Farms and Football

Thought I would catch all of you who read our blog up on the latest! Where has October gone? This week I have found myself looking forward to Thanksgiving break and ordering birthday party invites(hello! Etsy has always been a site I liked but now I am addicted. All things Minnie and Mickey they have!)as December will be here oh so soon.
Anywho....back to last week. I took the kids last year to Papa Simpson's Farm in Arcadia. They only have tours once a month and during October they get to go to the pumpkin patch and pick pumpkins. We had so much fun (before the meltdown!!) last year that I made plans to do it again this year and bring Matt and my mom along. The Hall family also joined in the fun! The only thing I did different this year was pack some snacks and pb and j's(the frozen kind that are pre-made) and some extra juice boxes. Little did I think they would go for them. Well, that was the lifesaver and the reason for our meltdown last year. So the tour started at 10 and we left around noon from the farm. The tour last longer but we left out early. They petted all kinds of animals, gave a bottle to a calf, and even ran amongst the goats and tried to catch them. Jake was all about milking the cow but when he walked up to the cow's utters at the farm he was not a willing participant! You can google Papa Simpson's farm if you are interested in going. I highly suggest it as it is a good family activity!

That same afternoon we made it to the Tech homecoming game late....but better late than never. We waited for the babies to wake up from their nap and decided to take them with us to the game. Normally we get a babysitter since we are in close quarters with our fellow season ticket holders and only have 2 seats. Next year we will have to spring for 4 seats as the kids will be at the age that they can enjoy the atmosphere a little better....hmmmmmm! But we had a good time and the babysitter came AFTER the game to babysit while we went out with some friends.

And on to upcoming news....we are headed down to Baton Rouge for the LSU/Auburn game. We are tagging along with some friends and staying with family while Jake and Landry Grace will be in good hands with GG and Papaw. May I say it again how blessed we are to having loving and doting grandparents on both sides of our family, along with Aunt Lou. We do NOT take this for granted. Yes I used to be a little more protective when they were under the age of 1 but now...they would rather go with any grandparent than stay with us:). I don't blame them!

Have a great weekend!

Showing off their pumpkins at Papa Simpson's.

The trailer ride down to the farm.

Petting a baby goat with his buddy Landon Hall.

Landry Grace getting to sit in a seat all by herself while our neighbors went to the concession stand.

Just thought this was priceless. I truly tear up when I think about how FAST the last 3 years has gone by and how soon they will be in school.

Yay for October!

Quick post...nothing too big to report. I never have been big into Halloween, but with kids I have now found myself getting into it a little more. We bought about 10 pumpkins on Friday and decorated the flowerbed with them. The kids had a blast going to the pumpkin patch at The Townsend House and then we went to Super 1 to get the rest of them:)!

Last night we cooked pumpkin cookies and I let them wear their Halloween shirts. Below was a quick shot of them hugging one another. They have recently begun doing this and I could never get enough of them hugging. I suppose when they are older I will have this picture to remind them of when they loved to play together!

And tonight Katie, her mom, and sweet kiddos boo-ed us(sorry, we weren't supposed to know but they didn't leave out in time before we answered the door) and brought Jake and Landry Grace some fun Halloween treats. Looking forward to trick or treating this year! It will be a blast.

Last but not least LGT is doing great with her new hair cut. The first 2 mornings she got up earlier than normal because she could not comfort herself by pulling her hair. Other than that, we have had several "what is wrong with your child she has no hair" or " I cannot believe she cut her hair" looks. It's almost humorous to me! But this is another lesson I have learned: Do not judge until you have walked in her shoes. Lesson I should have learned a long time ago but was reminded of in our current circumstance. I shouldn't dwell on the negative because honestly I have had so many encouraging words from so many people and we are grateful for you. We are now certain that we did the best thing for her and she is doing wonderful.
Pardon the fingerprints all over the stove!

Jake......the picture says it all. He is AAAALLLL boy.

Landon giving Jake part of his boo-ed present. Of course they wouldn't stay still and I love that Katie brought Landon in his Halloween costume!! Who will we boo???

The girls: Landry Grace, me, Katie, and Kennedy

Landry Grace's New Do!

Well, we made it through our haircut this afternoon. Matt and I decided last week that we needed to do something drastic or she would continue to pull her hair indefinitely. I wasn't high on doing it at the salon downtown due to so many people being there and I thought I would be emotional about it, but God provided a safe haven in which I didn't have to worry about anyone else watching.

A friend that I graduated from high school with, Angie Taylor, does hair at home and our children go to MDO together. We ran into each other on Tuesday and as we were talking she said she could cut her hair if I'd like....God provides. And yet I haven't been emotional at all about the whole process since we just decided to do it. That doesn't mean that I didn't cry last week, but since the decision was made I never looked back. This truly has been a learning lesson for me in that I now realize what is truly important and that is Landry Grace's well-being.

Angie did a super job and so did LGT. Poor Angie had hair all over her floor as she had to shave it while Landry stood there but the cut turned out pretty good. Landry Grace did get a little frustrated on the way home when she realized she could no longer pulled it but that is going to happen for a little while.

I must say that although this might be trivial to some, when you are going through even minor issues such as this with your children it is all consuming. Perhaps the Lord is preparing me for something much bigger later in life or just around the corner. But that being said, I truly appreciate all of the comments, calls, FB messages and such. So thank you and your prayers have been felt. I cherish the friendships that have been made and made stronger through Internet and in-person.

And thanks again to Angie. Landry Grace will have your picture along with her hair in the baby book:)!!