Fall Fun

Last Saturday, Tay and I had a fun-filled fall day complete with seeing High School Musical 3 (surprising good--the best in the series), a soccer game, trip to the library, grocery shopping, spending her birthday money at Barnes & Noble and Toys 'R' Us and concluded with a trip to the pumpkin patch.

She got to pick her pumpkins and painted one for school as they had a storybook pumpkin contest. She didn't win but we did have a good time creating Raggedy Ann Pumpkin! They also had a cute little back drop for some pics...enjoy!

We'll be going to a farm out in West next weekend (this one is too full of Homecoming activities) where they have a 6-acre corn maze, hay jump, hay rides, picture barnyard, cow train and - best of all - CORN CANNONS!! Yes, you get to shoot a piece of corn out of a cannon. One dollar entitles you to three tries. I mean, really, how could you pass on that? Those pics will definitely make it to the blog...meanwhile, enjoy these fall favorites...

So, what do you think?

So proud!

Raggedy Ann Pumpkin

Yummy Haystacks

Goofing off--she made me promise this one would make the blog!

I  believe I can fly...she actually sings that every time she puts this costume on...

Look at the stem on these guys!

Little, tiny pumpkins...

Look, Mom, this one's white!

I want THAT one...

How cute am I?

So cute it called for TWO pictures...

Pigskin = Memories

Tay and I took part in a long standing Baylor Homecoming tradition last night--Pigskin Revue! We had a girls' night that started with yummy Subway (her new favorite) and then headed to Waco Hall for some Broadway-style fun. We also got to see this year's Homecoming Queen crowned.

I told Tay before we went that Pigskin includes the winners from Sing and that I had performed in Sing before. So, all through the night, she kept asking me 'did you dress like that?' and 'did you sing that song?' I tried to explain how you have to have a different theme each year but it just wasn't clicking...difficult concept when you're first introduced to it.

During intermission, we went outside and she got to see Pat Neff Hall all lit up in green and took a close look at Judge Baylor. She decided she would sit in his lap for a Christmas picture but not a minute before :-)...anyway, it was lots of fun and this year the spires on the new parking garage are lit up green and gold--now if we can just upset Missouri on Saturday, we should be set!!

Tonight we're off to the zoo for ZooBoo and then we'll head back to campus for Bonfire. Tomorrow morning brings the famous parade, picking out frames for Tay's new glasses (yes, we found out earlier this week that's why she's been having headaches) and then she's off to Nana and Boppy's to go to their carnival at church while Dave and I got to the game.

In other news, we turned in her entry for the PTA Reflections contest this morning. It's a matted and mounted copy of this ferris wheel pic...the theme was 'Wow!' Now we have to make a doll using a dehydrated apple face for the head. Did I mention it's due on Monday? Where's the Calgon when you need it???

Family Treat Night

Last night was Baylor's annual Family Treat Night. This is an awesome tradition (one I don't remember from when I lived in the dorms) where children of faculty and staff trick or treat at the residence halls. We were asked to go to Kokernot, which has been recently renovated to house all of the Engaged Learning Groups (ELGs) and it is also Baylor's first co-ed dorm - not in the traditional sense, though, as the males live on on side and the females on the other...

Anyway, Taylor donned her bumblebee costume and matching bumblebee candy bag and we were off...and, boy howdy, did she get some major candy! It's not even Halloween yet and we're already riding the sugar high.

Forgive the quality of the photos...I was rushing around trying to get back to campus and forgot my camera...thank goodness for camera phones!

This is also Baylor's homecoming week so we're super excited about going to Pigskin Revue tomorrow night as well. It's been a crazy busy week!

Fall Fest, Part Deaux

Fall Fest was a tons of fun Friday evening! Tay and I headed home to pick Dave up and then we headed to school. With lots of tickets in tow, Tay got her hair painted (orange and black, no less) and then tried out all of the games--rock slide, obstacle course, ring toss, bean bag toss, treasure hunt, ducks in a pond, golf, dunking booth, secret door and probably more that I've forgotten by now...

Then we headed inside for the ultimate game--Cake Walk! At last year's event, poor Tay spent a fortune in tickets on this game and came away empty-handed. She had to watch all of her friends win around her and was very, very sad with the outcome. As Dave and I were standing there watching her, I was praying that she would win this time and she did! She chose a chocolate truffle cake - can't imagine where she inherited that love of chocolate - and it was super yummy!

Fall Fest

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We're heading to Fall Fest this evening after I get off work for good food, fun, games and - if it's anything like last year - some crazy-colored hair. At least I believe that's where we're going...there's also a pumpkin patch nearby calling our name so it'll be Tay's game time decision.

