October 2014

About a week before General Conference my friend Jacque posted how she had followed this idea and made her own Conference board.  I didn't think I would succumb to the internal pressure to make on in time for Conference, but alas, the inspiration took over.

 

 

It was also the weekend of the St. Tammany fair.  It was small but free which was nice.  The girls got to see some animals and we saw the Robot Ellia's class made for the fair which was really fun.

Ashlyn wanted to touch everything, Quincy didn't want to touch anything.

While I am somewhat partial to my children's school, they definitely had the best display there.

The animals were all beautiful, and Ashlyn wanted her picture with several fine specimens.

Chuck-E-Cheese play date.  Quincy kept going over to the horse and while I wasn't foolish enough to start the thing (she won't even sit in the little motion cars) I did put her on for a minute only to hear her disdain.

Halloween Care Package from Grandma Carol!

Ellia had really been wanting to get this big puzzle out and I finally caved.  I knew if we got it out I would get obsessed and waste a lot of time on it.  I figured that since we sometimes get one out to work on during conference I'd oblige.  There were a few times we all worked on puzzles together...even Quincy had her own to play with.

Nabbing a killer deal on cereal at Alberstons. The girls get really excited when we go to a grocery store with fancy carts (the cheaper store don't seem to have them so it is a rare occasion!).  This time they entertained themselves by bumping their heads on the steering wheels.

We scheduled our usual home depot kids workshop and this time it was a big kids fair! The girls got to see Anna and Elsa, we got chick fil sandwiches and root beer floats and they built ambulances.  Good timing!

Between Saturday conference sessions we visited the park to get some wiggles out.

Finally time to use the board! The girls were so excited and it their interest even lasted longer than I expected. 

 

It's been great having nice weather so the girls can go out and play. We have been able to get them to play t-ball and soccer with us and it has been fun watching them.

Quincy is moving on to bigger and better things. Now she wants the serving dish and spoon to eat from. 

On this morning, it wasn't a bike ride / run, it was everyone running! Jeremy said they did really good which inspired me to sign up for a family fun run next month!

Helping prepare the traditional Sunday morning conference breakfast buffet!

and then getting stuck in a chair.

I love how Ashlyn made a pumpkin from these shape blocks!

conference cuties!

Such a big girl, carrying her own breakfast plate into the family room.

Ta Da! We choose not to set everything out this time since Quincy would definitely make that difficult.

Our between session break came in the form of a beautiful canoe ride on the bayou.

We spotted a few turtles and one small alligator just as we were headed back. 

We invited one of Ashlyn's new friends form church to dinner one night, and she was so excited she sat outside and waited for her to arrive.

Quincy has been taking care of these princesses really well lately.  First we found them surrounding her breakfast bowl, now she must be letting them have TV time.

Our guests finally arrive!  Ashlyn and Lisa had so much fun tonight.  We got to celebrate her dad's birthday with them, and the frosting ending up on both of these girls noses!

Watch out Daddy, it looks like Quincy is ready to spend some money!

Day at the zoo.  We were hoping for cooler weather but it was still mostly nice.  Ellia came with us because she had a scratchy throat again and we couldn't get her into the Dr. until the next day but we suspected strep throat again.

We got to see the cutest hedgehog!  It was so fun to go with friends, especially because I got to spend some extra time with their mommies!

My girls just love riding the "animals" at the zoo.

You'd think a child started this, but no, it was Melissa - and the children all followed right after her!

My favorite!

Look how close they are!  I wonder how strong that glass really is?

Have to end the day with a ride on the Carousal.

We signed Quincy up for a mini ballet session.  It was worth it just to see her dressed up!

That also happened to be picture day for Ashlyn...I was riding with some pretty hot chicks that day!

Really Quincy?  That is quite the pose.

She wasn't too involved in the dance steps, but she liked all the props.

Especially the parachute.

Vacation time!  We found a great stereotypical place to eat lunch in Alabama...but the kids don't always appreciate the ambiance like we do.  Quincy kicked and pushed on the booth for quite some time.

This grill was AWESOME!  Just because it was different than anything I've seen. I kinda felt like I was at the Whistle Stop Café from Fried Green Tomatoes or something, "Secret's in the sauce!"

Our first Civil War memorial of the trip.  We kindof got lost on this hillside and there was a bunch of construction so we missed part of what we wanted to see, but this stop was interesting and quaint with a great view of Chattanooga.

Getting up bright and early to start our drive to Tennessee.

We stumbled upon this great stop. This was one of the Olympic venues for the 1996 Atlanta Summer Games. Kayaking was held here. A beautiful stop and place to have lunch.

I love how Quincy tries to be just like her big sisters.

