Everly's First (real) Haircut

The girl is officially a girl!  She had her first beauty appointment!  Her hair was pretty uneven and her bangs were in her eyes, so it was time!

Big brother was excited for his sister...

He held up mommy's iphone so she could watch a show!  I thought this was so cute.  He watches videos when he gets his hair cut, so he wanted her to have the same experience!

She was such a big girl!  She cried for about 10 seconds when she first sat down, then she was fine!

After the haircut, she even sat through a blow dry... with a round brush!

The final product.... she looks so cute!

Such a big girl!!!!

The SnowMan Mile

It almost seems funny for me to blog about physical activity... I was never one to enjoy working out.  But, over the last several months I have found joy at the gym.  Seriously, I enjoy it.  And, since I found out Googie was sick, I've had more intensity than ever.  It's a place for me to get my anger out.  It turns out I'm not the only one.

A friend of mine, who wishes to remain anonymous, sent me this email today.  It is just too powerful to NOT pass on...

We have our own ways of dealing with what Chris is going through. I met a runner years ago that taught me something really valuable. I, in turn, have passed it on to others. He said his inspiration came from Chuck Yeager, the famous test pilot who would fly planes past their capability. Yeager said he wanted to see where the demons lived. This runner would run until the demons came. What he meant by demons is the pain. He would go chase demons and then chase them more and more.  It doesn't really matter what sport or exercise one does, the demons will come. The fear of pain or demons is what keeps us on the couch, out of the gym, off the road or bike, etc...

I've used this guy's attitude to help me train for a marathon. The SnowMan Mile is my own personal way that helps me cope. 

Aside from my training schedule for my marathon, I tack on one extra mile to every run... the SnowMan mile... as hard and fast as I can. Sometimes I don't finish it running, but I'll finish it every time. I usually have to stop and vomit about half way through it. Knowing the suffering that Chris is going through, I feel like a big wuss if I don't leave every ounce of effort out there, everyday. When I finish my assigned run and then do my SnowMan mile, I know in my heart that I met that demon and kicked its ass.

The demon lost again today. And that demon will lose everyday until Chris is healed.

I am totally inspired by this... I may not be a runner, but I can still use the SnowMan mile every single day.  I'm going to the gym right now.  Demons beware!

Fun on the Farm!

We went to Lufkin this weekend.  It was Clark's 20th high school reunion!

Being on the farm is an absolute blast for our kids.  So many activities in such a short time!  So, get ready for ALL the pictures!

The kids LOVE the gator... but, it took Walker a while to get used to driving it.

In fact, he and Everly had to have some help:

But, they got the hang of it and spent a lot of time on that thing!

At one point, cousin Aidan arrived to help drive them around:

Our smiley girl:

After gator driving, came duck feeding:

After duck feeding, it was time for dressing up... hilarious:

After dressing up, it was time for air hockey:

And, this morning, it was time to get back on the gator!

And, Everly made time for a little football:

In the middle of all that fun, Clark and I took off and went to the reunion.  Wow, a picture of the two of us!

We had a blast with Stephen and Susan:

And, just because I have another one, I have to post it!

I can't remember the last time that I got more than one good picture of just the two of us!

We had an action-packed weekend!!  Thankfully Thanksgiving is only four weeks away, which means we'll be back at the farm.  Walker and Everly can't wait!!!

Halloween Party

Why does this always happen?  Walker got sick on Tuesday... which meant he couldn't go to school on Wednesday, which happened to be his Halloween party!  I called up to the school and asked if he could still come by, just to say hi.  I mean, seriously, his teachers and his friends needed to see Walker as Buzz!!

He didn't feel great, but was a good sport.

As you can see, Everly wasn't leaving Walker's side!  Yummy cookie!

Everly really had a ball!  In fact, she thinks she's ready for the two-year old class!

I'm glad he didn't have to miss the party.  We are looking forward to trick or treating tomorrow!

Party, Party!

Party is Walker's new favorite word... I think it's because we went to two parties this weekend!  The first one was a birthday party for our friend Samantha... the kids got to wear costumes!!!

Introducing.... BUZZ LIGHTYEAR!

I cannot even begin to explain how much he loves this costume!  It's so fun to see him excited about it!  He wasn't the only one with wings... check out our little Ladybug!

She wasn't quite as good at posing!  In fact, this is my attempt at a group shot:

At least you can see her wings!

I finally got them together:

But, she was very interested in those wings...

Walker's reaction... NOOOO!

They were hilarious!  Walker's wings don't fit through doorways, but he managed to go wherever he wanted! They were both so cute.  I'm so excited that they'll wear these again.  Walker will go to school as Buzz on Wednesday, then they'll both dress up again on Halloween.  So fun!

But, that wasn't the only party of the weekend.  We also hung out with our Sunday school class.  The kids painted pumpkins!

Well, Walker painted and Everly put on stickers.  They both had fun.  And, Everly got to spend some time with her boyfriend, William.

Here they are wishing they were outside....

With their daddys!  Hilarious.  We had a great weekend.  Walker will be wondering when we get to go to the next party!

Pumpkin Patch Fun

We decided to try something new today... we went to the pumpkin patch as a family!  In the past, I've taken the kids without Clark.  I'm not gonna lie... It didn't always go well.

Today was much better and the whole family had a great time!

Everly loved playing in all the pumpkins!

And, after finding a pumpkin just his size, Walker had a blast, too!

 

I think the best part of the day... we went on a train ride!  And, check this out... we ended up with a family photo!

I know, I know... the kids aren't smiling... but, it is a shot of all four of us.  Those are very rare!

We took our wagon with us... it was great to pull the kids and our pumpkins!

Walker thought it was great fun to pull his sister!  She loved it, too.

I am usually the photographer, but today I made a point to get some pictures with the kids!  I didn't get with both of them at the same time, but I'm not complaining.  I'm thrilled to get these:

Our weekends have been filled with football games and staying at home.  I'm so glad that we took the kids on this fun adventure today... It is so great to get outside and do something new!

Sibling Love

Have I ever mentioned how PRECIOUS it is for my two babes to love each other?

This bit of hugging happened yesterday... with absolutely no pushing of Mommy or Daddy.

Everly was walking by and Walker stopped her and hugged her!  I've never seen anything so adorable.

These two have a ball together.  She's usually chasing him, but he loves it.  Their two laughs together is the greatest noise on earth.

I'm not sure if he pushed her out of his lap, or if she was trying to move and he didn't want her to... either way, it created some great laughs!!!

As you can see, my photography skills haven't gotten much better... boo.  The camera was in auto, but the afternoon sun created quite the brightness on these photos.  Thank goodness the subjects make the pictures perfect!!