Since Dave's working this weekend, Tay and I are going to check out the new High School Musical movie this weekend after her soccer game. Then we have some yummy fall treats to cook up and on Sunday we have a surprise for everyone...shhh...

Go Cheetahs, Go Cheetahs...

Taylor decided to pick up an old sport this fall - soccer!

She first played when she was 5 and we lived in Morgan's Point; however, she decided it wasn't for her and gave it up for a few years. When she asked me if she could play this fall, I was a bit skeptical as I could just see her getting halfway through the season and deciding again this wasn't her sport. However, she has completely proven me wrong!

Her team is green and they are the Cheetahs. She's playing on a local YMCA team so they're very laid back and don't even keep score. Funnily enough, the ones who you will catch keeping score are the kids but they're happy as larks whether they win or lose. During the first game, Tay scored the first goal so we were very proud.

The pictures are kind of funny because she just turned 9 but, because her birthday is in October, she plays on the 6-8 year old team. Needless to say, she's a good 6-8 inches taller than some of these kids so she looks like the ringer! Guess that's what happens when you're 9 years old and 4'9" tall...

Heart of Texas Fair

One really random memory I have of bringing Tay home from the hospital the first time (yes, there were multiple times as I was really, really ill) is seeing the giant ferris wheel at the Heart of Texas Fair. Because of that, we always do a little mini birthday celebration at the fair each year. We had a really great time this year because Dave was actually off (shocker, I know) and we went at night...and stayed a really long time :-)...

Cute story time - last year, Tay and I went on Sunday of the fair and it was just the two of us. We were at the very top of the ferris wheel and all of a sudden she realizes that she can see Hillcrest from her vantage point. She immediately began screaming, 'There's Davey's hospital! It's his - I know it is!' Loved that memory...

Back to the story at hand - So this year we took the bull by the horns and went on Friday night thinking it would be a bit less crowded due to football. It probably was but there were still lots of people. So we checked out the stock barns and saw the cutest baby pig ever! For the child who wants nothing to do with any profession other than veterinary, it was heaven. We also checked out horses, longhorns, geese, goats and cows.

Then we started with the midway rides...there were lots of them this year (seemed like more than usual) so Miss Tay was super ecstatic! We headed into the arena to check out the rodeo but didn't see much of it. Taylor LOVES to watch mutton bustin' as she thinks it's hilarious to see the little kiddos on the sheep. We caught part of the calf scramble but then headed back out for food. Greasy corn dogs, chicken on a stick, funnel cakes...really, how can you resist? Besides the fact that I try to ration how much rodeo my former bullriding husband sees in person...don't need for him to get the itch to do that again any time soon!

We all had a great time but Tay was exhausted by the time Craig Morgan came on stage to wrap up the evening. We listened to one song and then headed home. Good thing, too, because the Cheetahs (Tay's team) had a soccer game the next morning!

Sic 'Em Bears, Part Deaux!!

Miss Taylor has really been enjoying her Baylor football season ticket. She's had her face painted and tattooed in Touchdown Alley, identified Ryan (her golf coach) numerous times on the sideline and taken pictures to prove she found him, discovered all the best snack foods and will occasionally cheer (she's usually much too reserved for that) and raise her Baby Bear paw during That Good Ol' Baylor Line. Needless to say, I really think she's going to be sad when football season comes to a close.

As for the grown-ups, we've had a lot of fun as well. While we haven't been painted or tattooed, we do enjoy good old greasy stadium food (I'm particularly fond of the nachos) and received a few new Baylor t-shirts for entering some random contests...none of which we've won, by the way. We've also been impressed with the MAJOR progress made by the team and Coach Art Briles. The freshman quarterback, Robert Griffin, is absolutely phenomenal and will be a tremendous recruiting tool. Wow, I've been listening to the commentary too much...I can actually recite this stuff!!

Anywho, the most amusing thing that has happened had nothing to do with either Taylor or me. When Baylor hosted Oklahoma, there was a small group of OU fans sitting one row up and across the aisle from us. Now, personally, since they were yelling loudly and wholeheartedly cheering for their team, I felt they really should have purchased tickets in the VISITORS section. I thought that's who that area was reserved for but I digress...

So Dave decides if you can't beat 'em, join 'em so he starts cheering for Baylor just as loud as these four fans put together! It was almost embarrassing...again, I digress :-)...so once they're up 28-0 in the first quarter, he decides a different tactic might be more effective and - next thing I know - he's actually over making friends with these imposters!! Seriously, he was having a FRIENDLY conversation...I was flabbergasted!!

So, there you have the difference between men and women...we'll just fight tooth and nail to protect a principal no matter how badly our team is getting whipped. When it comes to a man, they just have respect for the better team...guess I should take a page out of my man's book...better to make friends than really POWERFUL enemies :-)....