Hayride!

What's Fall without a hayride?

Some new friends of ours invited us to go on a hayride and trick or treat in their neighborhood. Ava Grace had an absolute blast! 

Edy was SO tired, but she had fun, too.

Now it's time for bed! 

I gotta go...Graham and I need to "inspect" some candy, if you know what I mean!

Blossom???

Anybody remember the show Blossom?

Trick or Treat

Last night, the local businesses passed out candy to all of the trick or treaters. We got the girls dressed up in their costumes so they could join in on the fun.

  Sorry, no candy for you!

Ava Grace as Jessie from the Toy Story movies 

It felt like AG, or should I say, Jessie, was a celebrity last night.  Kids and adults stopped, stared, pointed, laughed, and remarked when they spotted her.  Surprisingly, she was about the only "Jessie" we saw, but there were a ton of "Woody" and "Buzz Light Year" look-a-likes.  AG took her new found fame in stride--stopping to wave and smile at all of her admirers.

As kind of a Halloween tradition, Graham gets us a little something just for fun.  

Edy liked her card as much as her new toy, Pluto.

 Ava Grace got Mrs. Potato Head from Toy Story 3.  

 My cuties!

The Show Stopper!

Ahh...so cute!

How cute is this?

Pumpkin Carving

Check out this year's pumpkin AND my crazy husband!

It's Straight

A couple of nights ago, I straightened Ava Grace's hair. I can't stress enough how much she adored it.  It was so weird seeing her with straight hair--almost looked like another child.

Personally, I prefer her curls!  That just fits her.

Day at the Park

Today, Ava Grace and I went to the park for MOPS.  We decorated pumpkins, played with all the kids, and had some lunch!  She had so much fun!

 Ava Grace and her decorated pumpkin

  She named her pumpkin Arnie.  Don't know where she got that name.

We decorated a pumpkin for Edy, too.

MY Talking Points

We are finally getting settled here in East Texas.  There have been some challenges along the way, but we are starting to feel a little bit of normalcy creep back into the picture.  Last weekend, we got new car tags and driver's licences.  Boy, was that an experience.  I did my homework and gathered all the necessary materials before we left.  We stopped at an oil and lube to have our cars inspected.  To our surprise, I had a flat tire and Graham's car wouldn't start back up!  The attendant jumped Graham's car and everything seemed to be fine with it after that. We dropped my car off at Wal-mart and loaded everyone into Graham's car. Mistake. We headed to the Tax Assessor's office to handle business. Three hundred and sixty-four dollars later, we had our four car tags and were ready to get our new driver's licenses.  But wait...Graham's car wouldn't start.  You saw that coming, right?  By this time, we had two tired girls on our hands, tears galore, rude comments flying back and forth--FRUSTRATIONS MOUNTING, people! Ever been there? We were able to get a jump and get Graham's car to Wal-Mart.  Luckily, it was just a bad battery.  We picked up my car, complete with plug in tire, and headed to get our driver's licenses.  Four to six weeks from now, we should have our official Texas state driver's licenses in hand.  Whew, what a day.

No bites on our home in Fort Smith.  We are still praying that a buyer will come along soon.  We have had several lookers recently, but nothing major.  This is where being a home owner can be frustrating.

I came down with a bad cold about a week ago.  I went to the doctor (glad I found one beforehand) and she gave me some advice, but didn't prescribe anything because I'm still nursing.  As colds usually do with me, it turned into a sinus infection. Brutal.  I'm now on antibiotics and starting to get some relief......sl.ow..ly.....

Oh yeah...to top it all off, Graham and I have poison ivy!  I've never had it before and there are a ton of myths around it, but I went straight to trusty ole' Wikipedia to get the truth answers.  I was most concerned about the girls chances of getting it.  Hopefully, they are in the clear.  According to WebMD, they should be.  As for Graham and me, we're trying not to scratch!

We don't have TV.  I didn't think I would miss it much because I have the Internet, but it's just not the same.  I really miss PBS Kids for AG--she loved her morning line-up.  Other than that, it's not so bad.  I missed the whole debacle on The View,  but checked it out via Hulu anyway.  I am SO TIRED, sick and tired, of politically correct NONSENSE!!!!  I don't like to get political on the blog, but... so I won't.

Ahh....what else?  Oh, I've done a ton of reading over the last six weeks.  It's been nice.

I don't have a closure for my ramblings. I guess that's it!

