In hopes of cooler weather I have taken out the next bins of hand-me-downs. I left it next to Quincy's crib on her rocking chair and when I went to wake her up from her nap she had this big coat on, zipped up and everything.
St. Tammany Parish Fair. This year I decided to help the girls enter some of their crafts, so we had to go see them on display! We started at the animals and they were brave enough to pet the calves.
Red and blue ribbon winners!
We found the Woodlake display, but couldn't see Ellia's contributions.
We found Ashlyn's green toilet paper roll super hero though.
I gave each of the girls a certain amount of money for snacks and rides. Quincy choose the Merry-Go-round.
Ellia was invited to a good friends party one Saturday so we rushed from soccer games and made just a little late. It was such a fun place for a party! ALL GIRL! They lead all the girls into a back room and had them pick out accessories for a fashion show down the cat walk. I didn't really think either of my girls would do it, but both did! Janae especially picked Ellia to walked out with which I think boosted Ellia's confidence. Ashlyn was still in her soccer clothes which I think made her feel our of place. She didn't come down the first time, and the second time she walked her stiff little walk.
Not shy now! Ashlyn helping us scalp two tickets at the LSU game.
It got a little chilly so we had sweatshirts and hats on for the first time this season. Quincy looked so cute but of course wouldn't let me capture her picture.
Traditional General Conference picnic breakfast.
The girls were excited to open their money envelopes after I picked up their crafts and fair winnings. It was the most they've "mede" in a long time.
While I think most kids put on their parents shoes...how many of them put the shoes on backwards?
A little Waffle House dinner while dad is away for the day.
Quincy and Ashlyn were a great help chopping vegetables and adding them to our big soup pot...getting ready for mommy's adult birthday party!!
It's FINALLY here! Jeremy and I did so much planning and organizing that the night was actually quite fun for us too! I must say dinner tasted SOOO good! I was super hungry from all the last minute preparations and it was just nice to sit down to that meal, and then, LET THE FUN BEGIN! We had some great costumes and some lively participation. It was so fun that almost as soon as it was over I wanted to start planning for next year.
Val and Shelley Throckmorton came as Prince Charming and Genevieve.
Melissa and Brandon Breedlove came as the Great Gatsby, and ended up winning for best costume. (We asked a few couples who they thought should win.)
Teresa and Brian Blackstone were Curious George and the man with the yellow hat.
Shane and Monique came as skeletons.
Jeremy and I portrayed the Scarlet Letter characters.
Liz and Matt Romeril came as Red Riding Hood and the wolf. I had sent Liz a reminder text with a typos stating that one other couple was being (instead of bringing) the same thing they were. She was confused because she hadn't told me what she was dressing up as, and wrote back something like, "I doubt that!" Then ironically another couple DID come as the same thing!
Mary and Zak Underwood...Little Red Riding Hood and the wolf.
Laurie and Dane Holbrook in scrubs, complete with gloves.
Elisa and Scott Newell, Alice in Wonderland and the White Rabbit.
After dinner we let the games begin!
Narnia brings cold and Turkish Delight. Roll doubles to unwrap the gift that’s in sight.
It took a minute for people to catch on to this game but once it was underway there was some pretty aggressive attempts at getting the package open, and some quick wardrobe changes. Once when Val was bent over cutting, Zak said, "I can see up your skirt man!" Teresa was the first to get to the package and some of the peanut M&M's popped out... she got really excited to win those peanuts - and I jumped up to grab and eat one of the stragglers!
How nice, Elisa is helping Teresa change more quickly.
Wonders await you in a place called Neverland.
Eat a cookie with your face, not a finger nor a hand.
Brandon and Zak had a really hard time with this one, I'm still not sure they ever accomplished it. Some of the guys decided pinning the cookie between their arm and face was in line with the rules and that's how they finally accomplished the task.
I guess we missed pictures of the ring toss...
It’s a Mad Hatter Party in strange Wonderland,
Catch 3 rings on your hat in the place where you stand.