 

Jeremy knows me well.  Even though it was a 40 minute drive, he decided we should go to this apple "stand"....I LOVED IT!!  It was quite the tourist desintation, but that's ok, we're tourists!  It was a big shop inside with at least three different areas to buy food to eat right then. There was a café, a bakery and a sampling bar.  It was really cool to try two or three different types of apples back to back so you could tell the difference in sweetness and crispness etc.  I tried Jonagold and cameo that I can remember and I think the cameo was much sweeter? (which I didn't like)  Wish I could remember better now!  They had apple EVERYTHING plus lot's of other things to gift like jams and jellies from other farms etc.  We ended up each choosing something from the bakery.  I choose apple cider donuts, Jeremy got a fried apple pie, Ashlyn picked something with cheese cake in it and Ellia picked a big cinnamon roll. Plus we had nice cool apple juice to drink. One of the best parts was that they had windows you could look through to see how they bring the apples in from the field, strip them of stems and leaves, wash them, sort them and bag them.  I love that kind of stuff.

On our way back we drove through this adorable train town.  We even saw the train go through.  There was a little hill the train ran along, with houses very close above and below it...SO CUTE!  It wasn't so much a tourist town as a real live working little hometown!

We went on a really great hike/walk to a beautiful waterfall, and even though Quincy was exhausted (she had a lot of trouble sleeping in the tent.  Lot's of trips in and out and a long drive around to finally get her to sleep)  So, even though she was exhausted, she would not relinquish her bottle on this hike.

Jeremy and I were both surprised at how beautiful the water fall was.  So picturesque, like it should be in a calendar or something.

On the way back out I spotted this little snake with a bright green tail tip.  I was curious how afraid I should be and had never seen that tail thing so I asked the next hiker down if he knew much about snakes.  When we walked back a ways and I showed him he said, "That's a copperhead."  I also learned that they are more dangerous when they are little.  GOOD. TO. KNOW.

Early the second morning of camping (after a few hours of rain the afternoon before and a somewhat better night for Quincy) Jeremy took Lia and Q for another hike.  Ashlyn stayed asleep for awhile so I went for a little run around the small camp loop.  By the time they came back it was raining again and they were soaked!

Quincy had a lot of fun trying to ride the scooters all over the campsite.

View of the valley we had been camping in. 

Lunch at the waterfall.

 

For our last day we toured Chattanooga a little bit. We happened upon this college rowing race which was really neat to watch.  They went over this really long (and record setting) foot bridge we almost walked all the way across.

Those boats are SO long and SUPER skinny. I don't think my butt would fit in one!

While we were trying to find something called "The Passage" which is a tribute to the Trail of Tears, we found this little fountain to play in for a bit.

Then we found the real deal and the girls got soaked!

View by the waterfall.

I thought this visitor's center for the civil war site we went to was pretty beautiful.

There were a couple of little cabins along the meadows were the battle was fought. You could sort of image what it might have been like to live at that time.

This monument was amazing!  The inside is just a spiral set of stairs to the top. I felt like Rapunzel.

The view from the top was breathtaking.

On our drive home (with about 2-3 hours to go) someone flagged us down on the freeway to tell us we had a flat.  We knew the tire had been low and we'd filled it at least once, but this guy was frantic. Of course I thought he was just animatedly waving at us so I waved back.  We happened to be right near an exit and the first and really only thing there was a tire shop and semi gas station.  The tire place was closed, but we were able to get some snacks while Jeremy changed the tire.  So lucky to have him!

As usual the last stretch of any road trip produces restless kids.  Quincy was getting creative,  burying herself in this notebook, and eventually just putting a bag over her head.

Jeremy mail ordered a bunch of stuff for my birthday that was waiting on our porch when we got home.  One thing came in this huge box, which the girls decorated all over for wrapping paper.

The girls spoiled me when it was time to open presents.  Quincy was being so lovey but it made it hard to participate in the actual opening of anything.

As is becoming tradition, I once again opened TONS of wrapped swag from Jeremy's recent conferences.  My favorites were an LSU mug, a squishy alligator and a flashlight multi-tool.

Youth cooking competition.

 

Halloween sugar cookie time!

I caught Quincy very entertained one morning. She was contendely picking the marshmallows out of the Lucky Charms.

Off to the pumpkin patch!  It warmed up a lot that day but I think the girls were ok in their sweaters for the most part. Will fall ever come?

There were lot's of fun photo ops, but Quincy wasn't usually very interested in participating.

Cinderella was even there in her pumpkin carriage!

I loved this little old building with its rustic wood.

