Exciting News!

Many of you are "in the loop" ... but in case you aren't ... I'll officially blog what is going on in my life. I wanted to keep this blog strictly to kids, and this does have to do with kids and affect my kids... so here you go.

1) I'm getting married! So I've shared a picture of Billy & I. We will be having a small ceremony in about a month, the weekend of Christmas.
2) He & I recently found out that we are pregnant! I am due mid-May. This being his first child...it's a very exciting time around here.

Ellie is very pumped about another baby. She wants another brother and a sister...and a dog. I told her just one at a time. And, of course, that I'm not having the dog myself.

The kids love Billy... and he is really great with them. God has answered many of my prayers ... and of course, not in a way that I expected/planned... but I'm learning to trust His plan for me and my family.

Day at the Park

This is a bit over due, but I wanted to share some cute shots at the park earlier this month. This was prior to the 80-degree day we had here, and the snow day which was 2 days later. So just a normal Iowa fall day where the sun was shining and it was about 50-degrees out.

I just love the way the pictures turn out when they are outside in the sun and around all the vivid colors of the playground equipment. Moreover, the hats and coats frame their cute little faces in such away that one could stare at the pictures for hours. Well, at least their mom can!

Jack Rollerskates

The other day Ellie found a pair of roller skates that she got for Christmas last year. After she attempted again to try to move around in them, Jack decided he needed a try too. As you can see by the pictures, he spent more time on his rear-end then vertical. He had a good time...as they both always do on those skates that they have NO coordination yet to maneuver. It's a good inside activity to wear them out. I'll have to remember that mid-February when they are driving me nuts!

Ellie's 4th Birthday Party

Well, Ellie will be turning 4 on Tuesday! She had a party on Saturday with family and friends. I realized that my house isn't really cut out for big parties, like I'm used to! Luckily, we had the size of crowd we did. I'm not sure where we would have put anyone else.

Ellie received many wonderful gifts! Today she is wearing a new outfit and was spending the morning playing with Barbies and dolls. We had a Disney Princess theme, and although no one came dressed as a princess, we all had a great time!

The evening was followed by church where Billy declared his faith in baptism. Many of our family and friends stayed on for that event too. It made for a long day, but very fulfilling all around.

First Snowman

We had our first snowfall here in Huxley on Friday. What started as sleet and yuck in the morning, became a couple of inches of heavy wet snow by early afternoon. After getting Jack down to nap, Ellie and I headed out to have some fun. While I was on a mission to make a snowman, she had other ideas. 1) Eating snow was good...even if it had leaves in it. And 2) this is great snow for making snowballs. I got hit numerous times!

Our snowman, Frosty, so cleverly named by Ellie, looks more appropriately named, "Dirty" because of snow/leaf skin that seems too look even more awful today as he's starting to melt. But the carrot nose really makes him very authentic.

Halloween

The kids had the priviledge to Trick-or-Treat 2 times this year. On Monday night with their dad in the Des Moines area, and then on Tuesday night in Huxley with us. I decided keep Jack home with me and greet the kids at the door, while Billy took Ellie out with our neighbors in our Huxley neighborhood. Our street wasn't super busy, but I was able to get rid of the candy I purchased.

Ellie was Superman both nights. Jack was a chicken the first nite, and a little Jr Clown with me on Tuesday night. They brought home loads of candy, which will probably last us until next year when the parade candy is free flowing in July. For Jack's first year, he did very well. He wasn't scared of the creepy masks...and caught on to the whole "go to the door and get candy" thing. It doesn't take long, does it?

I didn't take any pictures of the pumpkin carving...they really didn't want much to do with it. So I hurried and did it myself just an hour prior to Trick-or-Treaters ringing my bell. No time like the present! Overall, a good year....lots of fun as usual. We are looking forward to doing more spooky stuff in our yard next year!