"Halloween Fun"

It's Halloween, and this year we had three pumpkins to carve. And you know we can't just carve pumpkins.. NO! We did fancy pumpkins. With all the appropriate tools and patterns, we got to work. Opening them up, scooping them out, and cleaning the insides is certainly the most fun and gooey part. In one of our pumpkins, the seeds had actually started to sprout! Landon, you're not quite big enough to be trusted with a carving knife, so you scooped and "cut" some of the cutaway pieces, while Mom, Dad, and Nina did the real artwork. You insisted that Daddy do a mummy, Nina do a witch, and Mommy do a ghost. So we did what we were told. And they turned out beautifully! Then it was inside to have a quick Halloween supper of Mummy Dogs (hot dogs wrapped in crescent rolls) and then get ready for trick-or-treating!! So you donned your spider suit again, and Shelby her Miss Muffett dress. We've never been trick-or-treating in JuJu's neighborhood before, but we got tons of candy- the good stuff too-CHOCOLATE!! We even had quite a fright as we walked up to one house which had mechanical ghosts and ghouls. Shelby pooped out on the way home, and you were pretty worn out too!

"Mmm, Mmm, Good!"

Shelby, you are almost five months now, and since you've been giving me a little grief waking up more than usual at night, I decided to go ahead and start you on a little cereal at night. DeeDee brought home some organic rice cereal, and the stage was set. Rubberized spoon so as not to hurt your little gums? Check. Cereal mixed up with warmed breast milk? Check. Bouncy seat aka feeding chair? Check. A too small bib for the anticipated mess? Check. Camcorder? Check. Still photography? Check. The entire family (with the exception of Mush and Papa) there to watch you take your first bite? PRICELESS! You handled it like a pro, too! Not a single drop on your bib. And you loved it!

The full bowl of cereal - I thought, "She'll never eat all this!"

The first picture, you look a little concerned, but then you got into the groove!

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And here is the EMPTY bowl! Little piggie!

"Trunk or Treat"

It's Halloween time, and at our church, we have a little family get together called Trunk or Treat. People who want to hand out candy decorate the hatchbacks or trunks of their cars and line up to dole it out. This year, since we have two kiddos, we thought it would be perfect if you went as a "set." It was very convenient since Landon, you wanted to be a spider. What goes better with a spider than Miss Muffett (that's Miss Muffin to you Landon)! So Shelby, that's you. Y'all looked so cute together. We loaded up on candy, and then went to check out some of the games. Landon, you golfed and fished for more candy, while Shelby watched. We had to go over to the Pumpkin Patch, where a lot of the pumpkins had already gone to their homes to become Jack-O-Lanterns. We picked ours up then. There was a hayride, which was very muddy and mosquito-y, but Fall just isn't Fall without it. It was a great prelude to Halloween night when we will go Trick-Or-Treating!

"Let Me Toot My Own Horn"

I wanted to send some cute Halloween snacks for your class, Landon, so I let you help me pick from some clever cupcake ideas. You chose the skeleton ones made from Necco wafer, Good and Plenty, tic-tacs, and white jimmies. They were a hit with your class! Here they are.

We also had a bake-sale with the rummage sale at your school, and I decided to do these mummy ones. They both came out so cute, if I do say so myself!

"Ride 'Em Cowboy"

The cutest little cowgirl in all the world!

Tonight Landon, went to his first state fair and rodeo with Poppie and JuJu. But first we had to get outfitted. You can't go to the rodeo without boots and a hat, so Mommy and JuJu went to the western store and found some gear perfect for the occasion (Wow! That was an experience, in and of itself!) Once yall finally made it from the parking lot (the handicapped spaces were the farthest ones from the fairgrounds), you were not taken with the rides and all the lights, the carousel, or even the many food booths featuring cotton candy and funnel cakes. Oh no. What were you excited about? The new cars on display throughout the fairgrounds. Y'all then went to one of the barns and got to pet sheep and goats. There were also camels, a white tiger, an elephant, and a crocodile on display. JuJu made you ride the pony, because she was living vicariously through you, although you could have taken or left it. In another building there was a Mini Cooper that you could win! Of course you had to get registered. In the Agriculture building, you got to dig in mulch for root vegetables and make sand cookies. Next was the cow barn, and you got to pet all kinds of cows. "Pet her JuJu, she's soft," and "Don't step in the poop!" were some pointers you gave out. You were very impressed with all the chickens and roosters too. By now, you were getting hungry, so you and JuJu and Poppie dined on the classic state fair corndog and funnel cakes. Then it was off to the rodeo! You tried to say the Pledge of Allegiance ( you've been learning it at school), and watched the Grand Entry. The bull riding was up first, and that was pretty exciting. You also got to see bareback riding - you were very concerned when one of the cowboys fell off and had to be carried off on a stretcher. You watched trick riding and steer wrestling. About halfway through, you announced, "I ready to go," and that was that. Cowboy, you are not.

