Halloween weekend!

Halloween weekend for me started out with a day at Six Flags... I had been promising Mitchell all summer that I would take him, but with busy schedules followed by temperatures of 100 degrees we never made it. So a few days ago I decided that it would be fun to go during their "Fright Fest" time... we had a blast! We rode all of the BIG roller coasters as well as other rides and got to meet some cool zombie monsters... but the best part of the day was just getting wonderful quality time alone with Mitchell!! Halloween night we had several of the kid's friends over for dinner and trick or treating (no... they haven't outgrown that yet!). We fed them dinner then sent them on their way into the neighborhood to have some fun! It was kind of nice letting them go while we stayed home and relaxed with the other parents! They all came home with full bags... which I'm sure are all being dug through by parents with a sweet tooth! Fun times!

Trader Joe's!!

After all of the talk and hype that I heard over Trader Joe's, I couldn't wait to go to the new one opening in Athens... and today was the big day! I have to say that I am officially in love with a new store and will probably be spending quite a bit of time there! They have great stuff... and great prices, too! I am excited to be making some Trader Joe's chili for Halloween night!

Scenes from the Fall Festival

Amelia and her friend Merritt looking cute in costume!!



FL fan, Gangster girl, Polar Princess, Candy Corn Witch!



Mitchell and Matthew at trunk-or-treat!!



Our car decorations for trunk-or-treat!



Mama and Daddy's car ready for trunk-or-treating!!

Fall Festival

Every year our church has a Fall Festival... fun games, cake walk, Bingo, a chili cook off, trunk or treating... fun for all ages! Amelia decided this year to make her own pot of chili for the contest, competing against Dave... this made for lots of "friendly" competition at our house! We didn't pull off a two-years-in-a-row win with any of our chili, but it was wonderful anyway! I might have some new recipes to try after this night!

Twins!

Aren't these some of the sweetest faces you've ever seen? Paul and Jennifer Baxley... our new pastor, and new friends... had these adorable twins about three weeks ago and I couldn't wait to get my hands on them! My mom and I went for a "short" visit and ended up holding them for about an hour! Big sister Livy was at school during our visit, but other big sister Maria was on hand to entertain and keep us company! A wonderful visit... my only regret is that I had to leave those sweet babies behind!

Chorus!

As you know... Amelia LOVES to sing! So when she said that she wanted to be a part of the OCMS chorus we were not surprised! Last week they had their first of four concerts they will put on throughout the year... this was their fall concert. Once again I am amazed at the talent displayed by the children around here... the singing was beautiful! We are looking forward to the Christmas concert!

Clemson vs. Maryland

Thanks to some friends at our church we were able to attend another Clemson football game with our dear friends Dave, Angie and Reese! We also got to connect with some other friends... my college room mate, Beth, and an awesome friend that we know from the Twin Lakes staff (where Camp Sunshine is held)! We were thrilled to be present for the retirement of CJ Spiller's number during the special half time show... love him! It was a beautiful day to be at Clemson!

Fiona Frost!

Our church has been doing some special events with our 5th/6th graders this year to make that transition time (between children's dept. and youth) more fun for them. Their first event was an overnight campout... fun! The second event was a mystery dinner called "Fiona Frost"... I highly recommend it for any group of kids around this age! All of the kids came dressed in their "character" and remained in character all night. The setting is an abandoned mansion (aka, the Graves' home) where the Golden Grove Forensic Science Club has gathered together to help the police solve the mystery of the stolen treasure map... and one of the club members did it! The evening involved lots of clues, scavenger hunts, and a special menu for dinner. My friend, Molli, and I were the servers for the evening... don't we look fab? The kids had a blast!

Breakfast at OCMS!

Mitchell had the joy (insert a little sarcasm here!) of being in the Family and Consumer Sciences class during his first quarter this year. The last day of the quarter they ran a little restaurant in their classroom... the Tribal Table Cafe... where they prepared and served a breakfast for parents and teachers. Mitchell got to work the cash register where we paid with monopoly money (why can't all restaurants come with money tucked inside the menu?). They all did a wonderful job, and Dave and I got a delicious breakfast!

Clemson Homecoming, part 2

This year we again stayed in some cabins on Lake Hartwell... it is a great place for us to hang out, visit, and take in the beautiful scenery! It is also a great place for all of our kids to run around and play! After the game we enjoyed a beautiful sunset over the lake, then built a fire on the beach... we wouldn't miss this time with our dear friends!!

Clemson Homecoming!

This is one weekend we always mark on our calendar as soon as the football schedule is out... Homecoming weekend at Clemson! For the past several years we have spent the weekend with my two bff's from college and their families. Our children have known each other since birth, and when they get together each year you would never know that they only see each other once or twice a year... true friends! Game day was beautiful, and we all enjoyed spending the day on campus!

Happy Birthday, Dave!

Dave also celebrated his birthday this month... the big 43!! We celebrated at home with family, presents, and Oreo Delight birthday cake! A great celebration for a wonderful man!

Happy Birthday, Bailey!

Our sweet Bailey turned 5 this month! She had treats with candles to blow out (well, she had some help with that one!) and presents! Then Bailey got the one thing that she wanted the most... spending quality time with Callie, our cat. Thank you, Callie, for letting Bailey invade your space for a while!

Wedding Time!

On Mitchell and Amelia's second day of school, August 6th, we did what any other responsible parent would do... we let them skip school! We left right after their first day to head to Winston Salem, NC for our niece's wedding... the rest of the family was also arriving that day and we wanted to spend as much time as we could with them! We had a great visit, the cousins had a blast hanging out together all weekend, and the wedding was BEAUTIFUL!!