Trick or Treating with the Mob!

So, yea, we had heard rumors that trick or treating in our 400 home developement would be quite an adventure because of SOOOOO many kids...and the rumors were right!  They were bussing kids in for the night...no joke...I saw so many SUV's pulling in down the main drive (where we live) with the rear hatches popped and a line of kids in there.  So, it was a little different than the past 2 years in our neighborhood of 70+ year old neighbors!  Thomas and Abigail only almost got run over once, so that was pretty good, considering the traffic and the speed that those crazy drivers were attempting to shovel their way through the crowds!

We had been planning to trick or treat with our friends, the Halls, across the street (I mean, Jacob and Mia Katheryn were cowboy and cowgirl!), and we were ever so fortunate to have some NEW friends come over and trick or treat with us too!!  So, it was a fun night of friends, dress ups, and candy!

Surprise, surprise, Thomas is trying to get all the candy!

Looking cute as the dragon

That would be the attempt at a picture of the three boys we made:

All the kids!

They ran to every door

Just moseying on down the street

Feeling very unsure about the whole dragon suit/being strapped in the wagon not able to walk

Grabbing some candy from Jeff's chiropractor!

Shark ATTACK Jack!!!!

Look at how Jacob's feet are BOTH in the air in this picture

Moon-duh!

OH look!  All three of them are running again!

Abigail was kept happy for a while with a lollipop!

This is just an example of how many kids were lined up to get candy from the houses: 

The babe ended up being carried...

A Little Fall Gathering

This morning my friend Kelly invited us to a little fall homeschool gathering in Cartersville...and we had a great time!  It was a BEAUTIFUL day...I mean the weather was great AND the leaves right now are crazy bright and pretty.  The fact that the lady's house who so kindly hosted this was out in the country, overlooking rolling hills didn't hurt the whole thing either!  It was really just a big play time for kids of all ages...from Thomas on up!    Jacob enjoyed getting to run wild and yell and fall down and roll in the grass and get dragged around by other kids,etc.  I will probably try to get some more pictures later from some friends who were there, but for now, here's a little taste of the day:

A few kids gathered at the swingset

I had to post this...Kyle was Captain Hook and too funny the way he was pushing his hair out of his face with that hook!

Thomas as a dragon, maybe we'll get a better shot tonight:

A whole gang of kids!

Mady trying to help out Thomas (and Jacob being Jacob!)

Thanks to Emma for a picture of the three of us!  (Look at Thomas laughing at the hat in this picture!)

Thomas is no longer distracted by the hat and can look at the camera:

Thomas looking cute, as usual!

Two little sillys

Showing Jacob his fabulous leaf

MK and Jacob- two cow-folk just chillin' on the swing!

Get excited for more pictures tonight!

Just a relaxing little weekend

While this was the weekend of our nephew Andrew's first birthday party, we didn't get to attend:(...and it turns out it was a good thing because about 2-3 of us haven't been feeling so hot.  Jeff has had no voice for the past three days!  So, needless to say, this was a laid back little weekend we had around here!  Just a few pictures for ya:

As we've attempted to do in the past, this Friday we made our first weekly Christmas cookie of the season...sugar cookies in red and green!  Next week: gingerbread

Yes, he's a fabulous baker man AND he's cute!

Jacob and I cut out felt shapes from a BUNCH of scraps I had, and put together this festive little ditty!  I plan to have it be our all-encompassing holiday time banner...Thanksgiving, Birthdays, Christmas...it does it all!

Last night we pulled out our $5 pumpkins (from Ingles, of course!) and got to painting...that's what Jacob wanted to do this year.  

Jacob did his face all by himself!  He's quite the artist!

Thomas and I were there for moral support

And one more, just for good measure....

( check out those top teeth there!  hahaha!! He loves bath time!)

Check back with us tomorrow night...or maybe the next and we'll have some cute pictures (hopefully!!!) of some kids in costumes!

Punkin' Patch

Yes, surprise, surprise, we made it to a pumpkin patch just in the nick of time this year!  We kind of booked this past weekend SOLID between the cowboy festival (in the previous post), then a late afternoon hike, then church on Sunday, and then lunch and the pumpkin patch immediately following!  Hmmm....as I write that, I am beginning to see how Jeff may still feel a little tired even after a weekend off!  I'm really just helping to build his endurance for all things FUN!

So, yes, we went to a pumpkin patch in Adairsville...aptly named "Pumpkin Patch Farm"...they went out on a limb with that name.  We went with a few friends from our small group at church and their kids, which was fabulous for young Jacob.  It was fun to spend time with friends, but I'll be honest, the pumpkin patch was kind of a huge rip off (I'm also kind of cheap and for some reason have very high standards for family owned farms)...the hay ride was enjoyable for the kids (I think), but the "activities" were not cool (again, in my opinion!).  In fact, here's an example...they advertised having John Deere pedal tractors, and when we get there, they are in a little corral type area with SAND.  I don't think I saw a child the entire time we were there, who was able to pedal a tractor around that place...they were just all stuck in the sand!  CRUEL!  And, as an added "bonus", there was actually no pumpkin patch to pick your own pumpkin.  I'm going to give this place the benefit of the doubt and say that the fact that NW Georgia was in an extreme drought during the growing season may have played a role in the lack of punkin' pickin'.  ANYWAY, Lindsey in 2012, if you are re-reading this, trying to figure out where to go get pumpkins this year, let's try a new place this go-round!

Here are some pics:

 Look who decided to pull out the cowboy hat for the day at the farm!

 Natalie and Jacob plowing up a field, I assume.

 Wow.  Look at all the pumpkins.  

 Quite pleased with his field, obviously!

 This Conestoga wagon is probably much like what the pioneers traveled in on the Oregon Trail (the game, of course)...complete with old minivan seats.

 Ring toss

 Karis joins in on ring toss

 Riding the super cool tire-turned-into-a-horse!  PS- a place in town sells these and Jacob/Lindsey wants one for his birthday or Christmas.  

 Can you spot the cowboy in the maze?

 The horse race

 Jacob was a VERY fast runner- his favorite thing to do around the house is to gallop-on all fours- so galloping on two feet was EASY PEASY!

 Petting a bunny

 Loving life as a mobile man...and also loving the animals

 See above caption

 And, because Jeff has a real passion for llamas (as did my Dad, come to think of it..hmmm)...

 Thomas on his perch, and going nowhere!

And Thomas being a goofy guy!