnival.  Since Halloween was on a Friday evening, they decided to have the carnival Thursday night to avoid conflicts with the high school football game.  It worked out great because we had wanted to go trick or treating with some friends and this way we could do both.  It was a busy Halloween week!

 

 

The same games as last year, but still so much fun for the girls.  And, you are a winner every time!  So much candy before we even went trick or treating!

 

The church recently finished renovations to facility and the gym floor looked fantastic and there was even some space to hang some decorations where they added an entrance from the gym to the gathering space between the various buildings.

 

Leah is much more of an "athlete" than Lesley.  Left handed and all!

 

They probably loved the hot dogs, cotton candy, and snow cones the best!

(Then we went home and had a real meal with fruits and vegetables.)

 

These kids, they make me smile!

 

And one with mommy too!

 

What a fun holiday this year!

Carmichael's Farm (Part 2)

Leah begged and begged to go back to Carmichael's so she could ride the camel.  We told her she had to see if there was $5 in her piggy bank and if there was, she could ride the camel.  So, with Lesley's help, they emptied their piggy banks and found $5 so they could ride the camels.

 

We had to fit it in the week of Halloween since we were running out of time.  But, then the night before we had promised them, Daddy got a ticket to Game 7 of the World Series and there was no way we wanted him to pass that chance up.  So, he drove to KC and Mommy was stuck taking all the kids to the pumpkin patch.  Whew!  It was a lot of work to keep track of all of them, but no one got lost in the piles and piles of pumpkins so I'd say it was a successful trip.

 

 

I had the kids wear their costumes so I could try to get a few more snapshots.

 

Little Mouse was not really cooperative, but we got a few pictures.

 

And, the kids used the leftover corn from our last visit to feed the goats.

 

We decided they weren't very hungry but it was good to get the last of the corn bag out of my car at least.

 

He is difficult to see, but Levi was trying so hard to pet the black pig.

 

My sweet cowgirls!

 

Originally, I wanted the girls to be princesses, i.e. Tiana, and Levi was going to be a frog since I bought a $5 frog costume late in the summer.  But, the girls were insisting on cowgirls....again, for the 3rd year.  I didn't fight them since we had the boots, we had the hats, and they both had cowgirls shirts to wear.  Then, the frog costume apparently was not meant for walking one year olds since it wouldn't allow Levi to stand in it.  So, plan B for him was the mouse costume Leah wore 3 years ago.

 

He was the cutest little mouse.

 

Then, it came time for the camel ride.  Leah was ready to go, until she got on the camel then she freaked out and wanted off immediately.  So, Leah who had been begging to ride the camel for days and days, did not actually ride the camel.  Her big sister stepped in and went for a quick spin.  It was getting dark but I still got a pretty good photo of her on top the trusty stead.

 

It was a pretty good evening at the pumpkin patch even if Daddy wasn't there and I was exhausted by the end of the night.  The mouse may have been little, but he sure is getting fast and has a very strong opinion these days.

Carlin Pumpkin Fest

After our trip to Carmichael's to get pumpkins, and just a few days before Halloween, we had our pumpkin carving for our little family.  It was fun to have all the kids so excited and involved in the process this year!

 

We aren't really that creative of people, but I'm thankful Jason is willing to at least try just about whatever the girls ask.  Or, this year what Mommy asks.  I thought it would be fun to carve a pumpkin with our name in it!  It turned out just as I pictured!

 

 

We usually let them each pick out a small pumpkin and they always want to paint them.

 

 

 

Levi even insisted on painting.

 

 

He did a pretty good job too, and didn't get too much paint on himself or others.

 

Leah did a good job and even helped Levi finish painting his.

 

 

And, she was of course excited to clean up afterwards too.  Our little cleaner!

 

Lesley got a hold of the camera and some (actually lots!) of photos.  She insisted I include a few of the pictures on the blog.

 

The carving and painting station per Lesley.

 

Levi wanted to help daddy do some carving and thought he'd try a bit of the pumpkin.  As suspected, he thought it was gross.

 

 

So, we thought he might want to help dig the "guts" out.

 

No fear, he went right in for a scoop.

 

 

I loved Lesley's expressions and closed eyes in this one.  "It won't be as gross if my eyes are closed, right?  Maybe?"

 

Oh man, so slimy!

Leah had to dig in too!

 

 

Lesley didn't want to join Leah and Levi for a photo with the final products.  They turned out good!  Thanks so much Daddy for doing most of the work!

 

 

Leah's carved pumpkin is on the right.  She wanted a rainbow with upside down eyes and a nose.  Huh?  Whatever!

 

 

It was so warm during October, even the end of the month that they didn't last long and rotted pretty quickly.  But, they were fun while they lasted!  And, it was a very enjoyable evening when we did our carving.

Carmichael's Farm (Part 1)

The girls and I were really excited to visit Carmichael's pumpkin patch again this year.  With the weather being so warm all October, we waited till it got pretty close to Halloween to go.  And, it was still HOT.  Let's just say that we didn't last all that long since all of us were sweating and quite honestly, I wasn't really in the Halloween/Fall mood.

 

 

The girls ran through the hay bale maze.  It had been well traveled by the time we visited, so the bales were were a little tricky to navigate.  But, they made it through!

 

With smiles even!

 

Levi didn't have a Halloween shirt to wear but at least I managed to put him in an orange shirt so he "fit in" with the girls well enough.

 

Levi has grown up so much leading up to this 1st birthday and this trip was another reminder that he has turned into a little boy.

 

He wanted to be right next to his sisters and had the best time looking at the animals.

 

We used a lot wet wipes to clean those hands up!

 

Leah was nervous about feeding the animals, but Lesley was ready and willing.

 

She, too, has grown up a lot in the last few months.  It's like I blink and she is a different little girl.

 

She was trying to explain to her brother the proper way to feed the goats.  "You have to keep your hand really flat or they will eat your fingers.  No good."

 

He wanted to try of course, no fear for this little man.

 

Eventually he gave up on the food and decided to just pet Mr. Billy Goat.

 

We could just see Levi thinking this through and figuring out what to do.

 

Then, he wanted to feed him and thought a little piece of hay would work.

 

The goat was not interested in hay.

 

Leah thought she was brave and gave it a try.  Pretty sure any corn on her hand ended up on the ground when she would pull back at the last minute.

 

He was so happy!

 

I have just loved this fall and seeing the kids together.  Three kids is challenging, stressful and makes me want to pull my hair out at times (or crawl into bed to hibernate and sleep for weeks!), but their relationships are so special right now.  Lesley tries to be the boss and Leah is such a protector for Levi.  So many hugs and kisses every day!  I can't even count how many times we say, "leave your brother alone, don't touch him!"  It's exhausting at times, but it always comes down to the fact that they just love him so much they can't help themselves.

 

I just love our family right now! 

We try to make memories every day because time just marches on, faster and faster.