Make a Smilebox postcard

"Sorry About the Cake"

Today was Me-Me's 89th birthday. She specifically requested a cake from Julie Anne's with lemon filling, and easy on the frosting. So JuJu got it ordered, and picked up, but then she dropped the ball. She left the cake in the car while she ran a "few" errands. It was an 80 degree day. Needless to say the cake didn't fair very well. When she opened it once she got home, not only did she smash the top, the cake had also started to slide. We chocked it up as best as we could and by the time it was ready to serve, there were a few additional hits to it. Some little finger scoops of frosting were missing too. Although, now, not much to look at, it still tasted delicious!!

Poor, poor cake..

89 years young!

"Bubble, Bubble, Double Trouble"

I busted out the old Gymboree bubbles tonight for Landon and Shelby. I love them; they are glycerin based and don't make a sticky mess or burn little eyes, should they get in them. Shelby, you were in awe of the hundreds of little irridescent orbs floating around you. This was the first time you had ever seen bubbles. Landon was right there in the middle of it too; blowing them for you and catching them too. He then had to get in his bathtub and insisted that Daddy join him. It was bubbly fun for everyone!

Your face here is priceless!

A little cross-eyed trying to see all the bubbles

Brother getting in on the action.

I love the look on Landon's face in this one!

Yummy fingers...

Brother had to get in his tub then...

Daddy had to join!

This bubble bath stuff is great!!

"Exercising in the Exersaucer"

Shelby, this is a hard time for you as far as entertainment goes. You can't quite sit on your own, and your attention span is VERY short. You tire of everything quickly. So we decided to add yet another piece of support equipment to Poppie & JuJu's already "overcrowded with your stuff" living room. We managed to find Landon's old exersaucer in one of the 3 storage units that we currently have, and JuJu cleaned it up so it's good as new. You were not really sure what to think when we plopped you down in it. But it wasn't too long before you got the hang of it. Of course, Brother had to be right there showing you what to do and taking his own pictures. As with just about everything, with the exception of being in Mommy's arms, you were over it pretty quickly. Oh well, you'll learn to love it. And as for now, it's just one more thing we can cycle you through during the course of the day!

Here's Brudder in Poppie's shoes taking pictures.

"Cool Cars"

This evening, we went to Asbury Motor Club's car show. It had been rainy all day, and was even misting when we were there, but you were determined to go check out the cool cars. There weren't nearly as many as the last time we went, however, there were some pretty neat ones. "Corbettes" still are one of your faves, and we got to see a Ford Shelby up close and personal. When we got home, it was so cute-you got all your "big" cars and lined them up and opened all the doors, hoods, and trunks, just like at the car show!

"Red River Revelin'!"

It's Fall in Shreveport, and with Fall comes the Revel. The Revel is an art festival that has been going on for 30 years now. Mush and I grew up going to the Revel, and this year you and Shelby started. This week had been so rainy, and it just so happened that Thursday, Daddy' s off day, had no rain, but it was 92 degrees and 92% humidity! We decided to tough it out, because Saturday was supposed to rain too. So we took the modified chariot (we changed Landon's seat to the "jump seat," and Shelby graduated to actually sitting in the stroller-so big!) and met Nina downtown to check out the "festibal." We grabbed a bite to eat first. Hamburgers, nachos, pork sandwiches, and the traditional funnel cake was fare of choice. Shelby ate too-good ole' momma's milk! Then we headed over to the Children's Art Experience. Along the way, we quickly checked out the wares of the artists. A booth that caught Daddy's eye was an artist who crafted handmade wooden toys, including rubber-band shotguns. Y'all had to have one! Landon, you and Nina created an awesome sand art bottle, complete with googly eyes and wild yellow mohawk hair. Next was off the Brookshire's mini mart. We know how much you love pushing those little carts at fake grocery stores-this was no exception. We practically had to bribe you to come out, so we could go check out the rest of the activities. The geological society had a "mock dig" that you really enjoyed. Red river dirt and tiny treasures buried within makes for lots of good, dirty fun! You unearthed all kinds of cool rocks. Shelby, you had a good time too. By this point you were just waking up from a little snooze. Riding like a big girl in the stroller really wears a girl out! We then headed over to the painting station where Landon got to paint on a real canvas. What a masterpiece! Now Shelby, you were getting a little hot and restless, so we decided to let Brother have one more romp at the grocery store and then to get his face painted. The Revel has moved up a notch in the face painting world. We were able to choose from all kinds of fancy designs. Landon, you picked a dinosaur, and it turned out so cute. And then we had to leave because Shelby had had ENOUGH! It was a great time and a tradition that we will definitely continue with you kiddos!

"Four Months"

Ok, I've said this before, but I cannot believe that you are already four months old, Shelby. You are such a precious little baby and have such a personality already. You have a great disposition, except when your tummy hurts, but who could blame you. You're quite the little chunk weighing in at a whopping 13 pounds. You still LOVE your brother; your face just lights up whenever he's around. In fact, he's the one who has really gotten you to laugh out loud multiple times. You are so close to being able to sit up. When you're propped in the "crack" of the couch, you do pretty good sitting up. The only downside to being four months, is the fact that you are a strong-willed bonafide sleep-fighter! Until now, you were pleased as punch to be mummified and put in your bed, awake. You would drift off to dreamland just gazing at your mobile. Not anymore. You want to be rocked or held or in your swing to fall asleep. But whatever; you're my last baby, so if you must be held (hee hee), then so be it! We just love you so much Shelby!