~ Note To Self ~

Note to Self:
Never pack a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for Addy to eat anywhere but at home.







She never eats the bread, just the peanut butter and jelly.

Twas' the Night Before Halloween

Our friends came over last night for some Halloween fun and also motivated us to get our pumpkin carved (we have been putting this off) and I now think we are ready for some trick-or-treat action tonight.

The kids enjoyed making their own pizzas for dinner.



We also hiked across our backyard over to the park for the Spooktacular Walking Trail event.


I loved this pumpkin entry. "Save the Pumpkins, Eat Apple Pie." Cute!


This year they even had a small hay ride event that looped around our house. The kids liked passing our house on the ride.


Pumpkin carving time.




And the winners of our very own pumpkin carving contest are...



I drew the face on the pumpkin for Wes to carve. Now you all know why I rarely attempt to do anything crafty. My sister must have gotten all of the pumpkin carving/decorating genes in the family as last year she won a carving contest as she was able to carve a volleyball with flames on a pumpkin. She didn't even use a stencil, as it was done on the spot.

~ Mail Time ~

Thank you to those that have given Jaidyn and Addy Halloween treats this past week and who have sent Halloween cards. Mail today was extra special for them as they received several Halloween cards with some special treats inside.


The money went in to their piggy banks, but only after they toted it around for several hours. Jaidyn did try and count her money in her piggy bank and is able to recognize the different coins. She came running to me with a dime in her hand and said that she had a diamond. I guess when we have been talking about coins, she thought I was saying "diamond" instead of "dime". I wish it would have been a diamond as she has a piggy bank full of them.


Addy is searching desperately for a pocket to stash her McDonald's gift card in. Unfortuneately these pants don't have pockets, so it is now somewhere in her pant leg or maybe in her underwear.

~ Sunday Afternoon Lunch ~

This past Sunday afternoon we were treated to lunch by Papa JR and Mama LaLa. Jaidyn and Addy love any amount of time that they get to spend with all of their grandparents.


I purposely didn't crop out the dress hanging on the wall behind them as Lauretta is thinking about getting a dress similar to wear for the Christmas holiday season. What do you all think? I have always thought that she had pretty good taste when it comes to clothing, but I am beginning to rethink that thought.

~ Vacuuming Fairy Up for Hire ~

In hopes of creating a little extra cash flow, we have decided to hire out our vacuuming TinkerBell fairy. She flys around the house and gets the job done in a jiffy. Any takers?

I bet you all are jealous that you don't have a vacuuming fairy at your house.

It's Official, He's Crazy!

Yes, we all have had our suspicions. Those who know Wes well, thinks he is a little on the crazy side. His fellow co-workers have given Wes a variety of nicknames including Super Trooper, Captain America, and Rambo. Those who have been pulled over by him on a traffic stop might have other names for him, but we won't get in to those. Just use your imagination a little.

Less than a week ago, Wes agreed to do an adventure race for today. What? Is he crazy? Does he know how much preparation for a race like this takes? He teamed up with a female, who I must say is an absolute animal when it comes to competition. Her partner bailed out of doing the race only a week before due to an injury and she was desperate for a partner. Does he realize that she is going to kill him? Wes has never done a race like this before and definitely has not been training for one. He has done some biking and does lift weights often, but has rarely done any amount of running or any other intense cardiovascular activity. The small joke going around was that there was no doubt Wes would finish the race even if it meant his partner dragging him across the finish line.

Well, I am so proud of my husband. Not only did he finish the race, but he wasn't being dragged by his partner. Even though, it was somewhat of a hobble, he did run across the line. They didn't do as well as they had hoped and did lose some ground on the last biking portion as Wes dealt with cramping, but did do well considering the amount of training. I think Wes is hooked and maybe next summer we will team up and try one together. The two of us, being competitive together??? Wait, that might make me crazy! :)

I think Jaidyn summed up the race best, "It's okay Daddy that you didn't get a trophy."


