Carving Pumpkins

Last night we finally carved our pumpkins. Nothing like waiting until the last minute! It was a lot of fun, though. Hannah and Ellie had fun picking out the shapes thay wanted for their pumpkins.

Hannah and Ellie waiting to carve their pumpkins.
Ellie didn't really like the "sticky part", but she did try to get it out herself.
Hannah was very interested in what the inside of a pumpkin looked like.

You can tell that Hannah and Ellie were both VERY excited about what their pumpkins looked like in the end! Today I have heard them walk past their pumpkins several times and say "I love you, pumpkin!" It is so sweet...this is usually followed by a game of peek-a-boo with their pumpkins, too.

Family Fun

Tonight the girls were pretending to be dogs (they have been doing this a lot lately), so Greg turned the couches on their sides, pushed them together, and covered them in blankets to make a doghouse for the girls. They had a blast!

Zach even crawled in there to play with Ellie and Hannah! Zach seemed so big when he was in with the girls!

Greg, Zach, Ellie, and Hannah in their "doghouse."
It was a little crowded, but we did all get in together for a little while. What a fun memory!

Lunch Bunch

Last Wednesday we went to the Lunch Bunch at the Gymnest with our preschool swap group. We had such a great time! The girls had a blast jumping on the trampoline, walking on balance beams, and jumping into the foam pit!
Haidyn, Kira, Cameron, Aubrey, Alaina, Paige, Ellie, Hannah, and Zach.

I think I had just as much in the foam pit as the kids did! We had fun jumping in over and over again!

Ellie did a great job hanging on the rings!

Hannah had fun on the balance beam...look at the concentration!

I think Hannah's favorite thing was the trampoline! What a fun day! We are definitely going to have to go back sometime soon!

He's Crawling!

Zach officially started crawling last Monday. He is still pretty slow, but it is definitely a crawl! He is enjoying his new found freedom of being able to get to whatever he wants in the room. I guess I'm going to have to start being more careful about what is on the ground!

Here is a short little video of our little guy moving around!

The Big Game

On Saturday we went to the NDSU/UNI football game in Cedar Falls. We went to the game with Becky and Luke. Here we are before the game dressed in our respective colors. Notice Greg and I are still smiling! We had a great time at the game, but NDSU got CREAMED!!! Oh well, there is always next year, right!?!

Greg and I at the game.

While we were at the game, my parents watched all of the kids. Here is a picture of Grandpa reading to Hannah, Ellie, and Boaz.

Zach had a blast riding this horse! Zach and Boaz were so cute together! They are only a month apart in age, and I am sure they will have a lot of fun together as they grow up!

5 Things I Hate to Admit

Okay, so I was tagged by Natasha, so I guess I am going to have to give my little confession.



1.I am WAY too competitive. I do not like to lose. If I lose at a game several times in a row, I have been known to make the opponents keep playing until I can win (but I don't want them to let me win). I like to make driving competition, too. If someone else is driving to the same place that I am, I always try to pick the shortest/fastest route and try to beat them there. (I know some of you do the same thing! You know who you are! :))



2. I love chocolate. When I put the kids down for naps, I always go right to the kitchen to get a snack. It usually ends up being something chocolate, and I usually eat too much of it!



3. I steal my children's candy. After we go trick-or-treating or to a parade, I sort through the kids' candy and pick out the best ones for myself.



4. I am WAY too cheap! I love to go to garage sales and, most of the time, try to bargain at them. Sometimes I feel too bad afterward, and I go back to give them some more money. Yes, they do think I'm crazy! I have even successfully bargained prices down at several large stores including Home Depot and Target!

5. When I'm alone in the house, I crank up the music and sing as loud as I can. I also dance while I am cleaning...I'm NOT a good dancer, so the neighbors probably think I am crazy!

There you go...5 things I hate to admit. The list could go on and on. Anyway, I will continue the tradition now and tag my sisters, Becky and Katie. Have fun ladies!

Fall Hike

Last Saturday we had a great time hiking and taking pictures of our family. Bear with me...there are a lot of pictures on this post!

It's very rare to get a family picture with everyone looking at the camera...this one is pretty close!

Me with Zach

Walking down the trail with the girls.

The Safly's were hiking with us. Hannah, Paige, and Ellie had a lot of fun exploring and playing together!

Hannah sitting on a log.

Hannah, Paige, and Ellie riding the "horsie."

I love this picture of Zach! He has such a great smile!
Our Family
Hannah and Ellie giving me kisses.

Zach and Greg. Once again...what a great smile!

Ellie loved finding interesting rocks, sticks, and leaves.
Greg is so good at finding interesting things for the kids to look at.
Our three crazy kids!

Hannah and Paige rode in the stroller while Ellie pushed them. Check out the expression on Ellie's face...priceless!

Anyway, we had a great time enjoying the outdoors with our friends and family! It was such a beautiful day to be outside, and I always love good photo opportunities! :)

That evening, we went out to eat at Dickey's Barbeque Pit. We love the barbequed food, but the best part is the self serve ice cream for dessert! After the girls were done with their ice cream, they each asked if they could have some of mine, so I decided to bribe them (aren't I a great mom!?!) I told them they could have some more ice cream if they said something nice about me. After giving them several ideas of nice things they could say, I told them to think of their own nice thing. After thinking for a while, Ellie grinned from ear to ear and yelled "You're not poopy!" We laughed so hard...I guess that's what I get for bribing my children! :)

MOPS Convention

Last weekend I was able to go to the MOPS convention in Dallas, TX. There were 13 women from our group who went. What an amazing time of learning, relaxation, and bonding! It was amazing to see the friendships that were formed in such a short period of time. Saturday night, we had an amazing time of prayer that was truly Spirit led...I have never experienced anything quite like it! I am excited to see what God has in store for our groups this coming year!
We saw Go Fish in the hallway the first day! They were nice enough to pose for a picture!
Of course we had to get a picture of our whole group with them...don't we look like a bunch of groupies!
Amy, Travis, and I at the Go Fish concert. Can you tell I love Go Fish!?! (maybe even more than the kids do!) :)
Here is our group waiting for a general session to start. Travis and Christine always made sure that we had great seats...thanks ladies! During the general sessions, we heard great speaking and amazing musicians like Jaci Velasquez, Avalon, and Plumb.
Hannah and Ellie were very excited that I had my picture taken with "Boz"!