Halloween

Here are some pictures from our annual pumpkin carving night. The kids start out excited, but putter out after a few minutes. Noah had NO interest in scooping out the slop, so he stuck "Mr. Potato Head"-like face pieces on his.

This is Luke's night to shine!

Abby doing her part. : )

For the big night, Noah was a conductor. (That's his wagon under the train.) Abby was a ballerina, and Julia was a bumblebee.

There was a fall festival at a local church with free games, a bounce house, and pony rides!

Abby LOVES dressup these days!

 My parents came down for a visit so they could trick or treat with the kids. They got lots of snuggle time with Julia since she loves to be held!

We went to the beach. Julia had fun playing in the bucket of water!

.....and then Abby wanted her turn.

 .....and Noah, too!

Fruitville Grove Fall Festival

Last weekend, we met a couple families at a local fruit farm that puts on a little family oriented fall festival. It had a lot of differentt vendors in addition to farm animals and kids events.

Soccer!

This picture has nothing to do with soccer, but it was taken the same day as the last game and it was too cute to not include!

So the truth is....Noah's not a super soccer player. He's the very youngest on the team on a 4-6 year olds, plus he's never played any kind of organized sport. And he's not exactly aggressive. But he's having fun!

Noah's Field Trip

I helped to chaperone Noah's field trip to the pumpkin patch. Noah's favorite part is always the bus ride!

Here are both preschool classes in front of the bus.

And here is Noah with the pumpkin he chose!

The Beach at Sunset

We went down to Sharky's Pier a couple nights ago. Luke was our photographer for the evening. : ) It was so beautiful!

Speeding through September

First things first. Happy birthday to Luke! The big 3-0 this year! I'm officially married to an old man. : )

We spent a lot of time at the beach in September. The kids are getting so good in the water!

 

Noah is four and LOVING school. His teacher's name is Mrs. Clarke. There are 11 kids in his class. His favorite things are the sand table and the playground. He always comes home smiling! Noah has a precious spirit. He's mindful of others -- almost every day, he brings home a flower for me that he picked from the playground!

Our little Abby isn't so little anymore! She's potty training and doing an awesome job! She's very "motherly". Loves to play with baby dolls and "help" with Julia. She loves to go to Noah's school. She adores her daddy and gets excited every time she hears a motorcycle, thinking its him coming home from work!

And here's sweet Julia. She's been a challenging baby (she cries SO much!) but is still a blessing. : ) I already miss my newborn baby. She's grown up so much recently! She's pulling herself up in her crib and crawling around wherever she wants to go. She and Abby already have a special relationship. It's wonderful to hear them laugh together!

Fast Forward to August

I love those moments where the kids are having a fantastic time playing with one another. Here's one of those times I managed to capture. "Bugsby" (the big green caterpillar) was making some kind of funny noise when you touched it to a certain spot on the book, and Noah and Abby thought it was hilarious....obviously.

We visited the beach a couple times this month. (A trip that's definitely getting easier!) Here's Julia hanging out under the umbrella.

Traditionally, my parents plan a vacation for our family every year, but since Luke couldn't get away this year, they all came here for a week. Here's Mom with Julia (7 months here.)

We went down to a jetty in Venice right after a tropical depression had gone through the Gulf. The ocean was more rough than I've ever seen it. It was so windy! And lots of spray. This picture was taken BEFORE a giant wave crashed up over the jetty and knocked Noah and my sister off their feet!

 Visiting Daddy at Agape Flights.

 Here's my Dad with Julia at the house they rented.

 And here's the highlight of the vacation.....the pool. The boys spent every available moment here!

 While everyone was here, Noah celebrated his FOURTH birthday. That seems impossible!

 His special present from me and Daddy. He loved it! (And seemed very surprised even though he had already seen it!)

 The gigantic tub of cheese balls we decimated in a week's time.

 Sweet Julia waiting very patiently for lunch.

 Noah and Abby getting off a ride at Busch Gardens.

 Awwwww.......here's Noah's first day of preschool. He's in a three day a week program at Venice Christian School. He absolutely loves it! He's had so much fun meeting new kids and getting to experience special things.

 This is actually the second day of school. It was raining on the first day, but I wanted an outside shot. : )

 Abby took her afternoon nap on the kitchen floor on day. She was pretending to put her baby to sleep, but she actually fell asleep herself. Whoops!

These girls have had lots of time to play together with Noah in school!