Happy Halloween!

Trick-or-Treating was so much fun this year! Last year, Ava was only 10 months old and really didn't get it! This year she was eating up all the attention and walking into people's houses holding out her basket for candy. A few times when I asked her "What do you tell them" - instead of "Thank you" she replied, "Open!" It was so cute and so honest!

This year, both girls were butterflies. I decided to make the costumes out of tulle and then bought the wings and antennae. I think they turned out cute, but boy were they a pain getting in and out of the car. Each time we got in we had to take the wings off. The tulle kept getting stuck in the seat belts and Ava kept losing her ballet slippers. I wanted an original costume rather than the typical Wal-mart special that every little girl will be wearing - but next year I need to come up with something less complicated!!

This was probably the best part of the whole night - Ava went crazy when we let go of her hands and let her follow her big sister up to the houses. She ran through the leaves, chasing Morgan, and giggling loudly! It was fun to see her "getting it" and having so much fun! She walked up the stairs, waited for Morgan to ring the doorbell, hold out her basket, say her thank yous and then run as fast as she could back down the driveway or sidewalk so she could go on to the next house! She was a hoot to watch! Even when her slippers fell off her feet, she kept on running!

Here is what we brought home! Way too much candy, but I can guarantee the good stuff will quickly disappear over the weekend. Somehow the suckers and hard candy gets put into a jar for the girls and the chocolate gets eating up (or goes missing) within a couple days. Not sure who is responsible for that!! The girls don't seem to mind though! They are just as happy with suckers! Suckers for the girls - chocolate for Mommy - everyone is happy!

Wordless Wednesday

Painting Pumpkins

Morgan talked me into buying new pumpkins for her and Ava since our last one was stolen. This time we decided to buy small ones, paint them and keep them in the house. The girls had a blast! They had to take a dip in the tub when they were finished because there was more paint on them than the pumpkins!! I love how creative Morgan is and how she is teaching Ava the same love for art!

Another Giveaway - I WANT THIS!!!

The new Photoshop Elements 7!

If you have not been to The Secret is In the Sauce yet - YOU NEED TO CHECK IT OUT! And for this particular giveaway go here. Don't you think I need to WIN?????

Healthy Home

Ok, so I was checking out my daily blogs this morning and came across a new blog called The Secret is in the Sauce and they have an AWESOME giveaway listed on it! Everyone could use a new vacuum cleaner right?? Especially one that helps battle allergies! I know I do! So go here to check this vacuum out and visit The Secret is in the Sauce to learn more about the giveaway!

Pumpkin Carving

The girls and I carved our pumpkin a couple days ago. Morgan has always enjoyed scooping out the pumpkin and playing in the seeds. She could spend hours playing in the seeds and goo. Ava wasn't so sure about this, and actually only stuck her hands in the pumpkin a couple times before saying "gucky"!!

We only had our pumpkin for a few short days. Unfortunately, our neighborhood is prime for pumpkin thieves! I should have known better, but put it in what I thought was an inconspicuous spot on our front porch. Guess I was wrong! I noticed today that it was gone, so it made it a whole 2 days before being taken. It's sad really. I remember the first year our pumpkins were taken, Morgan was only 2 or 3 and I actually cried a little. It was sad to have to tell her that her pumpkins she worked so hard to carve and decorate were taken. So from now on we will have to set up our beautiful fall display either inside or in our back yard so only we can enjoy! Have I mentioned before how badly I want a house in the country? This is just one of the many reasons why! Someday my friends, someday.........

Big Sisters

Big sisters can be so cool sometimes. Yesterday, Dana and I were in the kitchen when Morgan comes running through with a tied grocery bag yelling something about something being stinky. (We put Ava's stinky diapers in a plastic grocery bag then take them to the outside garbage can). When she came back in the house we asked her what she was doing. She informed us that she had changed Ava's diaper and it was STINKY! (Her and Ava had been playing in their room with the door closed!!) And then she informed us "A little turd went on the floor and I had to pick it up!" Surprisingly, Ava had a clean diaper on (backwards) and her hiney was CLEAN!! Not sure how she did that because Ava won't sit still for me.....not sure why she did it for Morgan! Way to go Morgan, you just earned yourself a new job!! Mommy is officially on vacation!

Pumpkins

Dana and I took the girls to the pumpkin patch today. This is another one of our annual fall traditions. It's just not fall without pumpkins from the pumpkin patch! Today wasn't the best day - way too windy! We meant to go yesterday, but Ava was running a low grade fever. Not sure what was up with that - but she is much better today!

Morgan and Ava in the tepee - notice the wind blown hair!

Ava found this squash while looking for pumpkins. She carried

it around until we were able to distract her and hide it!

