Trick or Treat!

If I didn't have much success dressing my family in red for Reformation Day, why did I think Halloween costumes would be easy?
Here you have Molly, the American Girl Doll, a popstar, and Pinkalicious. Or maybe she is a princess.  She's not quite sure herself, after her last minute mind-change from an elephant costume.

 Yes, I know.  Not that much different than how they look on a typical day. But with pumpkins!

 

And speaking of elephant costume refusals, Miss "Can't Stop Talking About Every Possible Zoo Animal" will have nothing to do with her matching elephant costume.  In her words "HATE boom-boom".  Nor was she willing to wear anything else in our dress-up bin.  So Mali dubbed her "I wear what I want".  Although we think she looks a little like a joey here.

September Birthdays, finally!

Yes, we know it's October, but it's been a rough one and we are finally getting around to celebrating Brinnly and Grandma Sandy's birthday together.  Mom and Dad (aka "Baba Sandy and Baba) were able to make it out her for a quick visit and we soaked it up. That is, we did admist door hanging and Sam's Club shopping.  But we'll take time with them any way we can get it and loved all parts of the family time togetehr.

Check out Brinn's new birthday dress!

"Emma's Chocolate Cake" for the birthday girls, of course.

And I think this one is going to be a crossword puzzle girl, just like her grandma.

Twelve Years

Happy anniversary, my love! Our date "staycation" was lovely, but really I can't imagine a sweeter way of honoring the day than we did today. Celebrating Reformation Day in church with our four little girls who were belting out A Mighty Fortress" pretty much sums up this little life of ours. I am blessed.

 

"Still we our earthly temples rear/That we may herald his praises

They are the homes where He draws near

And little children embraces

Beautiful things in them are said;

God there with us His covenant made,

Making us heirs of his Kingdom"

--Built on the Rock, the Church doth Stand, vs. 5

(Another one we were blessed to sing together along with our church family today)

New Year's Resoution--Check!

 Since I'm no longer pregnant or nursing, I was determined to reach for a running goal this year.  And I couldn't have picked a better partner for my first ever 13.1.  (I'm trying not to call it a "half-marathon".  Who care what is is half of?  It's a race in and of itself!).  Buffalo Creek was a beautiful, flat, trail course.  Please ignore the porta-potties behind us in the "before" picture. Just keeping it real. 

 We both broke our time goals and were pleased with ourselves.  Hot apple cider has never tasted so good!

 Check out this cheering section!  Aren't they the best?  Flowers for each of us! 

 And what better way to celebrate our girls "Aunt" Hannah then with Ethiopian food?  We are THOSE friends to her, of course!  Who knows how often she'll have such exposure on the "res"?  The girls loved the cuisine as well.  But not as much as they loved spending time with her.  We are so thrilled for her and the future "Uncle Matt" and know they will be blessed in their lives together.  We plan to soak up as much time as we can with her still in the Midwest.  Carrigan, in particular, will be providing more "vice-grip" hugs. 

Day Off

Soaking up a few teacher conference days...

Reading Night with the Middle Girls

 What a treat to have just these two up for "Reading Night" at school.  We enjoyed hearing stories, working on books, and other literacy-themed activities.  One of the favorites was a scavenger hunt here--in my very own classroom!

Wrapping up the weekend--the ice cream hayride

We managed to fit it in after church on Sunday and had a lovely time at our favorite Pittsburgh hayride joint--Kerber's Dairy.  The ice cream was delish (even the play-doh flavor!) and the mountain farmland was beautiful.  What a way to wrap up the weekend!

Fall Fest!

 We had planned to head out for a hayride following post-picture naps, but time got away from us and we missed the hayride times.  Good thing we live in such a fantastic neighborhood!  The annual Fall Fest was just starting down in our park.  We headed there for a splendid combination of pot-luck food, home brew, live music, pumpkins, kids games, and campfire fun.  I love this place.

This girl loves her grandma

Purple pictures at Phipps Garden Center

After the week that we just had, it was time for some fun.  Grandma Deni arrived via train early Saturday morning ("Grandma Deni!  Choo-Choo!  Pumpkin!") and was greeted with glorious autumn sunshine. Perfect for the outdoor photo shoot I had snagged from a Groupon deal.  We took a few warm-up shots while we waited for our turn.

 And what better way to celebrate a tear-free photo shoot?  A lunch stop at a new Squirrel Hill noodle bar.  Both the food and the service were outstanding and we all just loved it. A nice start to the weekend!