Fall Harvest Party

Kennedy's class had their fall harvest party at a local farm.  

Thankfully the weather was sunny, although it was awfully cold.

There were several fun activities planned and I was happy to be able to help out with many other moms.

It was such a fun way to spend the morning.

Kennedy and the two Maddie's, Maddie Z and Maddie R, decorating foam pumpkins

the girls and their finished pumpkins

waiting for their turn to gourd bowl!

bowling with a gourd is serious business, look at that face of concentration

having fun in the leaves!

Yay for fall fun!

cookie decorating and some fun snacks

A fun day on the farm!

Back to School party

Since we celebrated the first day of summer with the Zeamer's, we thought it would be fun to celebrate the last day, as well.  We settled on an apple themed "Back to School" dinner and I had a lot of fun putting things together ~ most of which I had left over from other parties.  With a little effort and not much money, I thought things came together nicely.

It was a special way to kick off the new year of school for the kids and a great excuse for the parents to spend a fun evening together.

Some re-purposed decorations and a simple banner made a cute photo back drop

1st grader and pre-K

Where did my babies go?

A set the kids table and used apples at each place setting, 

I wrapped up a new book for each of them, as well.

My first attempt at making a pie ~ dutch apple

it was delicious!

sweet boys

Kathy isn't much of a drinker, so I made her an apple martini (sticking with the theme, of course) and she enjoyed a few sips.

I think our husbands just kind of shake their heads at us, but I am so thankful that I found someone who loves the little details of things (and tends to go a little overboard at times).  It makes me feel more normal and we really do have so much fun together!  She made the cutest apple cookies (and they were so good) and coordinated her kids' clothes too.  We're too much, we know, but we have a wonderful time with things!

Could those be any cuter?  

Such a fun addition to our little party.

Here are our five crazy kiddos

This was at the end of the night when all were hyped up on sugar, messy haired and exhausted from fun ~ but I love how these candid shots turned out. 

(Carter is making an "s" with his hands, because school starts with "s")

Thank you, dear friend, for celebrating with us.  We had the best time!

We are blessed with such sweet friends

good luck as you start the new year in school, loves!

Feeling Festive for Fall

I have a slight love affair with fall...while not a huge fan of change in general, I love to witness the change of seasons, the shortening of days and the vibrant colors on the trees.  I love to bring out my wool sweaters and endless supply of turtlenecks.  I love to cuddle with fluffy blankets on the couch and burrow in a bit deeper in down while trying to fall asleep.  I love football season and the start of school.  And I can also usually count on fall to deliver some beautiful sunny days in which to enjoy all of these things.  Overall, it's a wonderful time of year.

My dear friend, Shannon, made us some delicious bread as a thank you and I had to call her up the next day for the recipe.  It was simply delectable and just screamed 'fall' to me.  I made a couple of batches and delivered them to the kids' teachers, to a few friends and we enjoyed a couple of loaves at home, as well. 

Here is my finished product.  I doctored them up a bit with some ribbon and a card made from my Cricut - I thought they made cute little gifts.

And here is the recipe - it's easy and scrumptious, the perfect combination for my limited cooking abilities!
3 c. sugar
1 c. oil
4 eggs
2/3 c. water
16 oz pumpkin
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. all spice
3 1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. chocolate chips

Mix the wet ingredients, mix in the dry until blended, fold in chocolate chips.  Pour into 2 large loaf pans (I used two large and two small to stretch the batter - Shannon suggested it, as it makes two really big loaves that don't cook quite as well)  Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour.  That was a bit too long in my oven, I found the small loaves cooked in about 40 minutes and the large ones did better at about 50.  They are done when they bounce back on your finger and are no longer sticky. 

Delicious, really.  Give it a try!

Each year I like to buy a new decoration for our home.  This year, after seeing a similar mantel in a magazine, I was on a mission to spruce ours up.  I've always just had pictures in the past, but thought this was a great space to display seasonal decorations.  Found some great deals at the craft stores and Home Goods and ended up with a festive fall mantel. 

Another reason to love fall.  I love to decorate our front porch with pumpkins, corn stalks and hay.  It's such a nice way to welcome to guests.

Counting our Blessings

As we celebrated Thanksgiving this year, I realized again how very blessed we are. We have two healthy, happy, beautiful children, wonderfully supportive and loving families, enough food to eat and clothes to keep us warm. When so many have so little, it's important to be aware of how truly fortunate we really are. I am so thankful for all that God has given us.

Our attempt at a family portrait on Thanksgiving, unfortunately our camera was acting up and the quality is not the best.

Kennedy and Auntie Val

What would Thanksgiving be without a little football?

The boys (Uncle Justin, Bennett and Carter) braving the cold to get out and play!

A smile from Kennedy...just one more thing to be thankful for this Thanksgiving!

Auntie Stacy and her sidekick - these two have too much fun together. Although, after a few days together, Stace was tired. She says Kennedy wears her out in a whole new way :)

Carter and Bennett - such good buddies. Bennett already thinks Carter (or "Caillou" as he calls him) is pretty cool. Wherever Carter was, Bennett was usually close behind. They're so cute together.

Sunshine and patches

I consider it a charitable act of God when we have sunny weather in the fall. It just doesn't get much better than that. Fall is one of my favorite seasons, and it's made all the better when the air is crisp and the sun is shining. We lucked out and had TWO beautiful days to visit the pumpkin patch this year. The first was a quick trip to Joe's Place with Nana and the kids and then the second was with Carter and his classmates for a field trip.

Carter getting our wheel barrow.
Muscle man!

Pumpkins just her size

Cater and Nana on the tractor ride

Making her way through the hay maze

On top of the world...well the hay pyramid anyways

Carter and his good buddy Kannon

The Lollipops with Miss Michell

I was so thankful to be able to go with Carter's class to the pumpkin patch. It was a wonderful day!