 One day Quincy jut took the shopping cart outside and started walking around the circle.  She looked so grown up!  She can open doors now and has even started getting out of her crib.  A few times I wasn't sure if it was one of her sisters helping her, or if she really got out herself. But one night while we were watching a show, we heard her.  She got out and then had to fumble with the door knob for quite awhile but then she came wandering into the family room with a big proud smile on her face. The best thing about little kids is that they still want to show you their tricks.  So, once she showed me how she got out I was able to solve the problem, at least for now.  I thought she was getting out on the ottoman so I moved that, but when she showed me it was actually the arm of the rocker that she was using.

Piggy cupcakes for a church activity.

A little boy in Ashlyn's class had his birthday party at Tiny Tumblers and Ashlyn talked about it for an entire week before, and the entire week after.  She even said in her prayer, "Thank you for Ethan's birthday."

For my birthday we had some couples over to play a few minute to win it games and of course some board games.

The stage is set.  Gummy Worm Fishing, Penny Hose, Cup Stack and get the Oreo from your forehead into your mouth!

Jeremy did a great job with the cake, but he didn't think about candles, so I got to be 37 instead of 33.  I guess the next few years won't be as shocking now.

While we were setting up for board games the husbands made a nice pyramid out of the cups.

Jeremy also gave me a night alone at home.  He took all three girls camping over night at Fountainbleau.  He said Quincy was a pain again, and the hardest part was that this time he couldn't leave to drive her to sleep.

 That weekend he also ran his first half marathon!  He did great and despite a walk over a mile for us to get to the finish line to see him, it was a fun experience.  Basically they stop traffic into Fountainbleau after the first runner comes back in. Well, we knew this but missed it by a few minutes so they turned us around to park down the road.  After parking, unpacking the kids and rushing across the road toward the park entrance, then WALKING forever, (with still a mile to go) they tried to tell me I needed to pay. Well I was worried about missing Jeremy, I was frustrated about having to walk in - especially after a police officer asked why we were walking because he told the park rangers to let people in- and I had left any money I had in the car.  I WASN'T going to walk all that way back so I just kept walking on as the lady in the guard shack was shouting after me.  Ellia was stopped in her tracks at the station and I was moving on.  The poor lady behind me that I had been ranting to already was just looking from me to Ellia, while I hurried on. Ashlyn was sortof bouncing back and and forth not knowing who to go with.  I shouted after Ellia and she finally came running, "mom are we going to get in trouble?"  I told her she wasn't going to get in trouble, and that I would pay them when I got the money from the car. I tried to convince her that she didn't do anything wrong and she seemed to let it go. I however, was pretty sure I stuck out like a sore thumb (lady pushing a stroller with three kids) and every person I passed in a green shirt I got a little panicked.  I wondered a few times if I might get arrested, escorted off the property!  After about half a mile I decided they had more important things to do than find and arrest me and take my kids.  We were able to find a great spot and after a second the lady who had been trailing me walked by.  I talked to her for a second and she said the lady pretty much just went on with things once I had left.  OH BOY.

Jeremy did great! There was some yummy food afterward but not much to drink unless you wanted a beer in your souvenir beer mug, and you could also use your medal to open a glass bottle, which doubled as a beer opener.  Fortunately we found some bottled water.

Later that day we re-played our minute to win it games with the girls.

Quincy has gotten to be quite distracted by picking any wild flowers on our walks...and sometimes some not so wild flowers.  It's hard to help kids understand which ones are ok to pick and which ones are grown to look pretty.

Playing dress up.

She can be so weird sometimes.

We went to have lunch with Ellia at school one day, and every time we are there Ashlyn walks along the Pelican prints. Today Quincy followed right behind Ashlyn but the space between them was a little more challenging for her.

A few days later I got to go to Ashlyn's school while they fireman came to do a show.  Quincy was acting up so we had to leave early, but it was still fun to see Ashlyn among her friends.

Playing Loving Family with Quincy.  We set up the Breyer barn too and Loving Family just added an outdoor Barbeque set...I was kindof wishing I lived in their same set up.  It seemed very enjoyable!

This month Ellia started a new class with her friend Makayla. It is called Cheer and Tumbling. I think she is liking it more than some of the others we've tried so far.

One morning after I got Quincy out of bed I looked back and noticed she had put her baby to bed.

Our neighbors and good friends got a tent trailer, and we have talked about how much I think I'd enjoy having one, until I realized I did have one!!!

A park play date in our Halloween duds. Ashlyn is very good at helping Quincy do EVERYTHING. This time that meant looking at the camera. 

There is a lady here who I share a mutual friend with, her daughter is about a month older than Quincy and they look a lot alike, so I kept trying to get a picture of them together. It was quite the challenge, but I managed a few to get the idea.

Same size, same age, same color and length of hair, same eye color etc.

