happy first birthday!

went to the park last week to take some photos of my friend's baby who just turned a year old. can't believe it's already been a year! we also got some of big brother. they are so cute together!

birthday girls...

this past weekend we celebrated my nieces birthdays with all the family at my sister's home. we spent the whole weekend with them and squeezed in a quick family photoswap before we left. it didn't last very long though because the kids were tired from their sleepover and just wanted to play on the playground. here's a few of my cute nieces and nephews.

pretty birthday girl

more to come. thanks emily and brian for the fun weekend!

Halloween

here's a few pics of the kids in their halloween costumes. elayna wanted to be a vampire.

she made this cute little bat to go with her costume

kyla wanted to be a rockstar. we couldn't find a glitter mic so she used the "magic mic" as her prop :)

avery was a butterfly fairy

evan was a pumpkin and didn't want to cooperate much for the pics. the lollypop at least got him to sit still for a second

he didn't like when we put the top part on his head

more halloween fun...

last week we had a little halloween party for the activity day girls. they painted pumpkins, played halloween games, and made these witch's hands. these are made by filling a plastic glove with candy corn and popcorn.

i made these cupcakes for the party. i found the treat toppers at walmart.

today avery and i made these cute owl cupcakes. i got the idea from my sister jessica who saw it on this blog. i will be making more to bring to our church "trunk or treat" party on saturday.

halloween fun...

last night dan and i attended a super fun halloween party. everyone was supposed to dress as a d-list celebrity. i dressed up as octomom and won a prize in the costume contest!

...and dan was dressed as octomom's fertility doctor :)

camping

last weekend we went camping at garner state park on the frio river with my sister's family and my parents. we had such a great time and couldn't have asked for better weather! nice and cool at night and warm during the day.
here's a view of a small section of our campsite (looking very deserted because everyone was down at the river exploring.)

grandpa and evan walking the trail behind our campsite down to the river

grammy and the grandbabies playing with rocks.

grandpa and elayna enjoying the beautiful morning down by the river

when it warmed up in the afternoon we all put on our swimsuits and headed down to our favorite section of the river with the tubes

these two loved all the rocks. evan liked piling them in his trucks and bus.

the big kids loved the rope swing!

two cuties!

a few photos by the big swimming hole. we stopped here for some lunch before we left the park.

check out the size of that tree!

texas hill country is so beautiful! we can't wait to go back again next year.

fall

it is finally starting to feel like fall around here. the weather has been absolutely gorgeous! (lows in the 60s and highs around 80.) such a nice break from the insane heat of the summer. i picked up a bag of little pumpkins at the store today and hung up my fall wreath a few days ago. i love this time of year.

balloon party

this year for kyla's party i decided to do a small family party. i got the idea for the theme here. the kids loved the obstacle course that we set up in our backyard. the water balloons were also a big hit!

i wanted to put more balloons on the cake but ran out of time, so left it with seven. i think it would look better with more

instead of a pinata, we filled balloons with candy. each child got to pop their own balloon with a dart. we crammed about 15 pieces in each balloon. it took quite the effort to shove the candy in...but it IS possible! the kids loved seeing the candy explode out of the balloons when they popped.

cousins

gift bags to put their candy in, and a punch balloon.

blowing out her seven candles. kyla loved her party!

birthday girl...

yesterday was kyla's birthday.

i love the birthday hats the girls always get at school. i remember getting those when i was in elementary school and it always made me feel so special :)

my sweetheart

i'm thinking it might be time to cut my sweetheart's hair. he is starting to grow a bit of a mullet in the back. but i just can't stand the thought of cutting his pretty blond wispy hairsies.

holding his favorite car. it actually belonged to his daddy when he was a little boy. he is obsessed with cars and trucks.

he turned 18 months at the end of august. he is now in nursery class at church and loves it, but i have to sit with him the whole time.

recent reads...

i have been wanting to read this one for the past couple of years and finally got around to it. i really enjoyed it and look forward to seeing the movie

i thought this book was incredible. it is told through a little boy's perspective on what was going on in Germany during WWII.

i read this book on the recommendation of my mom. this book is really funny and touching. if you are from the south you will especially love this book!
have you read any of these and did you like them? what are you reading now? i am looking for a new book to read!

a new school year...

school started last week. i am having the hardest time adjusting to the new schedule. i miss the lazy days of summer! i miss sleeping in and staying in our pjs until noon! i miss having my girls home with me all day. kyla is now in first grade and loving it. this photo was taken after school on the first day.

elayna is now in 5th grade, which is middle school here. she was so nervous on the first day because she would be going to a new school with 6th graders. she has done great so far and met some new friends.