October 2011 - Time is flying

I really thought I was going to do a better job about writing updates.  Unfortunately, life happens and I seem to run out of time.  So, I have quite a bit to write about. 

GranJan came to visit us.  She was here from October 20-30.  The first weekend, Grandpa King was also here and we all went to Port Aransas together.  We went back in September with our family friends, The Moehrings.  At that time, the kids had a blast and we thought it would be fun to go again.  This time, they enjoyed it even more.  It is so fun to watch them!  Jeremy dug a big hole and I convinced him to make a trench to the ocean, so the hole could fill up with water.  The majority of the filling up was from me carrying a bucket full of water.  Occassionally, the ocean made it all the way up to the trench.  Annabelle played for what seemed like hours.  She loved being in the hole, she loved throwing things into the hole, she loves smashing the castles around the home, and she loved splashing in the water in the hole.  It was wonderful!  Jack walked and walked and walked and walked.  He probably walked several miles while we were on the beach.  He picked up little treasures along the way.  Sometimes a rock or a shell, othertimes a cigarette butt or beer bottle cap.  I never realized how much trash people leave on the beach.  The kids did great in the car and our condo worked just fine for us.  Overall, we had a wonderful weekend!

Back in Austin, we continued with our regular routine of music class and library time.  This was the week before Halloween though, so we wore our costumes!  Annabelle was Thing 1 and Jack was Thing 2 (she was born first, what can I say?).  I made their wigs out of carwash mits.  I found red pajamas at my AMOM consignment sale.  The Thing 1 and 2 we made with some felt.  I thought their costumes turned out really well.  Most of the other kids we saw had store bought costumes.  There is nothing wrong with that, but I think handmade has more character.   We also did a trip out to the pumpkin patch.  We went to Sweet Berry Farms in Marble Falls.  It was a lot of fun!  We pet goats, picked flowers, and took fun pictures with pumpkins. 

I went to Arkansas the weekend before Halloween.  My friend Tara, and I threw a birthday party for my friend Marissa, who sucessfully completed treatment for cancer (angiosarcoma).  It was fun to be in Fayetteville for the weekend.  I got to see lots of friends including my guy friends, Justin, Kyle, and Brandon (and their lovely wives) who I do not see very often.  I also saw Emily (and her pregnant belly) and Ashley.  Before I left on Sunday, we had a family lunch with Janet, Adrian, Kaitlyn, Jasmine, Megan, Dad, and Peggy.  It was also nice to be kids free for a weekend and get in a little sleep.  Sunday evening, GranJan and I crossed paths in the air, as she and I were both on our way home.

Monday was Halloween!  The kids were Thing 1 and Thing 2.  Jeremy was the Cat in the Hat and I was "Sally". 

Our first stop of the night - The Moehring's

We have not had many trick-or-treaters in the past, so we decided to me out and about, rather than waiting at home to pass out candy to the 3 or 4 kids that might stop by.  And, we did not want to trick-or-treat ourselves, as the kids are not old enough to have candy yet.  So, we started our evening at our friends, the Moehrings, for a pre-party - also known as a quick hello to check out each other's costumes.  Then, we went down the street to Chris, Courtney, and Charlotte's house.  We had happy hour in the yard.  A bunch of kiddos from the neighborhood came over.  Chris and Courtney did a fantastic job hosting.  They made vegetarian chili, which was delicious!  They also had some fun adult beverages and super cute Halloween sippy cups for the kiddos.  The best part was the icecream - pumpkin and salted caramel were my favorites.  After a while, the kids were getting tired.  We made a quick swoop through the neighborhood acrosse Bull Creek.  We had been invited to two parties there.  We basically did a super quick hello and goodbye. The babies came home exhausted and went straight to bed.  We saw tons of kids in cute costumes and I am already inspired for next year!