Wes getting his coffee pick-me-up before leaving the house for the race.

These are pictures of the canoe portion transitioning to the bike ride.









The morning hours were pretty chilly, but it did warm up in to the 60's.


Jaidyn and Addy played with some of the other kids and had races of their own. Jaidyn was showing her competitiveness as she had to win all of the races. She would turn around early and never made it to the turn-around point ensuring that she would return to the starting point first for the win.


Receiving "Good job, Daddy!" from his #1 fans.




A nice soak in the tub after a hard day.
I am so glad that I am the writer of this blog because I would die if anyone ever posted a picture of me in the tub.

~ Family Day ~

Wes's job has had a lot of training involved lately and therefore he has been gone from home a lot this month. Last Monday he had the day off and we took full advantage of having him around. As a family, we spent the day hiking a lake view trail , picnicing and boating. I love early fall weather!






Look closely for the animals we shared the trail with.

~ Missing Daddy ~

Wes is gone all week for SWAT training and I think the girls are really missing him.

Yesterday, while putting away laundry in the bedroom, I noticed this little picture note sitting up on Wes's pillow.


Jaidyn drew this picture of she and Daddy holding hands. I asked her what the letters stood for and she said, "Dear Daddy, Love Jaidyn", "I love you and you love me.", and the "O" and "X" at the beginning of the sentence stands for Hugs and Kisses.


Isn't she sweet?

St. Louis Getaway

This past weekend, the girls and I tagged along with my parents to St. Louis to visit my sister. Friday evening my sister hosted a get together as a lot of family lives in the St. Louis area. Once again, I over-indulged myself in yummy Mexican appetizers, pizza, and brownies. And when this side of the family gets together it is a must that we have margaritas. Yes, it is always interesting when my mom's side of the family gets together...watching my aunts and my sister clobber the pizza man as they try to get to him first to pay, two aunts fighting over who gets to take Jaidyn or Addy to the bathroom as they just love spending as much time with the girls as possible, and I think every girl in the family always brings their camera to every gathering so you can imagine how many pictures are always taken (this is done partly just to annoy all of the guys). That night, my sister volunteered to let Jaidyn and Addy sleep with her, and I was all excited about getting a good nights sleep on one of the couches, but of course that excitement didn't last for long as Addy woke-up around 1:00 am and decided that she wanted me. Lying on a couch with Addy on my chest didn't allow for much sleep or comfort. Oh well, it turned out to be a normal night after all.




Prettiest Pumpkins at Daniel's Pumpkin Patch!
The original reason for the trip was to watch my sister's volleyball team play. We spent Saturday morning watching a pool play game and then took the girls to Daniel's Pumpkin Patch for most of the afternoon before returning to watch the finals of the volleyball tournament. Jill's team placed 3rd overall...they were 4-1 for the day, not a bad day of volleyball.


Addy's first pony ride. I love him...


I love him not...


I love him!


Life on Mars!

On Sunday, we visited Grant's Farm, the ancestral farm of the Busch family. The Clydesdale stables were fascinating as only the finest Clydesdales make the tour teams as the physical requirements are very strict (I wonder what happens to the ones that don't meet the physical standard?). On the trolley tour we were able to see many different animals from 6 of the 7 different continents. The girls were able to bottle feed the goats and at first they were okay with the goats until the goats decided to surround them and chew on their clothing while trying to get to the one lone bottle of milk in their hands. We finished the tour ending at The Bauernhof. The farmstead surrounds a courtyard that had stable houses and historical memorabilia. Grant's Farm is operated by the Anheuser Busch, Inc., and I hope that the farm isn't changed by the Inbev buyout. Visiting Grant's Farm is a tradition that our family hopes to continue to do in the future.












The sign that is in the lower portion of the picture says "Caution, Animal May Bite". We have always said that my sister is book smart, but not sure if common sense applies.

St. Louis Getaway Slideshow Pictures