Trick-or-Treating

We continued with out tradition of going Trick-or-Treating with the Dibrells. We pile all the kids in the back of Phil's truck and take them to Heathwood. The dads walk them around while Julia and I follow them in the truck. It's good catching up time for Julia and me. This year Mallory was dressed just like her Bitty Baby in matching pajamas and a bunny robe. Taylor Grace took the easy way out by wearing her Tiger's Cheerleading uniform. (It was my idea of saving money, and she didn't mind.) Sadie was a fried egg. Evan was Jessie from Toy Story, and Josie was a gothic witch.

Camping with the Berrys and Sloops

We had so much fun camping with the Berrys and the Sloops. We went to King's Mountain. We got there Friday, early afternoon, because school was out. It was a great time to go. It was the Friday before Halloween and people had gone all out with decorating their sites with Halloween decorations. We didn't of course, but you would have thought there were some decorations somewhere in ALL that STUFF we brought with us. I can't believe how much stuff there was. When the dad's go and take the kids, they only take a 1/4 of what we took. If you need it, we had it. If you didn't need it, we had it too. From wheelbarrows to a sandwich maker you could use over the fire, to games, etc... BUT one thing we didn't have was technology!!! That is what made it so awesome. WE were our own entertainment and entertainment is what we did. (probably for the whole campground) We had ghost stories, gremlin masks, Shellie's deep questions, kids putting other kids to sleep, hiking, etc. We had so much fun that we didn't get up and leave. We stayed until supper time Saturday night and the Berry's and Sloops stayed another night even though we only planned one on one night. It was definitely a time to remember.

New Color in the Kitchen

I was ready for change in the kitchen. I wanted to "kick it up a notch"! Well that I did. I wasn't sure I liked it at first, but after putting up the pictures and window treatments, I love it!

Camping in Kings Mountain

We wanted to take the kids camping and asked the Berrys and the Sloops to go along with us. We had a ball!!! We had a furlough day on Friday, so we headed up around 2:00. Ashley and John S. had to come up a little later, so John and all the moms had to set up camp! (I think they knew what they were doing when they decided to come later:))

It was cold Friday night!!!! I had to put Taylor Grace between John and me to keep her warm because her sleeping bag kept coming unzipped. I didn't get much sleep that way because I couldn't move. That part was miserable. We planned to only stay one night, so the next day John and I packed all of our stuff gradually. We ended up staying until after supper and the Sloops and the Berry's stayed another night. I liked doing it that way because we had all the fun, but were able to sleep in a nice warm bed.

We had a great time cooking over the fire, watching John collect all the wood, Shellie sharing her opinion, the kids going on hikes, the kids playing in the tents, etc... I love the smokey smell of a camp fire!! I asked the girls what their favorite part was and Mallory said putting Drew (3) to sleep. Taylor Grace said playing with Sydney. Ashley loved it so much, he wanted to go again next weekend. (Not going to go again that soon!!)

Painting the Kitchen GREEN!

We wanted to change the color of the kitchen, so I decided on Fusion green. We paid a guy to come and paint it. When I came home that afternoon I was so scared I had made a mistake. I took a picture of it and showed some teachers the next day. Everyone's reaction was, "WOW it looks great!" I didn't know if they were for real or couldn't say what they really thought. I was wanting to change it, but John assured me to wait until we got the curtains and all the pictures up. Well he was right! It made a huge difference. I love it! The green makes the cabinets and the curtains POP! I am glad we were brave enough to do it.

Camping in the back yard

We wanted to take the girls camping, but I wanted to stay home. So... we camped in the back yard. Mallory said, "I had more fun than I thought I would". It is great when you take technology away and everyone talks more and spends more time together. We reminisced, played UNO, grilled out, roasted marshmallows, etc... The girls went to bed really easy and John and I were able to stay up and talk. I love memories like this! It doesn't take money to have a good time.

Taylor Grace got Braces!

Taylor Grace got braces! She loves them and was a champ through it all. She got them on Thursday. Then on Monday had 2 permanent teeth pulled. Then the following Tuesday went back and had extenders put on the top back teeth. Later that weekend woke up with a HUGE knot on her lower jaw and had to go back for antibiotics. I would have thought that she would have been crying and miserable, but she barely complained. She went from looking like a 10 year old to a teenager! It is amazing how braces make a person look older.