This is where Jeremy and I were eliminated.
The ocean from Life of Pi is the next place to survive,
By fishing out a pretzel with a worm that’s not alive.
Maybe because when I played this game it took me forever, but I am always a little surprised at how fast people figure this one out and get the worm.
There’s
trouble in the ‘burbs that your neighbors try to hide,
Dig deep into the leaves to discover what has died.
The remaining participants were a little hesitant to dig in, I even heard something like, "it's dusty!" but eventually they each found the pieces to put an entire skeleton back together.
My favorite part of the night was when Dane ate "cat food." We offered a life line in case any one wanted to rejoin the games after being eliminated, and while no one really jumped at the chance, Dane spoke up with, "We'll do it, because Holbrooks are winners! It wasn't until after they accepted that I told them what the challenge would be. Dane hesitated for a minute, smelled it, and then took a nice big bite. Afterward I revealed that it was really only potted meat.
In
Sherwood Forest you’ll test your archery skills,
With
rubberband and precision your action kills.
Jeremy and I tested out all the games in advance and it didn't take him too long to accomplish this one, but for some reason tonight it took the participants FOR-E-VER! I even kept telling them to scoot closer but the toilet paper just wasn't breaking!
Next, we lead the couples back into the wooded area which was lit only with a few candles. There were three cauldrons awaiting the teams.
We find
ourselves at Hogwarts with a potion gone wrong,
Search
inside it for the Sorcerers stone, it shouldn’t take long.
While Laurie was searching she kept pulling out the worms and trying to figure out what they were. Between Elisa and Teresa there were a few questioning comments about if they were real or not. Neither Jeremy or I would say until they were finished, and once they knew for sure they were a little grossed out!
The Newell's and Blackstone's were the first to get all three stones out and make it to the final round, Russian Roulette with raw and boiled eggs.
We’re down to the end, you’ve made
it this far,
But things in Panem are different
we’re raising the bar,
You’re no longer a team, there can
be only one winner.
You’re on your own to avoid the raw
egg for dinner.
Even though the Newells were eliminated first by finding the raw egg, Teresa still kept playing and attacked Brian with the remaining eggs, including the raw one.
Championship Couple award.
Best Costume award.
Ashlyn's soccer game. She has gotten much more comfortable this year and listens a little better. When she is into the game she runs fast and kicks hard, scoring multiple goals. One game she even had 5 of the teams 13 (no goalies yet).
Other times she can be found pushing over the springy flags, hanging on the goal posts or doing back bends over the bench.
We got a text from our neighbor Dawn that said she had extra tickets for the LSU game. It was sort of a last minute decision but we decided to take the whole family. We scalped tickets and ended up in a similar section (and then ended up moving to an open spot we could all sit in later.) It was a fun thing to do as a family and the weather was nice and chilly! Ellia was pretty entertained the whole time, Ashlyn entertained herself by drawing, and Quincy got to be kind of a pain toward the end. Ashlyn was drawing the stadium and other things she could see so it was fun to have her explain her drawings to us...although some were really good and you could tell exactly what they were!
Handmade faux wood sign for the party.
I wasn't much on the décor, it was more about the games for me, but I still threw a few easy centerpieces together.
We kindof had to scrounge in the woods for the leaves because not enough had fallen yet. Thanks to Jeremy and power yard tools we got a pretty good pile.
Some of the fun food people brought.
Playing Polly Pocket gymnastics with Quincy.
I think all the people who gave me presents were in cahoots about wrapping paper!
I got to be Ashlyn's guest for "Bring Someone Special to Lunch" day. I really enjoyed our time together and she loved showing me all over the playground.
On a busy Saturday Jeremy squeezed in a trip to the boat festival with the girls. The boat makers asked what kinds of boats they wanted and they wouldn't say. Jeremy intervened and suggested they just wanted to pick the details and it didn't matter if it ended up being a real type of boat. He was right and their boats were quite fancy! Maybe not water worthy but they didn't care about that.
