Happy Halloween!

This is the 4th post I've done tonight, so be sure to check out the previous 3!









Here are a couple of pictures from last night- we successfully Trick or Treated Marc and Carole's house across the street. Maybe next year we'll add one or two more houses to the route!

Lola the Dark Angel

Amelia the Dragon

The Very First Winter Family Jack O'Lantern

I do believe this is the very first Jack O'Lantern that Tahoe and I carved together and I know it's Lola's and of course Amelia's-but here you have it folks pictures, memories, traditions in the making and we're sharing it with you! I especially love the end result pictures tend to turn out a bit less than I imagine they should (as if I'm Ansel Adams...) but I am quite pleased with this one! Happy Halloween!

Some kids take their shoes off at the door- Lola ditches her clothes as well. Once we getting potty training a little further along we're going to start practicing it with clothes on. My hope is that by the time kindergarten starts we'll be old pros! (LOL)

Cold pumpkin meat on the gums and in the fingers felt so good and kept Amelia busy for the duration of the carving!
And of course Lola had to taste it and make sure she wasn't missing out on a good thing!

I am framing this one!

Panda-monium!

A couple of weeks ago we received an unexpected package on our front step. Yeahhhh- I love mail! The return address was that of Tahoe's Aunt Arlene and Uncle Bill in Las Vegas. When I opened the package I started to giggle almost uncontrolably; inside were a handful of books and two pairs of matching Panda bear feetie pajamas. I am a sucker for matchy-matchy little girls; I just can't help myself. The other reason I was so amused is because Aunt Arlene LOVES Panda bears. Lola's first gift from Bill and Arlene was a stuffed Panda Bear toy, this past summer I was able to pick their car out of a parking lot never having seen it before-but it has Panda license plates, they've even been to China and Aunt Arlene got to hold a baby Panda. I could go on and on but as Aunt Arlene says "It's Panda-monium!"

To Uncle Bill and Aunt Arlene: Thank you so much for the package and the pjs; they fit perfect and will keep my girls warm (not to mention all the smiles they create!)

The weekend before Halloween Tahoe took us to Montana for the weekend to check out a couple of jobs. It was a nice little get-away; and get to be together for a few days. Montana is sooo pretty north of Missoula. So "A River Runs Through It" esque. Looove it!

These doughnuts were seriously the size of a softball and seriously delicious!

O-R-E-O

Thought this sign was hilarious! Apparently someone else did too and tried to make it their own.

Sweet Amelia

Look how big my baby is! Plus she cracks me up!

Congrats Brent and Codii ! ! !

Just a few pics of last Saturday's wedding! Can't even begin to count how many times I almost started crying! It was beautiful! I love weddings; I think it's a good time to reflect on my own marriage and the vows I made. It's such a blessing to get to share in another couple's newness, excitement and hopes. I think it helps renew those feelings in my own marriage (and I never want those feelings to go away!)

These two are sooo in love-it was so amazing watching them exchange vows! The cake turned out beautiful! I am very proud of it !

Here's to a lifetime of extraordinary ordinariness!

A couple of weeks ago Robin and I took the girls out to Charlie's Garden- oh how I love that place! We'll have to pull these pictures out when the girls are seniors.

Treats for the Mama

What a treat it is to be a Mom!

Lola got into Mama's mascara

The only restraints Lola has yet to figure out are the buckles on her booster seat!

When done drying off, please, hang your towel up.

Here we have Ms. Amelia not quite big enough to get into trouble yet.

Someday soon, I know I'll here the pitter-patter of these small feet and I'll know trouble's coming!

And now I'm off to give Lola another bath today and clean carpet in her room again!

What a treat!!!

Indiana

Tahoe's "Grandma" passed away last week and we traveled to Indiana for her funeral. The first time I met Grandma Jackie was on Tahoe's 30th birthday. His birthday gift hadn't arrived in the mail yet so I baked him a pumpkin pie (his favorite) and she told Tahoe I was a keeper. She said "Any young girl that can make pie crust this good is a keeper!" I fell in love with her immediately. I know that with her passing there is a large void in the lives of those who knew her -but I also know that from where she sits now she is with us and can watch over us all. We will carry her in our hearts and remember her always. Grandma Jackie, we love you-Tahoe, Cassidy, Lola, and Amelia

Uncle Don and Aunt Nancy's barn and silo

It was sooo pretty there!




They have a sweet little cottage-esque garden and you know how I feel about that!

Lola loves music and when Jeff started playing she climbed right up there to play along!

Yes, we were invited to the gun show!!
Don't hurt anyone Ben!!!

Waiting to get on the plane in Chicago. Oh,how fun it is to travel with sick babies!
The day before we left to come home Lola became sick and was having a difficult time keeping fluids and food down. Thankfully she slept on both plane rides and was definately a trooper.

Aunt Nancy, Tahoe, Cassidy, Amelia, Uncle Don (Lola was asleep in the car)

A family bed (is there any other way to do it?) I tell you what though; it is so much more comfortable to sleep four in a bed when that bed is king sized!

Headed to Indiana-Amelia's first plane ride, the first time Daddy and Lola flew together and the first time we all flew together! Whew, so many firsts!

These pictures were taken a couple days before we left for Indiana- we were killing time before meeting Skylar, Dani, Sierra, and Sequoia for dinner over at Chapala's.

Lola had other ideas for taking a family pic- like not taking a family pic because it interferes with playing in the sand and water!

I took this picture and was holding Amelia above my head! Not an easy task- a lesser mom would have dropped the baby on her own head! (Hehehe - I was actually afraid this might happen to me!)

Mr. and Mrs. Winter

She is getting to be such a big girl!