The Golden Ginkos

We stopped for a romp in the leaves the other day after school. The most wonderful yellow leaves have fallen right around the corner from HK's school so we got out and played in them for a sec.

The Halloween Buzz

So we absolutely loved Halloween this year. It was great to be able to dress up, run from house to house, hay-ride in between, hang out with our friends and cousins, and get candy on top of all that! It was magical! Hope everyone had a spooktacular weekend!

On another note, I'm 29 weeks along and getting ready for our new addition. Hannah Kate could have been the bumble bee from the "No Rain" video - I sure could've been a melon. Hooker will be heavily outnumbered with the arrival of another little Hooker ladybug. We have officially moved HK into her new bedroom to revive the nursery for her little sister (pictures of Hooker's fabulous painting skills will follow soon). And the countdown can start...3 weeks til Thanksgiving, 3 weeks til Christmas break, and then 3 weeks until baby (hopefully)! I'm up right now due to the fabulous inability to sleep that comes along with the belly. But I did need to update the blog, so what does a little sleep matter, right?

Which pumpkin is the biggest?

This blog is way overdue. I haven't given up blogging...just needed some good blog inspiration, I guess. Life has been trucking along. We headed down to the pumpkin patch this morning to get out and enjoy this cold sunshine! Farmer Jim's pumpkin patch in Rolling Fork gave us a good excuse to get out and play in some cold air. We got to pick out some pumpkins and play in some corn for a little while. Nice morning out.

Hannah Kate said, "I am so strong!" as she toted this big boy around.

Better than a sand box: the corn pool!

Our harvest!

New Orleans Ladies

having animal crackers with the jaguars (Props to Viv for coordinating themed snacks with places of interest....animal crackers for the zoo)

mornin' monkeys

The last get away for the summer was a neat girl's trip down to the Crescent City. Nat and I took the girls down to stay with Elise Claire and Vivian for a few days. These cousins (2nd generation)are all within 7 months of each other and really became fast friends. (We went through withdrawals for the first couple of days home) Captured a few great memories between the Audubon Zoo, The Aquarium and the Palmisano house:

This was fascinating to me... I don't think I've ever seen one in person before. Do you know what it is? (It's tail is on the left and it's head is on the right.)

toucans like animal crackers, too.

posing with the penguins (over my shoulder)

petting the sea turtle (notice the themed snacks, again? Goldfish for the aquarium)

performing with the sea otters

All by myself...

Summer has been going full force and we've been going right along. We headed down to Gulfport for the 4th to spend time with my fam and had a great long weekend. Unfortunately, as we were packing up the condo, Hannah Kate found my camera and transposed it into Gigi's purse (after she took pictures all by herself). So Gigi went home with all of my great vacation shots. Can't wait to see my own pictures! It's like waiting on old film to be developed.

We've been busy around Greenville, too. We had a new fence put up around our backyard and a small fence to enclose the pool area! (You get a glimpse of it in the picture above) The pic above is actually of Hannah Kate, who put her swimsuit on all by herself. (backwards, yes, but worn with great pride)

Just a quick snap of Hook and I. Guess who's taking the picture all by herself!

And finally, our little band aid queen. She loves to wear these things. And this one was actually covering up a boo-boo. She decided that Beary needed one, too.

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Pleasantries of a toddler

Hannah Kate is just so amusing these days. She totally picks up on everything and has kept us thoroughly entertained. Some of her latest sayings:

• Party pooper- She overheard me calling Daniel a party pooper and thought this was hilarious. Not for what it was, but because she thought I called him a "potty pooper". And she just giggled and called me a potty pooper and daddy a potty pooper and even herself a potty pooper. That was just ridiculously funny to her.

• Once upon a time- We've started telling stories alot lately. She likes to hear them and has started making up some of her own. Daniel took her to the lake the other day and she kept saying "Once upon a time there was a pig in the house." And that was her story. The end. When we visited Gigi a few weeks ago, we all went for a walk around the downtown. Hannah Kate found a little end of a sidewalk and began to tell the flowers and bushes a story about a mermaid and a mermaid house. Gigi and I just stood there in amazement. We couldn't understand all of the words but she was concentrating on this story with her "audience". We asked her to walk along with us but she "had to finish telling her story".

• God is great- She is a great blessing sayer. She was doing it "all by myself" ( which is the norm these days) the other morning and covered all her bases. Something like this: "God is great. God is good. Let us thank him for our food. Bless us oh Lord in these thy gifts which we are about to receive. One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Amen."