Trying To Play A Game

Charlotte Fishing

Mia won 2 Bears

Ready For Halloween Fun

Little Dinosaur

Craft Time

Wiping Off The Worm

Ewwww

Crazy Child

That's a live worm on katrynas head.

Jasmine

Baz Had Fun Too

At Sofias Party

Mia and Friends

Cuteness

The 3 big girls have a costume parade and Halloween parties at School this afternoon. The little ones tried on their costumes that they are going to wear too. How cute are they???

The school girls are a gorilla, Princess Leia (although Sof wanted me to put piggie buns on the sides of her head cuz she doesn't like the "scratchy wig"), and Jasmine.

Bazzy is actually going to be Mater tomorrow night (a friend gave us the costume and Bazzy was thrilled!), but he still fits in his Lightning Mcqueen outfit and I figured this would be good to keep him warm outside watching the parade. Charlotte is dressed as a dinosaur in this picture, because Katryna really wanted her in this costume when I took her to school~ but tomorrow night she will be a Sea Turtle. :) I got these two costumes after Halloween last year on Baby Style for $6 and they are the CUTEST things! I love a great bargain!

Katryna has her big 5th grade Halloween party today. This is a BIG deal in her school cuz they get to have their party in the gym since it's their last year in Elementary. Ugh. Stomach pains. I still can't believe it. No WAY she is old enough to be going to Jr. High next year. Ouch. Her last Halloween in Elementary School. Sniff.

I'll post phone pics from school....

A Sad Mommy Journal

Mia brought her October Journal home from school yesterday and I had to chuckle as I read about her entry for the day after I had my root canal. I actually was really careful to not say TOO much when Kris picked me up with the kids from the dentist office (I got done shortly after school let out) because I don't want them to be scared of the dentist too....but apparently THIS PICTURE is what I looked like when they picked me up. LOL. Actually that's probably more of what I looked like before I left for the dentist. This is what Mia wrote (written in first grade-ish)

"My Mom had to get her shots. it was in sid her mowth. She sed it hrt rily bad."

Her teacher wrote at the bottom~ "Those do hurt! I hope she is feeling better."

So Mia's teachers now know all about my root canal. :) Makes me wonder how much teachers learn about their students' lives and parents through these journal entries. Could be interesting.

We're Gettin' Ready For a Hoedown!

We are having our first annual Haiti Hoedown on Friday, November 6! I am SO excited! It will be a night filled with dancing and yummy treats and we will have a silent auction and we're hoping to raise a LOT of money for the Rescue Center.

The idea for this dance came when I went to a dance with a lady and some women from her church ~ and it was such a fun night. I'm hoping everyone will be able to let loose and be silly and enjoy having fun together! We decided to make it a Hoedown when one of the ladies from our team suggested we use her aunt's barn for the event. The barn is GORGEOUS! Not your typical barn! It's absolutely perfect and from this the HAITI HOEDOWN was born.

My parents offered to come down to help watch kiddos and we were VERY thankful for that! :) I'm not sure Charlotte would be so into the hoedown thing (although the kid does love to dance!) and she would be very difficult to keep track of while running things.
So thanks Mom and Dad!

It will be a very busy week preparing everything for the dance and I'm thrilled that everyone is finally healthy in our home again. We've been fighting through the flu and I'm REALLY hoping it's all over. (please oh please!)

Do any of you remember reading about little Renald at the Rescue Center?
I posted about him awhile back...but in the picture below he was 13.5 pounds at 3.5 years old. Hard to believe, right? :(

A missionary family in Haiti, The Livesays, were working at the Rescue Center the week Renald came in with his mom. Their hearts were all broken by this sweet boy and little Renald was a major motivation for Tara's marathon. They decided to bring Renald home with them and nurse him back to help so he could be reunited with his mother. In our American minds- this would have been a rediculously joyous occasion. But things in Haiti are sometimes different and the reunion was really tough on everyone. You can read more about it HERE.