Happy birthday to me! I got lot's of help opening presents from the girls.
There is this little decoration in Ashlyn;s room that has stars on it. They have fallen off a few times and I have tried to glue them back on. One day I noticed she had pulled them all off so I gave up. Well, now she used them to glue on this plastic cup and make a birthday cup just for me!
Grandma Laura also made these beautiful Elsa dresses for all the girls to match, so they got to open a present too.
A little fishing trip in the neighborhood pond with our leftover night crawlers. Quincy also caught a turtle.
We decided the young adults could use a fun Halloween gathering as well. The games were planned and the stage was set so we just needed some guests! They came from near and far and seemed to have a pretty good time!
This time the girls got to participate too!
A new outfit from Grandma Carol.
6 months pregnant.
Wild Things Festival at Big Branch Wildlife Refuge center.
Jeremy was asked to speak in the Thibodaux ward one Sunday so we found a fun hike to do afterward. Despite being swarmed with mosquitos right when we opened the doors, it was a scenic little walk, just the right length for me.
We finally had a free weekend so we took the opportunity to leave town on a little trip. On our way to Fort Walton Beach we took a small detour to Duaphin Island, which included a ferry ride. Coincidentally one of Ellia's vocabulary words the following week was ferry! While we were waiting it we looked around one of the fort's. Fort Gaines is best known for its role in the Battle of Mobile Bay during the American Civil War.
We also had some time to watch the jelly fish from the pier. I think it might be the only time I have seen them outside of an aquarium. They were pretty cool to watch.
The girls enjoyed the breeze while we were riding the ferry, that is until they got too close to the front of the boat and got a little sea spray! Quite a few people got sprayed more than they expected I think.
Jeremy found the perfect hotel. For two days we hardly had to leave. There were hotel activities, equipment check outs, dvd check outs, a water slide, a hot tub, and quick access to the beach.
Even though it said one rider at a time on the slide we had to get Quincy warmed up to the idea. It didn't take long before she was going down with us catching her, and eventually all by herself...over and over and over.
The beach was beautiful!
Day 2. Waiting to get their faces painted.
It was so nice to have the hotel umbrella's and lounge chairs all set up and ready to use. All the girls looked super cute lounging, but Quincy wouldn't let me take her picture.
Building sand castles.
Ellia was walking with some swing and Quincy started copying her. I wasn't fast enough to film her but she gave me some fun tricks later - like doing the splits here.
Buried alive!
We missed a few activities because of time zone differences that we didn't even realize (it's actually the same time zone as us!) I guess we were so relaxed time hardly mattered. There weren't many kids waiting for face painting so the girls chose more than one spot for pictures. They tried for awhile to keep the pictures dry, but eventually they wore off in the pool.
We had a nice dinner Saturday evening and the girls meals included buckets. Early the next morning they were back in the pool with their new toys. They even found a sand colored crab in the pool and had fun releasing it in the ocean. Ashlyn had to show everyone that walked by what she had in her bucket, and most people were pretty interested. I was proud of her for being so brave.
The entire trip was so relaxing for me! (Poor Jeremy had sore shoulders from playing so much with the girls in the pool!) I felt super spoiled, like it was my birthday all over again.
Crafting. Ashlyn has been really into all things paper and pencil lately, so the other girls are joining in. Ellia has gotten so she can use the loom all by herself, and Quincy is writing Q's! She loves to see them anywhere and everywhere and gets really excited to point them out, "Q for Quincy!" She also tells us whenever she sees A for Ashlyn.
I've had to hide some of her play clothes because she has started choosing her own outfits. Today I got to pick the clothes, but she added the rain boots and ball cap.
"Take my picture mom."
It's pumpkin carving time! The girls did better this year at gutting their own pumpkins, although Ashlyn was very careful about only removing a few seeds at a time to avoid getting too slimy.
