Trick-or-Treatin' in the 'Hood

Just some quick shots of our nearly rained out Halloween night trick or treating.  This was the FIRST year I was not with them and that was so weird to me! 

I stayed home with Lasa because babies and rain do not mix. Which was too bad, because the temperature itself was perfect for a walk with a stroller. She and I handed out candy instead for the 8-10 trick or treaters we got all night.  Our cul-de-sac is too off the beaten path to get much traffic.  The main drags in our neighborhood get all that craziness.  Not complaining though!

My favorite pics every year, the ones that get me snickering and giggling, are the ones with my babies all blurry and wide-eyed with haste hurrying through yards from door to sidewalk to next door.  I can't help myself.  These moments make my eyes water, they are so funny and precious to me.  

 

 

Also, I love the moments where they wait in anticipation at the doors ... together. ♥

 

 

 Other highlights of this year's Halloween included puppies, impromptu Star Wars sparring, Leia losing her patience with her Daddy's picture taking, and the fact that this is the FIRST year that Anna did not have to be carried home from exhaustion.  :}

Those eyes.  That precious (yet grumpy) face.

Home again, home again, where we sorted out candies we didn't want or couldn't have and passed those back out to our last few trick-or-treaters.

After a couple hours hoofin' it around our neighborhood, the kiddos were in need of some energy.  Sugar was consumed. :}   

And a pile of peanutty goodies for Josh's Dad Tax ... which Mom gets to enjoy, too. :)

Anna is already thinking about what she can be next year...

Trick-or-Treatin' on the Square

In all the years we've lived here, I never went to our sweet little downtown Gallatin to have the kids participate in the annual Trick or Treating on the Square event.  Don't ask me why.  Really, it's perfect for the littles in the preschool ages.  But as it happens, our huge pocket of homeschoolers gets to enjoy the festivities as well.  So when some friends of ours were going this year, we hopped right on those plans and joined them.  So glad we did!  It was a delightful morning. And it will make us feel better about our actual Halloween trick-or-treating loss if it rains tonight as we fear it will. :S

Some shots of the fun!  I can't get over Anna's face here!

And how beautiful that boy of mine is.

And how much I love getting to share these memories with them!

True story, I was BREATHLESS by the time I got all three in their get-ups and grabbed all we'd need for baby for a morning out.  Baby and her feedings and her diapers really count for 3 different variables (and therefore people) if you ask me, so I am seriously outnumbered when it's just me and them and us away from the house.  Throw in rinky dink Halloween costumes that I was afraid were going to fall apart before the main event and the layers we needed under them because it was stinkin' cold yesterday, and you have a bug-eyed-Kimmie who broke a sweat getting us all ready at the same time and out the door. :} 

But I soldiered on and just made mental notes to tell Josh that I was not doing costumes without him again.  HA!

We met Adrian, Becky, and some of Adrian's family on the library's front porch.  Noah and Anna were so pumped to know Jonah was coming as Vader.

Lasa rocked her cupcake costume and didn't feel the chill under all those layers. 

Quick photo op by the holiday backdrop that was dwarfed behind our kiddos - ha!

After that we were finally off!  We loaded up on sweet treats at every store-front along the Square, enjoying the sun and dodging the breeze + shade when we could.  Brrrrr!  We met some fun characters along the way.

We picked up a princess and matador buddy pair before we were done and, even after all that walking and activity and now hungry-for-lunch bellies, had a crew that was all smiles and took precious pics as needed again.  This is my favorite pic of the day!

My favorite moment of the day came when a perfect stranger with a Yoda baby asked to borrow our Star Wars peeps for a photo of her own.  We were thrilled to oblige!  How fun is this?!

Also fun, this moment that had Becky and me in stitches.  Hero and Villain, arch enemies, taking a water break side by side.  It's like something from a movie blooper reel. :} 

I ended up having to carry Lasa much of the walk ... which was hard to do whilst also pushing her stroller.  So my hands were not free to take a single picture once the fun got underway.  Becky covered me BIG TIME with all these great shots.  So thankful!  Karla covered me at times by grabbing the stroller.  And both talked me into attempting lunch out with them when everything in me was crying "MayDay - Get back on home turf ASAP."  We landed at Wendy's - which was funny in itself to see everyone's responses to our kiddos in costume.  Thankfully, Lasa was asleep by then and lunch out was a success as well.  With full bellies and a few moments rest, we all boogied over to our house and the kiddos played hard in the cool sunshine all the way to dinner ... which Josh brought home for us in pizza boxes.  :} 

So, all that to say - Great day!

Such a spirit lifter!  Thankful!

Outdoors in October

Just some pretty and/or fun shots with an outdoor theme from this week, starting with my head in the clouds while driving ...

We attended a Jonah's Journey Fall Fest this week and the family that hosted had this sort of beautiful backdrop.  And this was only one side of the gorgeous property!  Lovely night.  Lovely Tennessee setting.

I swear the poor trees changed colors and dropped their leaves in the span of just two days last weekend.  I grieved at my front windows watching the wind and rain hurry the beautfiul fall leaves to their doom of dried-out browns. :(   But we'll be thankful that wet mess dried enough this week to at least play in.

I was able to spot and preserve this pretty little micro-landscape happening on its own off to the side of the leaf-throwing mania ... that I was doing my best to not get drawn into. :}

We may need to take a drive to go see some more fall colors, because this one pretty leaf in my yard is not gonna cut my fall leaf picture-taking quota!  Maybe we will see some scenic colors in North GA next weekend on our way south?  Fingers crossed!!

Lasa at 3 Months

This sweet chunk of goodness turned a milestone three months old Monday! 

At three months, Lasa is tipping the scales at 13 pounds, 9 ounces, up 2 pounds and 5 ounces in a month.  She is breaking my back.  :}  So we have many "baby stations" as we affectionately call them around the living room.  She enjoys her jumper (which is the perfect primer for naptime)

and her play mat with lounge pillow stuffed in there.  

We lay her in a Nap Nanny sometimes and her bouncy seat other times.  

And here lately, we have been trying out a Bumbo seat just for kicks! It's precious.

She sleeps in her swing still, but we did get her to sleep one night in the crib.  We'll try that again after our FL trip in a week.  She sleeps 8-9 hours a night, which is awesome! She's in 3-6 month clothes now.  She eats 5 ounces about 6 times a day.  She had stopped taking the paci all of a sudden. She giggles the sweetest sounds when you pull her up to sitting and let her plop back down and when you rub toys on her gums.  She enjoys having her head and tummy rubbed. She loves to be sung to and she attends to books you read to her ... which Anna does. 

Lately, she chews and sucks and slurps on her hands and it is hilarious.  And loud! 

And, it must be said ... she loves Mrs. Kimmie best of all.  I mean it. Josh will testify to that.  BUT, he is still the baby whisperer when she is in a squirmy, fussy mood. Just like our Anna baby days went.

And baby girl has also already received her first piece of mail!  I seriously, seriously, seriously have the sweetest and most thoughtful mother-in-law. My heart was stolen when this showed up.♥ It's a Halloween card and little fun money, just like the ones she sends to Noah and Anna.

Sweet thing took a few glamour shots at our family session last weekend.  Check her out!

Happy Three Months, Lasa Love! ♥