Planning Ahead

Yes, just like I did with AG's first birthday party, I'm planning ahead for Edy's.  I know, I know, we're three months out, but I'm a planner...and that's what planners do! Crazy to some, but perfectly normal to me!

I was looking around for cute January birthday themes and I finally came up with one through a combination of ideas I found online.

Winter ONE-derland!

What do you think?  Sound like a winner?  Too predictable?  Ahh, who cares--it's perfect.

The first birthday is a special day.  More special for the family than anybody else.  Who am I kidding, this is all for ME!  Think about it...there are tons of pictures of that first birthday, the little kiddo gets to taste REAL sweets for the first time, everyone laughs at the mess she makes, family members remark on how much she has grown, etc. The excitement of "firsts" is just fun! That's why I want to plan something special to celebrate Edy Rose's first year of life!

Honestly, for those of you that think I'm nutty, I have only come up with a theme.  Everything else will fall into place a couple of weeks before her actual birthday party.  But, nailing down a theme is an essential part!  Right?

For a walk down memory lane, here are some links to Ava's first birthday:

The idea

The invitations

The party

Play Time

We recently got out some of AG's old toddler toys for Edy to enjoy. She likes these toys just as much as her sister did still does!  I get a kick out of watching them play together.  Right now, Ava is very bossy and Edy could care less!

Although Miss Edy is a Momma's girl and she loves playing with her sister, she also doesn't mind playing alone.  Often, when we are all playing together in the living room, she will wander off--usually to Ava's room. Every few minutes, I will peek in to find her looking at books, playing with toys, jabbering, and exploring.  It's so sweet.

Edy Grows - 9 months

I say it all the time--Edy is growing so fast.  Too fast!  It seems like she should still be a tiny newborn.  Now look at her...

She is a little bundle of energy.  It makes these monthly pictures kind of difficult to take.  She does not want to sit in this Bumbo seat for any length of time.

 Here are some funny outtakes.  See what I mean?  She just won't sit still.

Look at these girls.  I'm noticing some real differences.  For one, Ava Grace had a lot more hair at this point.  Yeah, they look like sisters, but they have their own unique distinctions.  What do you think?

Edy, you are such a blessing!  Here's what's going on with you at 9 months of age:

• crawling FAST!
• like to play with AG's toys
• eat two meals a day (veggies and fruit)
• take a morning and afternoon nap
• breast fed (4-5 times a day)
• pulling up on furniture
• cruising around furniture
• standing momentarily without holding on to anything
• two teeth
• sleep from 7pm - 7am (we hear you wake up around 7, but we usually don't get you until 8ish)
• say "bye bye", "dada", "mama"
• love yogurt puffs
• starting to like Baby Einstein movies (about a 5 minute attention span)
• becoming more hot-tempered!
• drink a little juice/water from a sippy cup

I wish you would slow down and stay a baby for a while longer, but you are determined to grow and grow!  We love you very much, Edy Rose.

It's back...

Remember this?

Ava--2 months old

Edy--9 months old
Check out the hat in an older post here.

First Visitor

Gaga came to Texas this weekend for a quick visit.  

Of course, she came bearing gifts.  She brought AG the new Tinkerbell movie and Tat picked up Mickey and  Minnie for the girls while he was at Disney World.  

Ava posed Minnie and Mickey holding hands.

My momma and me...How funny are our shirts?

We are so glad that you came to visit us, Gaga.  Come again soon.

My Family

Welcome to Texas Party!

Our church was so sweet to throw us a "Welcome to Texas" party.  Everyone brought their favorite Texas dish and I'm here to tell you it was all so Go-oo-d!

 Welcome to Texas, Edy!

 I like that hat, partner!

My Cowboy!

 I can't say that without laughing!

Gaga and Edy are getting in the Texas spirit!

Halloween Jams

Here are a couple of videos of AG singing some popular Halloween jams.  This first video is kinda long, but listen to Edy laughing.  She loves watching her sister!

Ghostbusters from Leslie Hale on Vimeo.



Monster Mash from Leslie Hale on Vimeo.

Porch Swing

We are loving this porch swing. When we move to our new home--this is a must! I have enjoyed laying on this swing every single day that we have lived here. Today, I read a long time outside while the girls were napping. It's just nice.

My Favorite 3 Year Old

Just a Swingin'

How great has this weather been?

Love that expression! ADORABLE!

Check out the video below...Love me some belly laughs!

Swingin' from Leslie Hale on Vimeo.

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The Boo Crew!