Pumpkin Carving Time

Well, it's that time of year again! We almost missed it this year. Halloween is just a few days away, and we barely got to carve our pumpkin when we did. Between school, dance, church, work, I almost forgot about it all together. I told Travis that we should probably make it happen on Friday night after Mexico Lindo and Target, so that's what we did. Both kids stayed up a little later, and they had a blast. Jaggar doesn't really remember anything from last year, and he was really too little to care. So basically, we get to see him enjoy a lot of our traditions for the first time. It is so cute.

They love to get dirty.

Sage tried to take a bath in the guts of the pumpkin.

Yay for hands covered in pumpkin!

The inside was cleaned out, and Sage decided she wanted to go and watch Little House on the Praire (a new discovery and love for her).

This guy was in it till the end.

That's not really a knife...per se'.

Finished product. And yes, we pretty much do this face every year.

Jaggar thought this was AWESOME, and Sage was making sure he didn't touch.

All of our cute pumpkins.

And as usual, I baked the seeds. I tried an actual recipe this year. Mom and Mema really seemed to like it, which I'm glad for because they kind of made me sick. I did a sweet/salty combo, and I don't think that's my thing. We'll do it again next year!

Sharing More Favorites with Mema

This morning, Mom, Mema, Jaggar and I went to the museum so that Mema could see it for the first time. She loved it. Unfortunately, for J, the dinosaurs were still out of commission, but we really enjoyed it. I hated that Sage had to miss out because of school, but our time is running short for their visit so we just decided to go. It was, as usual, very quiet and peaceful there. I actually got to read some of the things about the exhibits that I'd NEVER read before. Shocking, I know.

Jaggar did talk about the elephant as soon as we walked in. He kept saying, "I go see elephant."

Both of my kids love this "bird game." You put your hand on a sensor, and you're supposed to remove it as quickly as you can when the beep sounds to see if your reflexes can be faster than a bird's. None of us can do it, but we love to try.

Ha! What an awesome pic.

In front of the turkey, which we'll be consuming in just a few weeks!!!

Love the grounds outside. SO pretty. There were a few fish in the pond, but they seemed to be hiding under the sidewalk for the most part.

So many pretty plants and trees out there.

After the museum, we went to Wright Dairy, of course, since we were more than halfway there. This the first time I hadn't been through the drive thru in a while, so Jaggar loved seeing the cows.

Later that night, when Sage got home, we went to Mexico Lindo. Not a huge fan of this place myself, but if you like Mexican (I don't), then it's wonderful, they say. Plus, it is VERY pretty inside. We had a nice day and were glad we got to share a few more "loves" with Mema.

Lunch and Pottery Painting

I knew that it would be special for Sage if we all came to eat lunch with her one day this week, so we did that on Thursday. She was thrilled to see us there, as were several of her classmates, particularly some of the boys. One boy was fascinated and shouted out simple math problems that he knew in what I can only assume to be an effort to impress. We picked up Subway and brought it since there was no way I was eating school cheese pizza. I paid my dues with that.

Here's a cute picture of the group.

That afternoon, Emily hosted a pottery party at Precious Prints Pottery. I had never been here, and I have been missing out. My kids LOVED it, and there are so many things there for great gifts, too.
For Jaggar, we chose a Rudolph ornament, since...let's face it, he could care less.

Sage chose a "diva kitty." I was more than impressed with her precision and skill. She took a little more than an hour getting it to look exactly how she wanted it. She did NOT get this from me. I am not nor have I ever been the least bit skilled in anything relating to art.

Sage and Emily

Jaggar was very into the toys that they had there and the dog that was running around.

I did let him do the back of it (when I realized there was one) however he wanted.

Look at the feet of her cat! I think that is so cool.

And what kitty is a diva without black eyeliner all around the eyes? She did every bit of this on her own, and I will be more than happy to display this anywhere in my home. Though, I am pretty sure she already has a place in mind for it in HER room.

Completely unrelated, but later that evening...Sage continues to put any of my shoes on that aren't on my feet.

Out of focus...but he had to have a picture, too.

Introducing Mema to Joy

One of the places that I KNEW we were taking Mema was a personal favorite of mine: 32 degrees. I'm usually there at least once a week (it's 5 minutes from my house, why wouldn't I be?), so we were excited to share a favorite with someone who had never experienced the goodness of it.

When we first started coming here, he was content to share with someone. Definitely not the case anymore.

An old pro

See the joy it brings?

Not only did Jaggar eat all of his own, he ate half of Mema's too. Then he asked for more!

:)

Field of Cotton

For the past few weeks, I've been fascinated by a cotton field on the way to Sage's school. I've even looked for a discreet place that I could take the kids into it for a few, but I found none. Well, today, Travis was talking about how he passed a HUGE cotton field several miles down the highway past Sage's school. He was saying how neat it was, and I said, 'Well, that one by her school is pretty big." And he said, "Not like this one." So when we picked Sage up today, we headed that way. It did not disappoint. It was huge, AND there was some gravel right next to it where I could pull off and get out for a few minutes. It was pretty cool and really pretty.

Sage and Mema

Jaggar was uninterested in taking a picture.

It kind of looks like popcorn to me.

Simple pictures but simplicity is nice. And beautiful.

Happy Birthday to ME!!

