Pumpkin Carving Time!

Last night we finally got our pumpkins carved and decorated!  It was so fun this year because we have been reading books about pumpkins and talking about this for a while now, so Charlie really understood and was excited about the whole process.  First, he went to town with a green marker on his little pumpkin...

You can barely see the marker, he did it so fast.  

Norah, on the other hand, took a little more time and care in creating the perfect little girlie pumpkin face...

So proud...

Next came the actual carving of the big pumpkin...

  These pictures make me laugh, because if you know Charlie, you know that he does not like to wear pants! 

 This is one of the library books we've been reading about pumpkins and its where we got the idea for the face we carved.  Its a very cute book and Charlie loves it...

Charlie is demonstrating the face that our pumpkin will have "one eye closed, one eye open."  Can you tell his left eye is open?  Looks like he needs to practice his wink a little more, haha.

 Here is our finished pumpkin-head!  

   I can't wait for you to see their Halloween costumes this year... I will have a post up next week about all of the fun and excitement. :)  Hope you have a Happy Halloween!

Four Months Old!

My sweet girl turned four months old last week! 

Here she is stylin' in her baby jeggings and her Halloween bow.  It is true what they say- dressing up little girls is SO much fun. :)  

Charlie had been calling her "No-ah" but I started working with him on the "r" sound in her name, so now it has changed to "Nor-wah,"  haha, which I am NOT  a fan of (it sounds like narwal or something).  We'll see if by five months he's got it down.

At four months old, this little darling is all about her hands- she stuffs them in her mouth constantly, and is starting to reach and grab toys when they are around.  I've seen her just holding up her hands and examining them as if she's just discovering that they are hers and that she can move them. It is amazing to see her learn new things!  She's not close to rolling over and hates being on her tummy, but I think she will be sitting up SOON.  If she's leaning back in your lap or in her bouncer, she cranes that head forward and tries so hard to sit on her own.  She's not sleeping through the night yet, but regularly gives us good 6-7 hour stretches, so I can't complain!  No solids yet, maybe next month, but I'm in no hurry... its not like she's starving, I mean, look at those cheeks! 



Happy 4 months, sweet Norah!

We Are Praying

Just wanted to direct you to one of the blogs on my sidebar today...  FaithWorks is written by Paul's cousin Megan and her post from yesterday is about finding out about her mom (Paul's aunt)'s ovarian cancer.  This was a shock to all of us and Aunt Carla, as we call her, is in surgery right now.  We are praying for a full recovery as well as the Peace that passes all understanding to cover our hearts and minds...

Psalm 70:5
"Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God.  You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay."

Psalm 33:22
"May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you."

A Perfect Fall Weekend

We spent the weekend visiting my family in San Antonio.  They are only about 4 hours from us, but it was our first trip there since before Norah was born.  We hadn't seen my dad or my brother (Uncle Andrew) since they came here for Norah's birth!  We started off the weekend with a a high school football game to see Uncle Andrew play his trombone...

It was a late night for the kids and Norah was a little upset to be at a high school football game when she clearly needed her beauty rest... but everyone slept great that night and even slept in a little later than usual-  which for our family would be anything after 7- it was fantastic!

The next morning we headed out to Uncle Andrew's UIL band competition. 

Their show was really amazing and we had a great time cheering them on.  After that we headed out to a real pumpkin patch.  Check out these gorgeous, unique pumpkins -way better than Kroger! :) We came home with four of these beauties that we plan to decorate later this week...

Charlie was more interested in the dirt at first...

After all that excitement, we spent the rest of the time eating some good food and celebrating Paul's birthday together...

It was a great time together and I can't wait until Thanksgiving when we will all be together again.  What could be a more perfect fall weekend than family, marching band, and pumpkins?  Hope you had a great weekend too!



The Big 3-0!

We just spent a fun weekend with my family and Norah is now four months old... but more on that later because today my man turns 30! 

Wow, 30, really?  Babe, you're getting old. :) 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!  To the man I love, the amazing father to our two beautiful children, your sacrificial love for us speaks beyond words of how you love the Lord and love and care for your family.  I

want today and this week to be a special celebration of the amazing man that you are and how thankful I am to call you my husband!  I love you!!!

Charlie on a Thursday

Charlie picked out a pumpkin yesterday from this really amazing Pumpkin Patch nearby that I took him to.  It's called Kroger. :) It comes in handy that they have groceries there too so when you are running around like a crazy person trying to get all your errands done with a toddler and a baby, you can actually remember to get your pumpkin for Halloween!

 Even though you can't tell from these pictures, he really was excited about it...

But you know, he's not one for standing still or smiling for a picture...

... I had to chase him to the driveway for this one, but here we go, there's a smile...

 Everything (like the "pumpkin patch") is so new and fun with him right now.  Its so amazing to teach him something new and then hear him talking about it later.  He's starting to really grasp the concept of Halloween and dressing up in a costume... he talks about how he's going ot say "Trick or Treat" and get lots of candy.  We've been going to story time at the local library where I get to watch from a distance as he follows her directions to sit down and listen, and then stand up and sing.  Today we went through the bank drive through where he got a sucker for the first time.  The whole way home as he sucked on it, he kept saying "I love this, Mommy!" 

He looks at everyday as a new adventure and likes to ask "Where we going next?"  He blesses my heart with his energy and excitement... reminding me to take a deep breath and savor each little moment!



Tuesdays with Charlie- Mumpkins!

I have another delicious fall recipe for you!  This one is not quite as healthy as the Turkey Chickpea Chili, but it is another fall favorite at our house...

Mumpkins (as Charlie calls them)
aka Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 2/3 C flour
1 C sugar
1 T pumpkin pie spice
1 t baking soda
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
2 large eggs
1 C plain canned pumpkin
1 stick butter, melted
6 oz. milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.  In an electric mixer, beat the eggs.  Add pumpkin and butter.  Mix well, but do not over mix.  Add the dry ingredients a little at a time and mix.  Add chocolate chips.  Bake in a greased muffin tin for about 25 minutes. 

The only thing better than eating these muffins, is watching this little pumpkin devour them...

My House- Part Five- The Dining Room

Today's tour brings us to the dining room.  Now, as I have said before our house is small.  There is no breakfast nook, there is no formal dining room.  This one room covers it all.  Its right off our kitchen and connected to our living room.  We love how open it all is and really have no need for anything more formal than this.  This is where we eat dinner together {almost} every night, and usually lunch and breakfast too! 

The room also houses our hand me down piano... it doesn't get played much, but I LOVE that we have it.  I always had a piano growing up and since music is such an important part of our family, it fits perfectly. 

I painted the stripes on these curtains during my crazy nesting phase of pregnancy with Norah.  I wasn't sure if I liked them until my style-savvy friend came over and raved about them.  Now they are growing on me.  They are actually the same long white curtains from Ikea that hang in Norah's room (I stenciled the design on those).  I love these curtains because they are so long and versatile!

The room also holds some of my favorite family pictures.

I took these pictures at night because it is impossible to get a good picture in the daytime with all the light coming in through that window.  Plus, I love seeing the twinkle lights shining through from our deck outside! 

So there you have it, another room down, not many left to go!