I've realized after traveling to other countries that we can in NO way expect other cultures to act like us. Our way is not the right way. Our way is OUR way...but not necessarily the best or the right way. It's just what we're accustomed to and what we think is normal.

I'm expecting to have a lot of TOUGH moments in Haiti. Things that confuse me. Things that upset me. Things that make me angry. Things that make me sob.

I'm also expecting to have moments of intense joy and thankfulness for a Jesus that loves all of us with all of His heart. I know he is going to show us who He is in some incredible ways and I've been doing all I can to prepare for this crazy week to come.

I would appreciate any of your prayers as we prepare for everything!
Thanks for all your support with this adventure and I'm sure I'll have lots of pictures to show you all of our first Haiti Hoedown! Yee Haw!

Fork Practice

Trying to teach Charlotte how to use a fork. She prefers holding the
fork in one hand and eating with the other. Oh well.

The Perfect Thing For Fall

I just HAD to make my Grandma VMs cinnamon applesauce today.
It reminds me of fall and it's SO yummy!

They had bags of local apples on sale at the store, so naptime today
was the perfect time to make (and eat) some.

If you want to try it yourself...peel and slice up your apples (however many you choose), simmer with about an inch of water in a big pot. When the apples soften and start to break apart- add sugar to taste and cinnamon red hot candies. I usually add quite a few red
hots. You'll know there's enough when your applesauce turns pink.

My kids now love this as much as I did growing up. yUMmY!

2 Little Pumpkins

Yep. We went back to vallas today. It was supposed to be 55 degrees
and sunny. It was not. Cold and cloudy instead. Kris was at the game,
so it was still good to get out! :)

Sof's First Recital

Sofia has her first piano recital tonight. Kids only. We will get to
be at her Christmas recital. They even got to dress up! She said she
has butterflies in her stomach. ;) Hopefully she will love it!

Finally...Pumpkin Patch Pics!!!

Here are the long-awaited pumpkin patch pictures.
I've had a fever since yesterday....so I actually was forced to stay in the house and this gave me time to post pictures. :)

Charlotte was frozen here.
She still smiled, but it was cold!

Sam, Alex, and Addison in the giant chair.

Anyone???

Mia explained to Bazzy after this picture was taken that this is just someone dressed up like Snow White, cuz the REAL Snow White lives at Disney. ;)

Charlotte is yawning. Not screaming.
The kids were waiting for the big mechanical pumpkin eating dragon to wake up and eat pumpkins.

Bazzy at sea.

Sam and Alex checking out the windmill.

Charlotte loved the mums.

We tried sling-shotting apples this year and it was WAY fun!

We had to put on this cool head gear to do it.

Bazzy thought it was really fun to be able to shoot apples across the field and wear the mask.

Even I tried. It really was fun!

Charlotte - taking everything in.

Bazzy- being cute as always.

Sofia and Katryna LOVED this camel. Their hands were covered in camel-slime after feeding him but they thought it was great. Blah.
(you can see my friend Amy in the background too. ;) )

Those giant bouncy pillows are still one of the best things ever. Mia would bounce on those forever!

The two older girls had to bounce on their own this year because they are over 7. Probably good to separate the big kids from the little kids.

New this year was a big bin of corn to play in.

Perfect for laying in, burrying each other, and doing "corn angels."

Addison and Sebastian playing with the water pumps.
Sebastian was REALLY concentrating.

The big girls.

+ Bazzy.

Charlotte and Alex back at home.
Charlotte wasn't quite sure why we came home with this pumpkin for her.

"Am I supposed to eat this?"
(notice the hair!)

What a fun day!
Thanks for coming to play with us Sam, Amy, Alex, and Addison!

Guess Who???

THIS will be playing the cello tomorrow night at the pumpkin patch.
So happy that she has the confidence and silly-ness to want to be a Gorilla playing cellist with all of her friends around. Love it.