Halloween Time!

Princess Ariel and Captain America on their way to our wonderful neighborhood's annual Spookfest, the Sunday before Halloween.

 Even though life was crazy during this time, very last minute, we decided to carry on our Halloween tradition with our front yard dinner...

 Addie getting ready to transform into Ariel once again...

 Our good friend, Rudy, our SAPD officer... the reason why Carter still wants to be a police man when he grows up.

 Finally taking time to decorate our pumpkins.

Ending our night with one last stop at one of our favorite neighbor's house... such the tradition!



Lost Pines Family Vacation

The weekend of October 28, we took a weekend for a little family vacation just about 90 minutes away in Bastrop. I had been hearing about Lost Pines for several years and found out that I had conference there for work and decided to have the family tag along. This place was amazing and the perfect spot for families with young children. My pictures don't do it justice, there was SO MUCH to do on the property and since the first cold front blew through that very weekend, we didn't get to fully enjoy the Colorado River that runs through the property or the water park filled with slides and a lazy river.

But there were activities every hour on the hour like arts and crafts, kick ball, movies on the lawn, SMORES, hayrides and even hotel "dogs" that Addie was in love with! There were bikes to check out and ride in order to explore the massive resort including Butterfly gardens, basketball goals, ultimate frisbee course and watch all the beautiful weddings going on all around.

When MeMe Is In Town...

The kids have SO MUCH fun! She is always so hands on with the kids from the moment she gets here till the second she hugs us good-bye. Just a couple of times, I was there to grab a snapshot of what kinds of pretend games they are playing. We are all so lucky to have MeMe as such a big part of our lives!

 They could be putting together Lego's or making Halloween cupcakes and rice crispie treats.

 You could find them playing a drawing game.

 Or perhaps buying and selling stuffed animals...

The imagination these three have together is amazing!



Mema is 97!

Sunday before last, the entire family crammed into less than 600 square feel to celebrate Mema's 97th birthday, just two days prior to her real birthday on October 9.

The last month has been emotionally hard on everyone as we learned the news that my amazing grandmother (the only one I have ever really known) has been diagnosed with stomach and esophageal cancer. I knew cancer was bad but 2012 has been an especially disheartening year seeing what this awful disease can do to both the young and the old close to our hearts. The toughest part for her is that her mind is still so sharp and yet her physical body is giving out regardless of her mind's state. That, right there, is what I think is so hard. Since her hospitalization, my mom has worked hard to ensure she is able to stay at home, the place she loves so much. She has someone with her 12 hours during the day and Hospice has been incredible making sure she is as comfortable as possible. So right now, we are just enjoying every single second we have left with her and making sure she is happy as possible!

We're Alive!

Since the first day of Fall (the last day I posted) we have found the perfect balance of crazy busy and really doing nothing. With a super rare FOUR weekends at home, we have found lots to do....

Blake is super proud of his yard and is shocked what you can accomplish when you are at home this much on the weekends.

 We've enjoyed big breakfasts at home and at our favorite places around town. We've also had our last swim of the year and are thrilled to say good-bye to the pool for this unbelievable cool, fall weather!

We've been dancing every week...

and definitely started the new school year's birthday circuit. We found out Addie has her first boyfriend, Brady.

We've been doing lots of homework since it started in October. I give thanks everyday for what a good and smart little guy we have.

We've been eating dinner at the super fun Food Trucks and anywhere else that is kid friendly.

We've been doing the little things that we've been meaning to do, like blow bubbles!!