Pumpkins & Parties

It's that time of year again, time to carve pumpkins. This year we were even able to get Dad in the pictures. The kids love to pick their patterns and carve their own pumpkins.

After Emma had poked the holes we realized that I had put the pattern on sideways, if you see in the finished pictures it is actually the other way. A winking emoticon. I love the pattern books great ideas. Except Clark went with the Aggie "A" again. True blue!!

We had a little problem with half of the mouth, it broke off so to get the real picture of the pumpkin the one all lit up is what it is supposed to look like.



This was our attempt to get a picture of Andrew with the pumpkins. We even tried to put the balls behind them to entice him to sit down, as you can see no luck.

Last but not least Emma had her soccer party last night and she received her trophy. At first I tried to get her to go sit with her team (we were at CiCi's, again), she wanted me to take her over there I finally got her to go by herself with the help of one of her teammates and she finally went over and sat with her friend Lilly. She was just beaming when she got her trophy. Isn't it funny how trophy's make your kids day?!

The end of another season

It is the end of another season of soccer and I have mixed feelings about it. I am excited about having my evenings back but then again I love watching the kids and their sports. They have progressed so much this past season. Clark has been more aggressive and has asked if we could bump him up to the next age group (18 and under), he has actually played with them a few times when they needed an extra man. They are a lot faster and a lot more aggressive (which has helped him a lot!). Ryan has become a better goalie, he has had a lot of help throughout the season. He had a lot of help form one of the U18 coaches (who is a goalie for one of the colleges here), he was actually beaming when he came up and told me. Thanks to you Coach for taking the time to help him. Last but not least Emma has progressed so much, her coach has had her playing forward and midfielder and she has had a couple of breakaways and an almost goal, she was within inches of the goal (and the teams first goal of the year) and their goalie was just too fast (and of course I didn't have the camera ready). Keep practicing Emma and we will get them next season.

Ryan's end of season party! I had offered to be the team mom this time so to keep it simple we had cupcakes, Capri Suns and then the coach handed out their trophy's.

Clark's party ended up being at CiCi's this time. His team was the Jalapenos. One of the team members mother's makes cakes and offered to make one for the end of season party. It turned out GREAT!!! I love the fondant with the jalapeno dude on it! It was a fun party and I know Clark enjoyed it. They like CiCi's anyways!!

Clark and his trophy.

As you know Andrew loves to kick around a ball. It could be any size ball sometimes not even a ball I have watched him kick around his toys too. So we thought it would be great to have kick into the goal and at the soccer field they have nets just the perfect size for him. When we first got over to the net all he wanted to do was to throw the ball into the net.
And then he decided to take a break, and all he wanted to sit in the goal.

Finally we were able to get him to kick it in. GOAL!!!!!!!! Yea Andrew! First goal and he is only fifteen months old.

I know I have already said something about this craft, but I wanted to have a better picture of them. Also, I have been given a new calling in the ward here. I have been released as the Stake Young Adult Advisor and am now the Beehive advisor. I have never spent any time in the Young Womens (since I was a Young Women) so this ought to be good. I was put in last sunday and we made these lanterns on Wednesday. My good friend is the counslor over me and she was at my house the week before and she loved them so she decided that we would do that as an activity. The girls had a lot of fun making them. I wish I had taked my camera and got pictures but I didn't.

With the new calling I get to go tto the Stake Activities, and yes I get to be there with Clark (I hope he doesn't mind). Well my first activity to attend was last Saturday (10-23-10) and it was a hayride and dance. Normally the twelve and thirteen year olds aren't invited but this time they did invite them and they had some instruction about dance etiqut and they taught them how to dance adn they were told they hed to practice what they learned. Clark actually danced and as a mom I was so excited because I didn't think he would. I think he actually enjoyed it, he danced quite often, even the girls were doing some of the asking. Nothing wrong with that! Even the leaders were getting into the dance. The DJ kept doing these line dances that I wasn't familiar with so I requested "The Electric Slide" and it was announced that I would lead it. Yah, great, that isn't what I ment, I just know that line dance from in the day.

Clark and George on the hayride.

Clark and Hailyn one of Clark's first dances.

Clark, Jay and Jonathon having fun!!

Next to come Emma's soccer party, and carving pumpkins!!!!

Dancing, soccer and parties!!

A few weeks ago Young Single Adults had their Multi Stake Conference, and with us being their advisers we went. Ryan and Emma had a good time. Friday night they got together and played some get to know you games and then they played capture the flag. Ryan thought this was awesome!! They like the fact that they were letting them join in the festivities. Saturday night as the last thing that they did they had a dance instructor come and he taught them a couple of ballroom type dances, one was the East Coast Swing and I can't remember the other one. We were trying to get the boys to dance with Emma but no go, one of the YSA's didn't have a partner so he came and asked her to dance. She thought that was the bomb, she had a blast. I tried to upload a movie from my phone but so far I have not been able to, this isn't the greatest picture but I had forgotten my camera.

We have another soccer player in the family, or we spend way too much time at the soccer field. Andrew loves loves to walk around the house and kick his ball. Now he even backs up and tries to get a running start to kick it. He is such a funny kid.

As of last week we have another goalie in the family. This time it's Clark, the only thing is, he hates being goalie. His Coach put him in the end of the game last week for the last five minutes, he did great he stopped the ball and wasn't scored on. Way to go Clark!!!!! Clark's team is doing very well this year. They are 6-1 with one game left. He has had two great weeks in a row. Last week he scored one and had three assists. This week he scored one and had one assist. He is being more assertive on offense and now the older kids want him to play with them. His team is doing AWESOME they go into the last game of the fall season tied for first, and the winner of this game gets to have their coach, coach the All-Stars. Also, last week was the start of basketball tryouts at the Jr. High and so far Clark has made the first cut. They try out again Tuesday, and he is hoping he can make the team. I think it would be great for him if he did make it. He loves to play basketball. Even if he doesn't make it he can still play at the YMCA this winter. GOOD LUCK Clark and do your BEST!!!

