Pumpkin Patch Fun

Last week was a whirlwind at work and this one doesn't look to be much better so forgive me for being mostly absent from blogworld. I did manage to upload a number of pictures from the past couple of weeks, though, so I'll share them in several pieces instead of writing, like, the longest post ever.

You're welcome.

The Sunday after Dave had been home all week with H1N1 we took a little trip to the pumpkin patch. For one, Tay needed to make a storybook pumpkin for the following day (nothing like waiting until the last minute, right?) and, two, Dave needed a small outing to start building his stamina again.

Two birds, one stone - I'm in!

My child is really fascinated with anything that comes in a 'mini' size. Pumpkins proved to be no exception. Although, I have to admit, they are super cute!


Hmm...does this one make the cut?
Even Davey got into the action and chose the perfect pumpkin for her storybook character (Wilbur from Charlotte's Web) as it has a curled stem that looked like a tail. He was very proud of himself. :-)

May I present Wilbur? Now, I know it's a rather weak attempt but keep in mind that Tay is working with her left (non-dominant) hand and this Mama had been doing nurse duty for weeks on end at this point - first the little one in the family, then the big one...worn out doesn't really begin to describe how I was feeling at this point.

Besides, we had fun doing it and that's all that matters, right?

She also painted this little guy just for fun. He's now hanging out on our front porch for an indefinite period of time. Or Thanksgiving, whichever comes first.

This concludes our pumpkin patch fun. You'll be jealous to know that after this adventure we went straight to Wal-Mart. I know, what more exciting way could one spend a Sunday afternoon. I try not to brag much but just couldn't help myself this time. :-)

Next up is Baylor's Family Treat Night where my little Twister game made her debut!

A Bit of a Tease

I'm under a major deadline at work all week so I don't have a whole lot of time to blog. I did, however, manage to download pics from the weekend last night. We also took quite a few more as last night was Family Treat Night at Baylor. Miss Tay had a fabulous time visiting one of the dorms, which was decked out in a Scooby Doo theme. She also made her own Scooby Snack on the roof :-)...

Here's a sneak peek at her costume. She got lots of compliments on it last night so she's now really excited about wearing it to our Fall Festival at church this evening. Lots of Halloween fun to be had this week.

I've also provided a look at my new hair color - those who know me well realize that it's just not fall until I fall back to my natural dark color so I guess it's officially here now, y'all!

In Which You Learn More Than You Ever Wanted

So I lied. I said I would downloads pics from the weekend last night but didn't. Blame it on all of the sinus medicine. Or the fact that it was time to take my acrylic nails off for a couple of days before getting a new set. Or the fact that I did a little additional hair coloring last evening. 

I do, however, have a treat (well, maybe) for you. I've seen this questionnaire floating around on several blogs recently and, because I have nothing else to blog about today (due to the lack of photos), I'm giving you a glimpse into my inner sanctum. Just remember, friends, that I never promised to be interesting. Only mildly entertaining.

1. What is your favorite thing to snack on while your blogging?

I generally just enjoy iced tea or a Vanilla Diet Coke from Sonic. Sometimes a spot (or 12) of chocolate.
 
2. What is one thing you wouldn't want to live without?
Hairspray. Did you expect anything less from me?

3. Beach, Mountains, or Farm? Where would you live if you had a choice?

Beach. Hands down.

4. What's your least favorite chore/household duty?
Vacuuming. 

5. Who do people say you remind them of?
Um...I have no idea. Dave says Peggy Bundy but I don't think that's a compliment.

6. Prefer parties and socializing or staying home with the fam?

Used to prefer parties and socializing but now I'm more of a stay at home kind of girl. That happened when I turned 30. Random, I know, but true.

7. What's your all time favorite movie?

I'm a huge fan of Grease. Grease 2 - not so much - just give me the original.

8. Do you sleep in your make-up or remove it like a good little girl every night?

I am the world's worst about taking my makeup off. Probably 90% of the time I wake up looking like a drag queen because I forgot to take it off. Again.

9. Do you have a hidden talent or a deep desire to learn something that you've never had a chance to learn? What is it?

So I used to be a pretty accomplished pianist. I can sing pretty well but don't do it in public a lot. I also have a near photographic memory, which is great when studying for a test but not necessarily when you need to actually retain information.

10. What's one strange thing you're really good at?
Spelling. Random, I know.

11. What first attracted you to your spouse?
He was the quintessential bad boy. And a cowboy, too. How could I resist? 

12. What is something you love to smell?

A good vanilla candle. And I mean a GOOD one. Not an imitation.

13. Tell something about you that you know irritates people.

The amount of time it takes me to get dressed, coiffed and put makeup on. It's a process that must not be deviated from, people!

14. When you have extra money, what's the first thing you think to do with it?

Go shopping.

15. Are you a silent laugher or a loud laugher? What makes you laugh the hardest?
I come from a long line of loud laughers. And I do not disappoint in carrying on the family tradition. Nope, not one bit.

16. Where is your favorite place to shop?
Because I love to keep up with trends but am fairly cheap, I love Ross, Marshall's and Compass. If I'm looking for clothes for Tay I go to JCPenney and Dillard's if I'm looking for classics pieces for myself.