I don't know how it happened because it feels like it was last week, but today is my birthday--AGAIN! I remember the days of counting down the months until my day, but now...not so much. It's happening. I'm getting older and time is going faster. I'm not a big fan!!! I am officially 29, but I will be celebrating my 29th birthday every year for as long as I live. :) I had a really great day. My family and friends made it really special for me, and I'm VERY pleased--more pleased than anything else about this day--about a special guest this visit. :)

Here I am! In all of my 29 years of glory. A little older. A little wiser. A LOT prettier. haha, I kid. I did have to laugh at something my friend, Holly, wrote on fb. "To the prettiest, most talented, most humble person I know, Happy birthday." If you know Holly AND me, that's really funny. (PS: I have NO idea how or why this text is underlined or how to remove it. So read without emphasis.)

This is actually yesterday when our guest(s) arrived, but look who is here!!! Mema!! This is her first time here since right after Sage was born, and that was only for a full day. We are so thankful to have her staying with us. 4 generations of ladies. That's pretty special if you ask me. Best gift! We spent the day in Birmingham yesterday.

And it wouldn't be my birthday weekend if I didn't get to see my best friend in the whole wide world. I haven't seen this girl since July. That is SAD. And unacceptable, and I think I'd slipped into partial depression over it because on my way to Birmingham, I didn't even have a desire to shop. That soon went away. And look at "baby" Iris!!! I love her legs! I have never had a baby with fat on them, so I was lovin' her rolls ACCESSORIZED with baby legwarmers!!!

Chrissie brought me these beautiful flowers in this antique milk glass vase. So pretty!!

And she got me a TON of makeup. I forgot how much I LOVED makeup. I had so much fun playing in it this morning. Seriously, I think a part of me was slipping into borderline drab, and it was not okay. She brightened me up with this thoughtful gift literally and mentally! :)

Travis had to take pictures of me on the beginning of my final year on the road to...30. Ahhh. Whatever, botox and liposuction will carry me through the years.

I love this girl so much. She said, "Mommy, how old are you gonna be? 24?" "Yep." :)

Me and Mamacita before church

The kids giving me their gifts this morning. They were so excited.

My handsome, precious boy

Appropriately from Jaggar...

A huge dark chocolate bar. I forgot to take a picture of what else Chrissie had for me. The "filler" for the gift bag with the makeup was Godiva truffles. I'm glad that the ones that love me most know what I like. :)

Sage's gift: I am SO impressed with this girl. Check this out below.

Travis said that she picked it out completely on her own. She said, "Mommy, it's a book light. You know how you always read your Bible? Well, you can hook this to your Bible and you can see it good." The thoughtfulness of my 6 year old blew me away. We took it out tonight, and she said, "Mommy, can you try it out?" I said, "Well, I'm not ready to read just yet." She said, "Well I picked it out for you, and I'd like to see you use it the first time." Heart melts, we make that happen before bedtime. She told me how I could also use it as a bookmark because it does clip to the page. I told her that it was the most thoughtful gift anyone had ever given me.

Annnd...an itunes card! I unashamedly admit that I'm obsessed with my iphone. I have itunes hooked to my paypal, which is basically instant debits. I don't use it a LOT, but this will make me feel like I CAN now. :)

Last but not least....

A new bead for my bracelet. I was so surprised by this! Travis really thought everything out and knew exactly what he was going for this year for my birthday. So thankful for my family. My mom also got me a new bead the night before at the Pandora store, and I had just been admiring the new ones just like what he got me. I'd never seen them. It has purple ladybugs, and Sage helped choose it! He even TOOK my bracelet to the store without me knowing, so he wouldn't pick out one I had. I was IMPRESSED.

Here's my bracelet as of yet. The white, mother of pearl heart one is what Mom got me last night. I love it. I obviously don't have a theme for my bracelet. Some people do colors or like a fall/winter theme. I throw on there what I like and things that signify things in my life. If you know me, that is obviously a plethora of STUFF. To clarify a few "huh's?", Pandora now makes a cute boy and girl charm to represent your kids (which just came out), but the older ones were so ugly in my opinion. The boy looked like a Buddha. Anyway, for Jaggar, I have a cow. Because that boy literally LOVES cows, and he drinks 3 gallons of milk a week. SERIOUSLY. The ghost is for Sage, who I have always called "boo-boo." The pumpkin was a birthday gift last year because my birthday is just a week before Halloween. The present was from Chrissie for Christmas because "being my friend is a gift," she said. :) AWW. The 2 red hearts was my first one that I ever got for our anniversary. Puffed heart for valentines. The orangey/red ones are because I love orange. Mom got me both of those. Anyway, I love my bracelet. Maybe one day I'll make a "themed" one...but it's highly doubtful.

Annnd...I'm SO excited about these. Everybody has Uggs, right? Not me. I KNOW they are super comfortable, but I just wasn't in love with them. THAT IS, UNTIL Oprah gave away a specific pair on her "Favorite Things" Christmas giveaway last year. I have NEVER forgotten about them. I actually looked for them last year, but no stores in Kentucky or Alabama carried them. But this year, they have come to stores here, and I am so excited....

BAM! Oh yeah!!! Silver sequined UGGS! I love them. I love them. I love them. Are they flashy and Michael Jackson-ish? Even borderline over the top? YES! And that's why I love them! Did I wear them already??? Ya better believe it!!

I've had a wonderful birthday! SO many have taken time to go out of their way to say happy birthday in calls, emails, facebook, and texts. I could not keep UP with facebook today. If you took time out of your day to make ME feel special, thank YOU! And...you did. You made me feel special. Here's some of my texts.

Typical Mitch. I told him to send Chanel.

Sweet Taylor.

Annnd...Luke. I do love him.

This evening, after our lunch (read about below) had somewhat subsided, it was time to sing Happy Birthday and blow out the candles.

I love how Travis put the 28 and the "plus 1" candle. He's a creative one.

I always let my kiddos blow out the candles. We had such a fun day. Again, THANK YOU!!!