Addie's Fall Party as School

Today, Addie's preschool had a fall party and asked all the kids to wear a costume!! (Needless to say, Justin and I put in a lot of effort to get just the right one.) As most of you know, her room is done in ladybugs, and that is what we called her when I was pregnant since she was due on Valentine's Day, so obviously she had to be one for her party! She was so cute and really didn't mind wearing the outfit all day (except for the headband antennae)! She would point to herself and say "bug", and I couldn't help but think that she must think this whole ordeal strange since we say bugs are "gross" and have to squish them when we see them! Oh well, thank goodness she's little!

For the party, her teacher had all kinds of fall festival games for them to play. They had "Pin the Pumpkin on the Scarecrow", "Go Fish", "Catch the Butterflies", and several more. They also had time to do the cutest little crafts...it's amazing to me what Mrs. Susan can do in 3 hours with 1 year olds! Addie's classmates (there are only 2) were dressed as Snow White and a Mary's Little lamb. They were so cute!

Enjoy the pictures of our little ladybug and her exciting day! (More pictures will be posted later.)

Fabulous Fall Day!

This was such a spectacular Saturday!! We were all home today and didn't really have any other commitments. We slept in (as much as we could), and Justin took Addie to the park and store while I cleaned the house. I can't tell you how nice it was to have the house all to myself and clean without having to keep Addie occupied!! I finished in 2 hours what it would typically take me all day to get to!

When Justin and Addie returned from the store, they had a surprise with them: a large pumpkin!!! We decided we would make it a thoroughly fall day by carving it, roasting its seeds, and having pumpkin soup for dinner! Justin and I discussed what should be carved in it, and all I asked for was a fall scene so I could display it on the kitchen table. Well, as you know, when Justin takes on a challenge, he sees it to perfection!!

The pumpkin before ...

Justin drawing out his design....

The carving magic begins... (Good thing he kept his pottery carving kit from high school!)

After Addie got up from her nap, she HAD to investigate what Daddy was doing to her "pumpa".

The finished product at dusk!

I used a Southern Living Recipe for roasting the seeds, and they turned out pretty good!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Thanks to so many of you that called or sent a card to me on my birthday! I truly had a fabulous day! I spent the morning working, but did take some time off to go get a coffee with Justin while Addie was at school. I just love my husband and cherish the small moments we get to spend with each other. He was so sweet in getting several surprises together to make my day extra special. Perhaps the most cherished surprise is this video that he put together for me...I hope you enjoy it...I certainly did!!!


And no...there's no little brother on the way! :) Just part of the song.

Georgia Apple Festival

Addie and I went on a road trip to the Georgia Apple Festival in Ellijay on Saturday. We were able to meet Mimi and Papa (Alice and Jerry) there, since that is their "neck of the woods". Despite the scattered showers, we had a fantastic time! The terrain there is beautiful, you can see beginnings of the Appalachian mountains, and the air is cool and crisp...exactly what fall should feel like! There was plenty to do there: crafts, pony rides, inflatables, and apples, apples, and more apples!! Needless to say, I've been researching some apple recipes! :) Thanks Mimi for the pictures so we could post them on our blog!

Addie was really excited to be there...but she was just so busy looking at everyone and everything she didn't have time to pose!

Addie loved this pony!! She wasn't scared at all to ride! She loves animals!

Mimi was so sweet to hold Addie as we walked from booth to booth! There was so much to see there, and if we had put her down, she would have been gone!

Isn't the scenery beautiful? We had such a nice trip and now have some yummy apples to eat!

Twin Oaks Video

I wanted to include this video on the following blog, but ran out of room! :)

Twin Oaks Fun Farm

Addie and I went on another GVA field trip today! We traveled north 30 miles to Forsyth, GA to Twin Oaks Fun Farm and enjoyed the country life for the morning. They had an amazing play area, pumpkin field, a corn maze, and a nice pavilion. We even got to take a pumpkin home!!

If you live in the area, it's definitely worth the drive!

"Wee!" Addie loved swinging!!

She was such a big girl sliding down this slide!!

We got to feed the goats, donkey, and llama.

Instead of a sand box, they had a box with dried corn for the kids to shovel through! Addie loves corn and wanted to try some..let' s just say that after one kernel...she was no longer interested!

Piedmont National Wildlife Preserve

Addie and I went on one of my field trips today and had a wonderful time! She always loves being around children and relishes the attention they give her. I snapped a few pictures of her walking around the museum discovering every nook and cranny. We learned about the turkey, bear, bobcat, and many other local wildlife.

Addie loved these turkeys! You could mash the button and hear them gobble! Needless to say she pressed the button numerous times!

This is a black bear pelt that she is touching. Suprisingly, it's not soft, but very coarse. Notice the little girl's feet beside us, there's always a string of them hovering around Addie! :)

What a sweet face; almost like she is saying, "May I please touch this?" Each button played the sound of different wetland animals like frogs, owls, alligators, and DUCKS!! She loved the ducks!!