{GOOD EATS & TRICK-OR-TREATS}

I've meant to post about Halloween but there have been some technical difficulties with our internet. We had a wonderful Halloween with our great friends here in Franklin. All three families have 2 1/2 year olds so it was very entertaining to watch them get excited about trick-or-treating this year. I was so proud of Parker for being brave even though we ran into a few scary creatures (kids) I thought might terrify her. She also got the hang of saying "trick-or treat" and "thank you" very quickly. Won't be long before Lilly is chasing her sister around (and stealing her treats too). This year Lilly mostly snoozed the whole outing. Nothing keeps the kid from a good nap!

Also, to brag on Lilly, I'll mention that she is now a champion cereal eater. I was slightly skeptical since Parker NEVER ate cereal. She hated every bite I tried to force upon her. Lilly is her usual chill self and never seemed phased by the new taste. Yay!!

Parker, Lilly, Sadie & Smith

Minnie Mouse and a pink panther

Smith, Sadie & Caitland

"TRICK OR TREAT!!"

Snacking on some candy after a hard night of trick-0r-treating




YUMMY!!

This is a picture I found of Parker at 6 months... told you she hated cereal!!

{FALL FUN}

{GREAT REMINDER}

I'm doing a fabulous bible study (Gospel Transformation) and came across this paragraph I love. It's a great reminder that I'm always putting things before God and yet He patiently loves me. We are constantly bombarded with the craziness of life... maybe this will remind you to rest in Christ alone today.

Saint Augustine summarized one of the great themes of Scripture, and thus all of life when he said, "You have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until we find our rest in you." God made us to be dependent on him for all we need. As creatures, God made us for relationships and worship. If we are not turning to God in worship, we are turning to something else. If we do not bond with God through the gospel, then we will bond to something else- something that promises to do for us what only the gospel can do. We hold to idols so tightly, and return to them so readily, because they appear to do the same thing for us that the gospel does. They become part of us in the same way that our heavenly Father should be part of us. Thus, when called to give up an idol, it feels as if we must amputate a limb.

{OUR SWEET GIRLS}

This post is mostly just cute pictures of the girls that I've taken (and not posted) over the past few weeks. Not much to say, but I've had some people asking for the latest on the girls...

Lilly falls asleep on daddy's lap every night he's home

She never does this to me... she just squirms until I put her in bed

The sassy big sister with her baby, "Guscos" (don't have a clue where that came from)

When we read she likes to have sunglasses on ("so I can read the words")

Lilly loves bathtime...

especially with Parker

I hope they always love each other this much

Cutie-booties

Game day at our house

Waaaar Eagle, Hey!!

{BEAUTIFUL COUSINS}

We went to Birmingham three weeks ago to visit family and Cleve's mom had pictures of all the cousins made. The photographer, Jennifer Hagler, did a fabulous job, especially considering there were 5 kids running around under the age of six. Here is the slideshow of the shoot. Now I just have to decide what to order (without spending too much)!

{POTTY TRAINING}

We began the potty training process with Parker the first week of August. We weren't in a huge hurry because Parker had not shown any interest in going in the potty. She got a little potty for Christmas and was interested for maybe a day. (Then it turned into her stool that she drug around the house to reach things.) I had decided for both of our sakes that I'd wait until the baby was born and the big sister transition had been made. Parker has been amazing. The first day was terrible and I had my doubts, but after that she has only had a handful of accidents. I love seeing her running around in her big girl panties. Another milestone down... can't believe how big my baby girl is!! Way to go Parker!!




This is the potty training set Parker's grandma got her. Parker has watched the DVD dozens of times and loves to play with her (anatomically correct) Prudence doll. It's hilarious but it seems to make the process a little more fun. You can buy the set (either boy or girl) here.

{BIRTHDAY, BEANS, BABIES & MORE}

I have so many things I want to blog about right now that I'm combining several different (unrelated) things. First, I want to brag on my birthday present from Cleve. Let me start by saying I love antiques (more farmhouse than fine European) and I love sewing. However, my poor sewing box broke and is barely held together by some extra elastic I had. So Cleve saw a need and decided he wouldn't just go to the craft store and buy me a new sewing box. This is what he got me...

And I LOVE it!! I think it has much more personality than any other ones I've seen. Thanks, babe!

Last weekend we also went to our friends' house to visit and pick beans from their impressive garden (about five times bigger than ours). The men picked while the women watched from the shade. It was fun for everyone and we got about 12 quarts of green beans in the process.

Cleve and Brent pickin' beans

We snapped and canned beans all day Sunday.
It's so rewarding and now we'll have beans all winter long.

Cleve's mom came up for my birthday and to see the girls.
It was a short but fun visit! We love Mimi!!


I LOVE this picture.
Can you tell Cleve is already wrapped around Lilly's little finger?



Parker looks forward to seeing Teddy every time we visit.
This time she was very brave and actually pet him all by herself.

This is Cleve in his cycling get-up.
He's trying it out since it's one of the few sports he can do without hurting his hip.
Back up ladies, he's mine :)