Happy Halloween!!

We had a wonderful Halloween weekend. Friday night we went with some friends to see a Super Hero show at Second Baptist. It was so much fun! The Super Hero's are from VBS. My girls were too little in the summer to attend VBS but still enjoyed the show. The show was based on the verse 1 Timothy 4:12 Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. I LOVE it! It was great! We were lucky that Reese and Saige went to church with my mom (Second) and got the cd with ALL the songs from the show. Score!!


Sunday on Halloween our community group from church did something called "Rice and Beans". We ate a simple dinner, rice and beans, and donated money (the amount we would spend on a dinner out) for a family for Christmas. It was a lot of fun. The kids all played games and rode bikes, cars etc outside. The adults had time to chat. Then we ALL got dressed and went trick or treating. We only went to a few houses and then packed up and went back to our section to see our neighbors too.




The girls really enjoyed trick or treating. Reese was so excited and went running from house to house. Saige liked getting candy but made Daddy hold to bucket because it was getting heavy. We didn't go to too many houses (maybe 2 streets total) but we sure did get a lot of candy. By the end of the night Saige had two suckers in each hand. We made it home and I let the girls eat 4 pieces each and then we got ready for bed. I took about half and then put some of it in the bucket on the porch. Theres no way the girls could (or should) ever eat that much candy. Saige wouldn't let me wash the black off her nose so she went to bed with a black Minnie Mouse nose. How sweet is that?!?! It was a really fun night! Here are a few pictures!



Kids playing before TOTing time.



Claire and Reese


Saige and Lilah


Reese and Saige


ALL the kids getting Ready! LOL


Most of our community group kiddos-minus 3!





Trick Or Treating in our neighborhood with friends from the street!

This week...

We read my favorite spider book The Spider and the Fly and then went to look at real spider webs. Lucky for us we have plenty in the garage. Then we made spider webs out of glitter and glue. NEXT we made spider cookies. Yum!








We had Disney Days at the girls school. I was able to help do one of the activities this year. I was surprised that the girls didn't cry when they saw me and then had to leave with their teacher. They acted as if its normal for me to be hanging out in a classroom at their school. It was a lot of fun. It made me realize more and more how much I want to return to teaching...some day! Right now I'm enjoying the time at home with the girls. I know these precious moments won't be here much longer and I want to ENJOY them, not just survive them.





Wednesday Reese was able to wear her costume to dance class. I should have snapped a picture but didn't. The kids were too cute dancing all dressed up. Saige had to wear her costume as well. Then we headed to Pappas to see Aaron. The girls haven't seen him much since hes been working a lot lately. They were very excited to see Daddy at work.




Tonight we carved pumpkins. Saige wanted nothing to do with it and ran away crying when the pulp touched her skin. Allie, our dog, wanted to eat the pumpkin parts-seeds and all. Shes not very smart.

sneak peek!

My dad came over to visit the other day and since he lives so far the girls modeled their costumes for him. Strawberry Shortcake and Minnie Mouse.

When we first went to look at costumes Saige wanted to be a baby. Shes two! She IS a baby! She finally saw Minnie Mouse and liked this one. Reese was sold on Strawberry Shortcake thanks to the hot pink wig! She thinks she is hot stuff for sure.

We went on a walk with my dad to look at all the fun Halloween stuff out (only the nice ones though), ate pizza, had ice cream and he brought them candy and a little toy. We love when he visits. I sure wish we saw him a little more though.

After he left Saige wanted to know why "Boo doesn't have any hair" LOL! Out of the mouth of babes!

Dentist

We had a double dentist day! Reese has this spot on her gums that was very red. She had been putting her fingers in her mouth, which is something she had never done before so it worried me. She also would cry when I brushed her teeth and today complained about eating. It was time for her to go again and I kept meaning to make the appt but didn't get a chance. I now had a reason. I decided to let Saige go to her first dentist visit as well.