It's nice to have examples to show the girls on the internet, but they have more confidence in our abilities than they should. We finally found some designs we could do and after drawing them on the pumpkins Ellia was able to cut out almost her entire picture. Ashlyn had a melt down over which design to choose, and then over some of our faulty cutting, but eventually she was pleased with her cat face. (She is pretty obsessed with cats and cheetah's right now.)
A visit to have lunch with Ashlyn. She was such a good big sister to Quincy, who I ended up buying a meal for because she desperately wanted to go through the line with Ashlyn.
Time to party again! Quincy's birthday cake. She had a lot of indecision about what kind of party she wanted. Although the only thing that was part of any theme was the cake since we did her party at Chuck-E-Cheese. She picked out ponies early on, but changed a few times, mostly to cat once she heard Ashlyn talking about having a cat birthday.
Storybook character day. Ashlyn kept changing her mind back and forth over being a cheetah or a regular cat. She picked out the book, "The Three Little Kittens who Lost their Mittens," and at the last moment decided to be a cheetah...oh well, close enough. Ellia wanted to be Mrs. Frizzle so I had fun picking out some cute fabric and decorating her to go with the Magic School House book about bees. We even used some bee barrettes as earrings.
Jeremy was so fun that morning. He put on his football outfit to wake the kids up!
Happy birthday to Quincy! The first thing she saw was Jeremy in his football uniform, and this was the second...breakfast pancake! She loves the letter Q and points it out wherever we go, "There's Q for Quincy!!!"
After a nice sugary breakfast we headed off for Chuck E. Cheese pizza! They were offering incentives for dressing up and she choose this lady bug costume. We met her friends there for the party and I think they all had a really good time using up their tokens! We finished with lunch, presents and cake. It was so relaxing for the adults. I heard more than once..."This is the time to come here! It's empty!" We pretty much had the place to ourselves on a Friday at 11:30!
Quincy's friend Percy from church. These two get so excited to see each other, and Percy has rubbed off on Quincy a little bit. I was informed by a substitute in their nursery class that they introduced themselves as Cinderella and Rapunzel.
All the while we were at Chuck E. Cheese we were checking in on Trick-Or-Treating plans. Some neighborhoods had decided to celebrate Oct 30th (that night) instead of the 31st because it was supposed to be pretty rainy. Some parishes even made the switch but St. Tammany decided to let the neighborhoods decide. Well, our neighborhood was a little late but they decided to switch. Even though in Utah it is common to celebrate Halloween on Saturday if the 31st is on a Sunday, Jeremy and I enjoyed talking to the other moms there about how bizarre it seemed to "change" the date of a holiday! Someone even said their neighborhood was in a fit threatened to overthrow the current HOA because they chose NOT to celebrate on the 30th.
Quincy playing with some new toys.
So our birthday plans ended up getting kindof squished in with Trick-Or-Treating, but hey, opening presents in costumes is fun too!
She loved this little stuffed cat that played peek a boo from Grandma Betty.
We had a few melt downs while we were trying to fit everything in. Of course someone had to end up crying beacsue it wasn't THEIR birthday (that would have been Ashlyn) and then someone else ended up crying because they had spread the pieces of their costume out and had a hard time switching from present opening mode to getting ready mode. That would be Ellia. Ashlyn ended up rejoining the birthday party after drawing a picture to give to Quincy. Maybe in the future I need to give her more input on the gift she gives! Ellia ended up getting her costume all put together and she felt better too. I was trying to do face paint on everyone while Jeremy was rushing us out the door, and then when we did get out it was eerily still. All in all it was just a weird "last minute" sort of Halloween! We ended up walking on the trace to the next neighborhood. Jeremy said it was so he could scare the girls, and he did a good job! Then we met up with the Breedloves for one last cul-de-sac. There was SO MUCH CANDY! Quincy had a lot of fun and after each house would say, "Let's go to another house!" Then finally she said, "Let's go home." After that we took a potty and drink break and they were ready to go again. She also adopted what the homeowners would say and we'd hear her offer the next house a "Have a good night!" It was pretty fun.
The super cute birthday dress from Grandma Laura.
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