Ashlyn's first day of dance. I had been calling a studio for about a month and wasn't having much luck (voicemail full etc).  I even stopped by one night to try to catch someone, left my number, filled out papers but didn't get a call back.  So, one night when class was being held we just showed up and I said, "You have a new student, her name is Ashlyn."  After that I finally got a response from someone and she is in!  After her first class she climbed in the car and said, "that was fun." I was so glad to hear it, because with dance you have to make a longer commitment since you buy the costume and pay for a recital!!!

 

Being weird again.  She has all of a sudden caught the Frozen "bug." Only she calls everything Go. She sings the songs, as good as she can, and this is her wearing the Frozen DVD case.

A second attempt at a high school football game. We actually got to see the Covington High band perform this time, (including a rendition of Thriller which was great!)  We sat in a more crowded area and it was nice and chilly and for some reason I think those things helped keep Quincy a little less active.  She loved having a pom pom, and she also loved that her dad thought Ashlyn's shirt was actually a dress for her.  She felt so proud telling people, "djesh."

Bands here have a totally different reputation than where we grew up.  It's fun to see them perform and really get into it. The drum majors are SO fun to watch!!

 Laying out all our costume pieces. I have wanted to do family costumes in the past, but couldn't think of one to do with three girls. Thank you google for the idea to do Despicable Me 2, and thanks to the consignment sales for provided some of our pieces, included my spot on color dress!  Ellia wasn't sure about it at first, and then she got really excited, wanting to see pictures online and try on her costume.  However, about a week before she started saying she was going to be too embarrassed.  Well I wasn't going to bow out that easily so we made a deal that we'd dress up together for the truck or treat and then she could be something else on Halloween.  She debated back and forth and then, she drops it on me, Elsa.  Really?  Where in the world could I find an Elsa costume in her size, for a decent price so close to Halloween?  No where I tell you.  I finally found a generic blue dress at K-Mart with a hoop that I knew she'd love, and she went with it.

 

So then Jeremy drops this on me, LSU game with a co-worker the night of the trunk or treat.  Well fine. We are going to the Boo Fest dressed up as a family no matter if anyone else there is dressed up or not.

Gru and Lucy.

 

Some people "got" our costumes right away. When Jeremy wasn't right next to me I heard whispers of "Flintstones" and "Scooby Doo."  A few little girls stared up at me and said in a transfixed voice, "hhhiiiii." I have no idea who they thought I was, they just knew I was someone dressed up!

 

So, later that night the girls dressed up as Anna, Elsa and Dorothy for the trunk or treat and I went in normal clothes.

 

Quincy's twiner, of course she wouldn't stop for a decent picture. Clara

Ashlyn's twin.  It was fun that both of their twins were the same age and I consider them buddies with each other! Anna-Kate.

Since everyone else was trying something I decided to try Quincy in dance.  She probably participated less this time, but she was so excited when I told her it was dance, she kept skipping around saying, "dass cass."

I decided to let someone else make Ashlyn's invitations and I'm so glad I did.  There was just too much going on at the end of the month! They turned out perfect and, were SO easy might I add!

Ashlyn made a yummy treat for Quincy on her birthday.  Sprinkles and mini marshmallows in a cupcake liner with a frozen crown on top.

Pictures from the LSU game Jeremy went to with his co-worker.

Girl's movie night after truck or treat.

On the week of Halloween Ashlyn's dance class got to wear their costumes.  

I decided to only do 3 pumpkins this year since Jeremy and I usually end up making them anyway.  Ashlyn chose a horse, Ellia designed and even cut out some of her pumpkin face and I did an Olaf face for Quincy.

The night of Quincy's birthday was pretty busy but we managed to enjoy it all. Costumes at dance class, carving pumpkins and of course opening presents.  Ellia chose to give Ashlyn a Frozen coloring book and crayons and that could have made Quincy happy for the remainder of the night. It was hard to get her to open the next few, but by the end she was ripping through them.

She did take a break to do a little filming.

Halloween happened to be on a school day this year so Ellia got to do Storybook day again and dress up in her Elsa costume.

Ashlyn had preschool at  the park.

Quincy loved her new princess jammies, which Ashlyn chose to give her, and her new wagon from grandma Carol.

Quincy's birthday cupcakes. Since she is still pretty young we just combined cake and ice cream with Halloween festivities. We had a few families over to trick or treat with us and have dinner, and then afterward we sang happy birthday to her.

Friends to trick or treat with.

Cute little mouse, I loved watching Ruben's tail drag behind as he crawled around.

Quincy had no trouble at all going to the door and opening her bag for candy.

She also ate her cupcake so fast I didn't even see her do it and there weren't many crumbs on the floor.

Too much candy.  Luckily a friend of mine suggested putting a bunch of it in a piñata for Ashlyn's birthday so wala! A way to rid ourselves of some of it!