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!!

Two Teams? Two Outfits!

There's a reason we had two kids.  Because we have two football teams!

If Texas and TCU play at different times, then our whole family does a wardrobe change.  When they play at the same time, we get this:

If you look very closely... Walker is doing BOTH school signs!  Yes, his left hand is doing the "horned frog!" Just go with me on that one!

How cute are these precious babes??

I loved that they were actually smiling for me today... You have to take advantage of days like this!

Clark has a new favorite picture:

I guess TCU just scored a touchdown... this girl is happy!

Two happy kids after two good wins!

And, I have to include this....

Have you ever seen such a darling outfit???  You've got to love turquoise BOOTS with TCU gear. I'm pretty sure she's going to have some interesting fashion choices in her future.  Can't wait!

All Consuming

My brother has cancer.  It is truly an all consuming part of life now.  I think about Googie and pray for him and his family ALL the time.  Clark and I talk about other things, but it always comes back to Googie.  My mom and I talk many times a day.  Each time we talk about the latest with Googie.

Yesterday morning I started a new Bible study.  I have amazing, amazing friends that listen to me, hear my worries and pray for me and my family.  One of those dear friends said something to me yesterday... she said, "when you mentioned that your brother's situation is all consuming, you seemed apologetic. It should be all consuming and no one is faulting you for that."

I needed to hear that.  I'm not kidding when I tell you, I think I talk about all of this WAY too much.  I cry about it way too much.  I take up too much time during prayer request time at Bible study and Sunday school.  But, as Erin said... it should be that way.

Clark and I are so blessed to be a part of such an amazing church.  Crossroads continues to lift all of us up in prayer.  My sweet friends continue to listen to me and cry with me.  When I told them about some of the stupid thoughts that go through my head, my sweet friend Chelsea assured me that was satan attacking me.  I also needed to hear that.  I truly can't imagine going through this without them.

So, with all that being said... let me tell you about the positives coming out of this.  Clark and I have made it a priority to pray with our kids.  I can't tell you how uplifting it is to see Walker put his little hands together and listen to every word and then joyfully exclaim, "AMEN" when we are done.

This blog has almost exclusively been about my sweet Walker and my sweet Everly.  I'm not gonna lie... it's bit hard to talk about the funny stories or silly things my kids did that day.  Like I said in my last post... my perspective has changed.  But, at the same time... my kids ARE still doing silly things and they bring me joy every single day.  So, I promise to blog about it.  But, I also promise to blog about what I'm really feeling.  And I believe God will grant us some awesome Googie stories to report, too!