We went to a pediatric dentist in our area. They were so nice and the place was so clean. Reese got 6 x-rays taken and I wanted so badly to take a picture but I felt stupid so I decided not to. :( Saige was next and I thought for sure she wouldn't sit still long enough to get the little cap thing on-but she did great! She only had two x-rays taken. The hygienist cleaned Reese's teeth and I was told we hadn't been brushing her teeth well enough. That made me feel super great! She didn't have any cavities or anything like that but they just need to be brushed better so she doesn't get any. I was really embarrassed. The dentist looked at her red gums and asked if she injured it some how but we couldn't think of anything??

Saige also did great again! She always surprises me. She sat just like a big girl letting the hygienist and dentist clean, count and look at her teeth.

The girls got new toothbrush, floss, stickers, toy and a ring! Fancy!!

Tonight I had to sit on Reese to brush her teeth though because of that sore spot. I did it softly but she was so scared. I hate that. We have to brush her teeth but she was so upset.

Lately...

Things have been hairy at home. Reese, who is normally SO sweet has become SO sassy! She is telling us "no" a lot. Her way of doing it is still in a quiet nice voice so sometimes it gets overlooked. (Saige's way is to scream like a total maniac and run around) But yesterday we were done with it. Aaron actually yelled at her and she of course had a total meltdown making things even worse. She refused to eat dinner, clean up, take a bath, come when we called her, get in the car, put on her shoes, go to the restroom, brush her teeth...you get the idea!

I don't know if being sassy just comes with being four or what but its been a very very trying few days. She kicked the kitchen cabinets and said NO really loud at me today. Of course when we get around strangers she is very sweet and compliant, which I love but I want her to be that way at home too.

We had a long talk about being "obedient" with her yesterday. It helped some but this going over things over and over has been very hard on me. I want to run in my closet and just hide some days. I know it doesn't help that Aaron has been working long hours lately. Doing breakfast to baths every day alone gets to me sometimes. Thank God for mothers day out! I pray that these sassy spells end soon but I'm sure we're just getting started.

More crafts!!

We did our usual crafts this week but some of them didn't go as planned! First we went out to look for acorns and then did acorn stamping. The girls didn't do it the way I wanted but then I tried to remember its suppose to be the process and experience rather than the product! We took the acorns and dipped them into paint (red, yellow, brown, orange) on paper. Like stamps.





But I cut our acron stamping picture and made it look like an actual acorn. I think its super cute though




Then we attempted to make a jack-0-lantern out of candy corn, black beans and green split peas. FAIL!!! My children were to glue the candy corn on the paper. I saw it on another blog and it was just too cute. They did the beans fine (also glued them) but when it came time for the candy they ate the candy like they never ever get sugar. Like total maniacs. They even were eating some with glue on them. I threw it away and we just ate the candy instead. Then I made them go outside and play.

Then we made owls!! This was my favorite this week for sure.

Open House

Tonight we had open house at the girls school. We were able to chat with the teachers and the kiddos showed us around the room. Saige is a very different child in her classroom. As soon as we walked in she stopped talking and was timid. So not our little Saige. Its funny though. Here are some pictures of Saige's room and the music room.

The girls scheduled times are off a little. Saige's time was at 6 and Reese's was at 7:30 so we headed to Chick Fil A for some dinner. We talked into "Spirit Night" and it was BUSY!!!! There was the cow in there and Saige did not like that. I found a table and had the girls walk to it. Saige stopped, screamed at the top of her lungs and cried "NO I DON'T LIKE THE COW" Everyone in the place turned our direction and thankfully the cow did not come to visit us at the table.







Then it was Reese's turn. She was bouncing off the walls with excitement. Aaron was able to meet us for Reese's room. We walked around, did a craft, saw the guinea pig and Reese read us a story. Saige loved the guinea pig (which she used to call a piggy bank!) She was very proud of her room and she has the sweetest teachers. I'm so grateful that we're at this school.