17. What's one thing you'd do more often if you had more time?

Relax and do nothing. Seems like I never stop these days.

18. Are you a big spender or frugal?

I go through phases - right now I'm being frugal. This, too, shall change...

19. Who is your favorite character of all time? 

Sandy from Grease - she just makes me smile!

20. Would you want to be famous?

Nope - from the looks of it, being famous turns normal people into crazy people. Ones who only hunger for more attention whether it's good OR bad. Not for me. Five years ago I would have wholeheartedly said 'yes' but my priorities have changed. And that's definitely a good thing.

Creepy Crawly Spiders

So it's Monday. And we had a really busy Homecoming weekend. Dave's finally recovering from H1N1 but is still very weak. Last week was, without sounding like I'm a whiner, exhausting with a sick hubby and a still rather dependent child. 

I now have the sinus junk that's going around. Today's better than yesterday because my sinuses aren't so full that my teeth hurt. We'll call that the good news.

The even better news is that I just scored this photo of the entire 4th grade class at Woodway Elementary. They're wearing spider web t-shirts that they made in school week before last. Aren't they cute?

Can you spot Tay? Hint: She's wearing a black shirt. And she's the only one with her arm in a sling.

Tonight I'll upload Fall Fest and Homecoming pics. So tomorrow should be prettier here in blogland. 

Until then, I'll be blowing my nose repeatedly.

Big Brother

One person who we don't talk about a lot on this blog is Tay's stepbrother, Logan. In fact, Tay also has a stepsister named Samantha. They live with their mom in a neighboring suburb of big ol' Waco and are quite a bit older than my little one (17 and 19 to be exact) so they are busy with their own work/school/extracurricular activities.

This past weekend, though, Logan came to hang out with us to celebrate Tay's birthday. Had had to work Saturday morning so he couldn't join us for the party but he did enjoy leftover pizza (and a LOT of it - teenage boys can put away some food!) and we enjoyed having him over.

One thing you need to know about Tay and Logan is that they fight like any normal brother and sister but they really like each other a lot too. Since they were in a loving mood (and Logan had just gotten all spiffed up to go on a date to the fair) I whipped out my camera to catch some sibling smiles.

Did I mention both have a propensity for goofiness?

Aren't they cute?

Tay loved having Logan over to play with (apparently she needs a break from us once in a while :-) and we are ecstatic to have pictures proving they love each other! Everyone wins...

Bring on the Birthday Party

Last Saturday, Tay invited several friends and our family over for a little birthday celebration. After altering our original plans to not include carnival rides, she chose to invite her three BFF's over for a pizza lunch and then we headed to the movies to see Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs in 3D. 

It was a much smaller, low-key celebration than we generally have but I honestly think she's gotten to the age where she has certain really good friends with whom she wants to share these type of events. At least that's what I'm observing...the bottom line is that she had an absolute blast and that's all that matters :-)...

I offered to make her this fabulous 7-layer rainbow cake for her birthday. She declined but did request blue and green cupcakes. So the ones you see with green icing had blue cake and the ones with blue icing had green cake. Snazzy, huh?

Miss Aija (above) and Miss Morgan (below)

Cayla was visiting her dad last weekend so she couldn't attend...

Since she'd gotten her iPod Touch earlier in the week, she didn't get a gift at her party from us. She was so excited about the Webkinz and Littlest Pet Shop additions to her collection, though. This kid LOVES animals!

At the movies sportin' 3D glasses. This was taken just before they all dug into giant movie pickles. Oh, to be 10 years old again...

An Entire Decade

UPDATE: Dave does indeed have H1N1 and will be out of work (since he works in the NICU) for at least a week. He also got pulled over while telling me this because he was talking on his cell in a school zone. Thankfully, he only got a warning. October is usually one of my favorite months because it's Tay's birthday month but right now I sort of feel like crying... But, seriously, there are so many who have bigger issues that I need to just buck up and be a big girl so I'm now ending my pity party.

My precious, recently operated upon, baby girl celebrated her first decade of life last Monday. 

What type of mother would I be not to capture photos of her on that very special day?

Well, I'm not exactly sure but the words busy, frantic, exhausted, barely functioning on caffeine and overwhelmed come to mind. Coincidentally, that's how I would describe myself this month (originally I thought it was just a rough week but we're not staring down the barrel of Dave having H1N1 so I'm going with month) so it comes as no surprise that I actually almost let Tay's birthday slip by without photographic evidence.

That explains why she is in bed (the extra bed actually - it's not as high so it's easier for her with the bad arm) when these were taken. Yes, I had tucked the child in and then had to go back in and get her up.

A mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do.

Now please enjoy these pictures while I get a refill on my Pumpkin Spice Latte.

Isn't she beautiful? I think so too!

Will the person who taught the child this lip move please step forward? Admission of your sin may make me take it easier on you. Probably not but it's worth a try...

These were taken the day before her birthday with her present from me and Dave, Nana and Boppy, and Maw Maw. What 10-year-old doesn't need an iPod Touch? :-)

Yes, cheesiness does run in the family...and I wouldn't change it for the world.