Ryan is doing a great job this season. Up until this past Saturday he had only two goals scored on him. Unfortunately he had three scored on him Saturday. :( He tells us it was lack of defense! LOL Still five goals in 7 games isn't too shabby! And two were penalty kicks (and the pro's don't always get them). He is really enjoying it this season, I think. He was asking me the other day if you had to have a college degree to play professional soccer. So maybe we have a professional in the works. Like I have stated in earlier entries the coach has pulled him out of the goal this time. I think he likes that too. Ryan's team is also doing AWESOME this season, they are 5-2 which I believe is first place. YEA!!!

Thumbs up!!!! Emma is so funny!! An update on her team they finally scored last week. They lead most of the game but there at the end the other team just ran down the field and scored (three more times). Talk about a sad loss. She has had a couple of breakaways that were awesome, she even came within inches of scoring the teams first goal two weeks ago, the other goalie was just too fast. But she is improving so much this season, it is so fun to watch her. And dad says she is the cutest girl on the field!!

Halloween is just around the corner.

Last spring Ryan had asked if he could have a birthday party this year because Clark and Emma had had one. Well the only problem is we were out of town over his birthday. So a couple of weeks ago he reminded me that I had said that we would do one when we got back home. We decided that we would do a Halloween themed one. We had Mummy Dogs, Dead Skin Flakes, Witches Fingers and Dirt and Worms with Candy Corn Cupcakes for desert. Then they watched "The Watcher in the Woods" (one of my favorites) and played a little Xbox to end the night. He was so excited to finally have his party. I had told him that we weren't going to call it an actual birthday party but he did have a few of his friends bring a gift. I am glad that we finally were able to have his party and that it is over and I don't have to do another one for a while. While I like to do parties they are just so much work!

Earlier last week I was supposed to have book club at my house, but with the unexpected death of a wonderful member of our ward that afternoon, we ended up cancelling it. While I was cleaning and getting ready for book club I had taken a much needed break and of course I was browsing blogs, I came across the craft in the above picture and I decided I needed it. I took time off and still had a clean house for what I thought was going to be book club. It looked like they would be so fun and cute. I got them from the blog ourbestbites.com. Clark sent it to me thinking it had some fun recipes and ideas little did he know I have had a lot of fun looking at the ideas there, check it out. They were simple to make all they are are mason jars (all sizes) with tissue paper decopased (I don't know if I spelled it right) onto it and I used black tissue paper and decopased it on for the faces. I had some lit up the other night with a tea light in them and they were so cute. Just an idea for a fun and cheep decoration, and if you are like me you have jars everywhere.

...and we have a winner!!!

It has been Homecoming week at the Jr. High and on Tuesday it was tacky dress day and Clark thought it would be fun to dress up. As he walked in the door after school he was excited to tell me that he had won for the 8th grade boys. I asked him what he had won, and he answered, my picture in the yearbook with the other winners. So now I guess we need to get him a yearbook for sure. I thought that was awesome for him.

The next day was crazy hair day. He didn't win but I thought he looked awesome.

Snow...down south!!!

In the fall the cotton fields look like they were just snowed on. Doesn't it look cool? I love this time of the year, the leaves changing, the cotton being picked and baled, the cooler temperatures and just the difference in the air. I went to take Andrew's picture this morning, knowing if I didn't hurry the fields would be gone. I made it just in the nick of time. While we were there they were starting up the tractor to start the picking/cutting process. Then just as we were getting ready to leave a gentleman pulled over to let me know that they were just getting ready to pick/cut the field, and that there were some other fields that were bigger if I needed that for pictures. And that they had baled some cotton just down the road and that I should go and take his picture with them. He asked how old Andrew was and if he had been old enough he would of had him take a ride in the tractor while it was working. But he was too young and we were on our somewhere else anyways. Even though Andrew is just fourteen months he was still quite intrigued with the tractor anyways. What is it about boys and tractors? When Clark and Ryan were younger they also loved the tractors when we would visit the ranch.

Andrew's first pictures in the cotton fields. I couldn't get him to cooperate like I wanted but think they turned out anyways. I was going to try to get the rest of the kids pictures with the cotton but I think I might be too late knowing they are picking it today/tomorrow.

At first I couldn't get him to even stay by the cotton plants but then he decided to touch them and found out that they are soft and cool.

He was closely trying to figure out what it was. I couldn't tell if he was thinking about eating it or smelling it.

The hay bales. He wasn't too sure about them. He wanted to stay by me, so the second I got the chance to get a few feet away and snap a picture I took advantage of it. I think he thought they were huge compared to him.

Emma had her first project in third grade due this last week. They were to make a skeleton out of something. The only other thing they were told was it had to be on poster board and to be creative. She decided on using pretzels. I showed her how to start by starting the head for her, I left the room and came back to this. She did a GREAT JOB and was so excited to take it to school.

I was driving down the road and noticed this cool old home/store (not sure what it was in its day). I love the old homes here around the town. Being in the south there is a lot of opportunities to see things like this. Some are fixed up and some of them look like they have been forgotten. It is funny how I had been down this road a lot and never noticed it till today. I thought it would be fun to have it in black and white verses color. It reminds me what it would have looked like back then.