Her teacher made a comment that Reese looked tired because her eyes were red. I hadn't even noticed. Oops! Then we got home and I started getting her undressed and she was warm. I took her temp and it was 101.1 (under the arm which I don't if that means its 101 or 102?). Double oops!! Shes sleeping now with some Motrin. Hope its gone tomorrow.

Pumpkin Patch

We met some of our MOPS friends at a local church that has the neatest pumpkin display. You can buy some of the pumpkins and take lots of pictures. Saige woke up with some allergies so I gave her the smallest amount of Benedryl before we left. When we got there I had one very grumpy and sleepy girl. Oh well! :) Heres a few of my little pumpkins :)

Bliss

The last three days we've had really nice weather. We've also been busy! Tuesday and Thursday the girls go to school. I stopped putting on the TV before school. They are looking at books and basically dragging out every toy we own out to play. It does sometimes annoy me as I'm tripping over a baby, pretend broom, or a cup but the kids are having fun. I like that they aren't watching TV. I've stayed off the computer and focused on what I should be doing as well. Its amazing how our much smoother our mornings go.

Then after naps we play or we go outside. The girls literally drag everything outside. It looks like white trash by the end of the day. I honestly don't care though. Today, Reese put a kitchen spoon in her pants so it would be a tail and sang a song like Ming Ming (wonder pets). I laughed so hard as she shook her "tail" aka hips and sang a song. We even ate outside. We have no table out there but happily ate pizza on paper plates on the cement floor.

It was one of those moments where even though we weren't clean, doing things properly or neatly but we were having a blast. The girls haven't even asked to watch TV in TWO days. That's unheard of around here.

I went to take a hot bath by myself this evening and not 10 minutes later I had two silly girls in there with me. Splashing, playing and having a blast. I didn't have the heart to tell them I didn't want them in. Aaron looked at me like "is this ok" and I just smiled.

We sat on the couch tonight after Aaron got home and he read a bible story. Then somehow we ended it with singing Christmas Carol??? and the girls danced with musical instruments. It was a riot!!!

I'm not sure if this blog makes any sense but the last few days at home, playing with my sweet girls has been so nice. Its not normally like this. Normally there's fighting and I'm just making it until bedtime. But the last few days has made me so thankful to be home with them living this life. My imperfect, messy, simple life.

Love these days and want to hold them in my heart for forever.

Our bible verse

I try to do a letter of the week. I slacked off a little but got back to it this week. It was "P" We are doing a lot of pumpkin crafts, a pumpkin poem, practicing making P's etc. But my favorite part is teaching the girls bible verses. They only know about 3 but its a great start. This weeks was

Praise the LORD. How good it is to sing praises to our God,
how pleasant and fitting to praise him! Psalms 147

I love it. I think so often we hit our knees and pray to God when something bad has happened. We forget to sing Him praises. I want the girls to always remember to sing praises to our Father and not just ask Him for help when we are in trouble. Bring it all to Him.

Their praises this week have been for the beautiful sky and the trees. I can't wait to see what they want to praise Him for tomorrow.

Dewberry Farms

Today we went to Dewberry Farms with our church. It was so much fun! We had some sweet friends with us too, which of course makes the day always better. Aimee was so sweet to take lots of pictures of my girls with her super nice camera.





First we rode on a big wagon to pick our pumpkin. This was pure torture for me and my allergies. I thought I was going to rub my eyes raw. The girls got a tiny pumpkin that we will do something fun with later.







Then we went into a very dark room with carved pumpkins. They were awesome! There were Disney ones (mickey, Ariel etc), presidents, animals and lots of others. Saige was very brave and didn't need to hold my hand but Reese (my four year old) needed to be held the entire time. She was pretty scared and talked about it for a bit after.



We had a quick lunch and went on to play in a giant hay pile...





and fun on some slides, jumping and a small train ride (note the puffy eyes and wind blown hair!)








And lastly we tried so hard to get a cute picture of our little ones in the pumpkins in front of the picture perfect barn. We said this was their arranged marriage picture :)