Pumpkin carving

(The Pattern and the finished Pumpkin. Anywhere there is black on the pattern you cut it out, grey, you shave it, white, you leave it as is, and tada, you have a cool pumpkin)

This weekend we carved the pumpkin that the kids had picked out from the pumpkin patch. We talked all day about what we were going to carve on our pumpkin. Delaney wanted a princess, and Patrick wanted Lightning McQueen. So Adam and I knew that a battle would ensue over those two themes. So we decided that we would have to help the kids out. So we went on line to look up patterns for pumpkins. Last year we did Gus Gus from Cinderella, and he turned out really cute. This year we went with another little animal character favorite, Curious George. He is classic yet neutral for the kids. The carving of a character takes around 3-4 hours, which the kids wouldnt be able to sit and watch that long, so we started a tradition of turning on the Charlie Brown Halloween special for the kids while we worked on getting the pumpkin carved. This year we started a little late so the kids had to go to bed before we were done with it, but they woke up to a wonderful surprise. Adam did a spectacular job on the pumpkin! It is a little hard to see the full pattern with just a candle so I thik that I am going to put a super bright flash light inside right up against the flesh so you can see the whole thing. I cant wait for Halloween to put the pumpkin out on the porch on display!

George with Binoculars

Working hard

The kids watching The Charlie Brown Halloween special

Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?

This year I decided to be gutsy and create the kids costumes this year, at least Delaney and Patrick's. Last year I was stuck waiting for my car's tune up and the Marth Stewart show was on and they were making no sew costumes. It was a great show full of fun fall/Halloween ideas. So this year when I was trying to come up with a family theme this show popped into my head. I decided to go with Little Red Riding hood for our theme. The costumes were supposed to consist of a hoodie. But unfortunatly you are hard pressed to find them here for some reason. I started looking for the pieces I needed in early September. I found most every thing but the hoodies. So I decided I would try the same idea but just to modify it. I figured it would be too hot for a hoodie in the first place. So for Delaney's costume I already had the red shirt but I got her a red skirt. Then I purchased some red fabric for her hood and cape. Next for Patrick I bought him brown pants and the felt I needed to make the face for the wolf. I thought and thought of all the different ways to come up with a hat for the wolf. Desperate, I went up to Walmart again last week in search of something I could use for a hat. I picked up a beenie, which might have worked. And then after 2 hours there, ah ha! In the girls section they had a, not only plain brown hoodie, but a fake fur brown hoodie! Perfect! So Patrick's wolf turned out awesome! The face turned out pretty scary too. The kids look precious in them. They tried on the finsihed products to see how they looked and for a few photo ops. Adam is going to be the wood cutter. I am going to be the Grandmother, and Nolan is going to be a litte woodland creature, a turtle. I cant wait to get a picture of all of us together!

Marth Stewarts sample of the Costume. I like ours better :) http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/halloween-costumes-for-the-whole-family#slide_35

Also as a side note, I love to enter contests! I never win but I always like to try. So I entered the kids in the PBS Kids Sprout Halloween Contest! The requirement was that the costume had to be home made. They pick a winner each weekday every day in October. If they win they get a gift basket. So I sent in a picture of them, lets hope they win!

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Here are the finished products!

Patrick's super scary wolf face, lol

Pumpkin Pickin'

So yesterday we took a trip out to Dewberry Farm. This was our second year to visit this real working farm! Durring the fall they open up their farm to every one to various activities. They have first and formost a pumpkin patch. All of their pumpkins are grown on location. You take a covered wagon/hay ride out to the pumpkins, where you choose from hundereds of pumpkins still growing on the vines. We choose one large, round, 25 pounder. And a small, white, flat one. The kids were proud of thier choices. We loaded back up on the the covered trailer to visit the many other adventures at Dewberry.

Since the farm is only open to the public on the weekends, you can imagine how packed this place is. It was a mad house, even more so than the previous year. I think it had a lot to do with it being so beautiful for the first time this fall. It was 75 and a clear blue day. We all managed to get a sun burn too. I always forget that in Houston that sunscreen is needed year around.

The kids enjoyed the rope swings in to the hay. Patrick crashed and burned many times before he got the hang of holding on to the rope. Delaney loved burying herself into the hay. Nolan just liked to eat the hay.

The kids also enjoyed the giant roller slide and went over and over again on it. They had no fear!

Also we had a blast in the corn maze! It was one heck of a maze, that wound around around and around. We never made it to the back but we were able to find the front again. This years maze was of a Christmas tree in honor of their first batch of Christmas trees, ready to be harvested. We are hoping to go back after Thanksgiving to cut down our very own Christmas tree, I cant wait!There is our tree, over there! Don't you see it? It is the big fluffy one. Ok jk they said that they have over 16,000 trees, so I am sure that we will find the one that is perfect for our house.

In the corn maze

On the way out to the pumpkin patch

Silly smile

Delaney and the same silly smile

Picking our pumpkinPicked our pumpkin, now on the way back to more playing


Nolan and the pumpkins we picked, and a little fresh kettle corn.

We had a wonderful time again this year at Dewberry farms, as did the kids. We cant wait to go back after Thanksgiving for our tree. It is very worth the hour and fifteen minute drive out to the farm for a little country fun!

Oktoberfest in Downtown Mckinney, Tx

Who dosent like a little German beer and Bratwurst on an October day? We took the kids to Oktoberfest in Downtown McKinney. They always have fun festivals every season, but we hadnt been to this one yet. This one was fantastic! You bought tickets for your cold beer on tap and grabbed a sausage and sour sauerkraut, then walked around taking in the festivities. There was a fire truck for kids to look at and sit in. Train rides, a petting zoo, face painting, German folk dancing, and shopping. Though it was an incrediably hot day the tall trees and air condtitioned stores brought momentary relief.

Patrick fell in love with the petting zoo and spent upwards of an hour in there with the baby pigs and rabbits. He loved picking them up. There was a runt pig that he was particulary attached to that did not like him very much and would squeal when he would pick it up.

Delaney was a natural on the ponies. She picked the horse that had braids and ribbons in her hair. Anytime there are pony rides Delaney runs and gets in line for her turn.

Aunt Clare and Uncle JL were intown this weekend and the kids really enjoyed hanging out with them again. They are so excited to see them again for Thanksgiving!

We had a blast at Oktober fest and cant wait for next year.

Playing at the Park

We went to Andy Brown/Kid Kountry park in Coppell with Jen Jen. This was Delaney’s very first park to visit. She was around Nolan’s age when she swung in the swings and played in the sand box there. This park is amazing. It has a wonderful lay out and lots of fun things to do there. This park has special meaning to me because I helped to design it, lol, really I did. When I was in 2^nd grade park designers came to our school and had us draw a picture of what we thought would be the coolest thing at a park to play on. You know what I designed? An anti gravity tunnel! Well, they don’t have one there but there sure are lots of tunnels. I think it is really neat that my kids are playing at a park that I played on as a kid. We got lots of action shots of Nolan in the swings and in the sand just like we got with Delaney and Patrick. The kids adore the Jen Jen and loved showing her what their favorite thing was at the park.

Daddy Daughter date night

Delaney and Adam had a date night recently. Chick fil a by the medical center was putting it on. Adam made reservations for that night at 6:30. Delaney got all dressed up and even put on a little of mommy’s lip gloss and blush for the occasion. Then she waited for her daddy to come home.

Delaney was giddy with excitement. I gave Adam the camera to take pictures while they were there but he left it in the car L They had a wonderful time still and Delaney couldn’t wait to tell me all about it when they got home.