Maybe next year it won't be so windy! I love taking the time to look at all the different shapes, sizes, colors and textured pumpkins. Although, I won't spend the money on them right now because the past 3 years in a row our pumpkins have been stolen. So, now we have to keep them in the house or in the back yard. Someday we will live in the country and not have to worry so much about selfish people that steal pumpkins from little kids! Although by that time the girls will be too big to care! For this year we bought one nice pumpkin to carve and a couple minis! Look for pictures later this week of carving!

Caught Red Handed!

Ava is going through a phase where she finds things and then stashes them. Most often we are missing cups of milk and juice and find them later in the day or sometimes a couple days later (yuck!). Yeah, yeah, I know......why not have a rule that drinks stay at the table. Yep, we have that rule. The problem is we need to keep our eyes on her 24/7 to enforce that rule! She is SNEAKY!! And because she stashes things, we don't know it's gone until she comes up and asks us for a drink and we go to the table to find her cup missing! Tonight, we spent at least an hour of our night (or longer) looking for a cup and a set of keys! We finally found the cup (and numerous other objects we had been looking for for weeks), but still have not found the keys!!

Below are pictures of her stealing her sister's money! Morgan has been getting an allowance for helping around the house. She puts her money in a pretty paint can that I decorated for her. On Saturday she left her can laying on her bed with the lid open. I found Ava putting money in HER piggy bank and kept asking her where she was getting the money. I decided to follow her........She was walking back and forth from their bedroom to the living room where her piggy bank was!!!

Taking money from Morgan's can (in their room)

Dropping money on the way to the living room (oops!)

For some reason she left the dollar bills! Must be to hard to put in her bank!

Putting the coins in her piggy bank (in the living room!)

I'm not sure how much money she made out of the deal! I promised Morgan I would get her money back (when Ava wasn't looking) and put it back where it belongs. But, I need to have Dana open the bank because I couldn't get it open! We have quickly discovered she is one we will need to keep our eyes on!!

Harvest Festival

On Saturday I took the girls downtown for the Harvest Festival. It was a small festival, but fun for the kids anyway! It was in conjunction with the Farmer's Market and had crafts, bucket train rides, games and more! It took up a good 3 hours of our morning and kept the kids entertained! Good Free Fun! That's what we like! Although I ended up spending money at the coffee shop, candy shop, bookstore and Sonic, but it was worth it!

Morgan trying to make apple cider

Making BIG bubbles!


Ava cried for about 10 minutes after making her get out!

Watermelon bowling
The girls won a free game to the bowling ally for playing

Ava didn't quite get the concept.....
Painting mini pumpkins. Ava got to do one

too, but I didn't get pictures of it since she was sitting in my lap.

Can't forget the face painting.....I would never be able to be

a face painter. You should hear some of the requests the kids

make. One little guy wanted a KU Jayhawk on one cheek and

a sausage with black polka-dots on the other cheek!

Ava was getting a little bored waiting for Morgan to

get her face painted. She wanted to run around and I wouldn't

let her, so she became a wet noodle and ended up on the

ground!

Here they are at the coffee shop waiting for our frozen

hot chocolate!

After the coffee shop we loaded our stuff into the car and made a visit to the book store. The girls played for a little bit while I looked at books. By then it was past lunch, so we headed to Sonic so someone else could do the cooking for us!

Traditions

Last weekend we made our annual family trip to the apple orchard north of town. We have been visiting The Orchard since Morgan was the age Ava is now. We enjoy driving out to the orchard and picking our own apples off the tree, feeding the fish, and drinking cider slushy. In Kansas, it is usually not cold enough for hot cider!! This weekend was perfect for picking apples. It was a little windy, but not too hot and not too cold!

Here are the girls with Daddy feeding the fish. It is so peaceful out here.

Morgan and Dana - taken in 2004 - feeding the fish

Who knew apple trees were good climbing trees??

Leave it to Morgan to figure it out! Maybe the good

apples are at the top of the tree.

Ava wanted in the tree after seeing Morgan up there!

Sometimes it's hard to get them to sit still long enough to get a good picture! When we arrived at The Orchard they told us to go ahead and pull the apples off and take a taste. So, we did! I'm not sure I have ever eaten an apple fresh off the tree before - but

they weren't too bad!

I think Ava had more fun picking the apples off the ground and putting them in the bucket. It was hard to explain to her that we didn't want the "yucky" ones off the ground!
Morgan in 2003 doing the same exact thing! Picking them off the ground and carrying them around!! Notice the difference in hair length between the girls!! Finally, picking them off the tree!
Morgan 2003
The perfect end to a perfect day. Drinking a cider slush and relaxing.

Morgan - 2003

Morgan and friend Colby - 2003

Morgan and Ava

I love that we have found our own family traditions since moving away from Iowa. I still get sad being so far away from family, but am comforted when I am able to take my girls places that we all love to do year after year. This is the time of year I think more and more about my family with the upcoming holidays. When fall rolls around, Christmas is knocking on my door! I wish we were closer to home, but Kansas is our home now and has been for almost 10 years. We have a family of our own and I look forward to continuing our annual traditions, as well as starting new ones as the girls grow!