Halloween is for adults too!

Halloween isn't just for kids! Chris and I had a night out at Stacie and Anton's annual Halloween costume party. I dressed up as a flapper and Chris as a mobster. I won 2nd place in the costume contest.

Our little cowgirl at Texas Day

Avery's school celebrated Texas Day today. She dressed up in her suede vest, pink cowgirl hat, jeans and boots. She looked so incredibly cute! Chris volunteered at the school event helping with the horse shoe toss. The kids played several other games like lasso the horse and riding in the OK corral. From the smile seen on her face in the pictures, I think Avery likes the cowgirl life!

Little Pumpkins

My favorite time of the year is approaching: October to December. It's certainly not the chilly or freezing weather, but definitely all the upcoming celebrations and holidays to look forward to spending with friends and families. Each month just keeps getting better and better leading up to Christmas.


So today we kicked off the season by visiting a great pumpkin patch in Flower Mound. We make a family trip to a pumpkin patch each year, but this was our first time to visit this particular one. This was a huge, family owned patch that also offers fun activities for the kids. This family opens up their property to the public free of charge asking only that visitors bring canned goods to donate to local shelters/food pantries. Ashlyn and Avery enjoyed the bounce houses, barrel train ride and face painting. Avery chose to have Scooby Doo painted on her face and Ashlyn chose a witch on a broom stick from the offered selections. While we stood in line for the face painting, daddy stood in line (for over 30 minutes) for kettle corn. It was delicious and well worth waiting in line for it. The girls certainly thought so too.

Riding the barrel train

Maze made from hay bale

Avery wanted her picture taken with all the cartoon cutouts. There were 100's of them!

I went to Ashlyn's parent-teacher conference today. Miss Ellis had great things to report about Ashlyn's performance at school. She received great scores on all her testing; in fact she was above average in most areas tested. Miss Ellis told me Ashlyn is very bright, a great helper to her and very friendly to other students in her class. Of course, I already knew all these great qualities our sweet girl possesses.

Old Friends, The Fergusons

We went to David and Holly Ferguson's home today. David is an old friend of Chris' that he's know since a kid. They hung out together and had a common interest in cars (still do actually!). David and Holly have a beautiful home in Celina on a few acres. Ahhh, felt so nice to be out in the 'country'... felt a little bit like the good 'ole days growing up in Murphy. The girls loved the open spaces to ride bikes, motorized cars and space to just run! The very things I loved growing up in (old school) Murphy! David has even grown his own pumpkin patch. The girls were thrilled to get to pick their very own pumpkin to take home. Ashlyn, to no surprise, picked the very largest one she could find. Avery was content will a smaller one, just perfect for her size.

We hadn't seen Dave and Holly in a few years, probably. You know you are good friends with someone when you can go an extended period of time without seeing them, but pick right back up like it was just yesterday when you finally find time to get together.

On a side note: Ashlyn had her second soccer game today on the Blue Diamonds. They are off to a fabulous start! They won their games last Saturday and also today. Ashlyn even scored a goal today! Way to go, soccer star!!! We love attending your games and cheering you on!

Daffron Bike Rodeo

Ashlyn participated in the bike rodeo today at school. Chris volunteered and was assigned mainly to help air up bike tires. They both had fun and I'm so glad Chris' schedule right now allows him to participate in activities the girls have at school.

Plano Balloon Festival

Today we went to the Plano Balloon Festival. This is an annual festival that has been held for many years. I have fun memories of attending when I was a child. Despite the heat and humidity, we enjoyed the crafts in the kids' area, the yummy kettle corn and lemonade, the sky divers with their beautiful American and Texas flags, and mostly the gorgeous hot air balloons. My favorite is the balloon glow that is seen after the sun has set, where all the balloons light up together and rhythmically. The colors of each balloon shine through and give a spectacular sight.