October in Pictures

We had a busy October! It's funny to me how some months, I have few pictures (September has only 6) and others I have hundreds. Anyway, I hope you have some time on your hands to read this post! I did narrow it down to about 19 pictures, which means I still didn't include many of my favorites. Luke's first field trip was in October, and I didn't even feel like uploading any of those photos. It was a sweet time though! Our school's fall break was recently, and I decided to take the kids on a road trip. My intial thought was to try to find some leaves that were changing color, but our timing was off. Still, our little trip was so fun and we got to see some awesome friends (tons better than leaves anyway). I called Hope Atchison about 2 days before we decided to come to her house for a visit. Thankfully, she is flexible, spontaneous, and always welcoming. The kids loved getting to play with each other and romp around in the country! Basically, the boys played football with each other the entire time (outside and inside the house:). Billy (the biggest boy) called the plays.

Luke tried to block a pass...

...but was unsuccessful!

Luke wore Holden's sweatbands on his wrists the entire visit, because the boys thought they would keep him from injuring a wrist. Can you tell from his face that he's highly competitive?

The girls played so well together, and I think they pulled out every toy and piece of clothing they could find. I enjoyed getting to love on Elley-bell. Can you see why?

This is them praising the Lord with joyful hearts. Okay, actually they were celebrating Mary Helen being put down for a nap, because she would no longer be able to swipe their baby dolls. Perhaps not as sweet a picture when you know the true cause for their jubilation.

They did include Mary Helen some of the time, though. They even let her sit with them under the umbrella that was meant to shield them from the cold wind. Now that's sweet!

I personally would have eaten this little nugget with a spoon, were that physically possible. She has changed so much since I last saw her, and was talking up a storm. I think that my heart grew a little each time that she said "Jen Jen."

The girls jumped...

...and jumped some more!

It seemed to me that the country would suit Leah perfectly. Her free spirit loves being allowed to roam!

Billy took each kid for a ride on his tractor. Do you see how large the wheels are? Billy is definitely in his element when he's pushing around dirt in this puppy.

Do you see the view that they get to enjoy each day? It is just so peaceful out there; you may need to visit yourself! Hope and I just sat on chairs and watched everyone play (but I don't have a pic of that). So here's another one of the tractor (and the view).
We also took the kids to the Aquatic Center in Cullman, which is mega cool. I was, however, too lazy to take pics at that point. After visiting that Sunday, the kids and I headed to a hotel for a vacay in Birmingham. My kids get sooooo excited about staying in hotels. You would've thought we were going to an amusement park. Maybe it's the elevators and vending machines. Or the PBS...

I took the kids to the BMX trail at Oak Mountain, but Luke seemed to enjoy running the track more than riding it on his bike this time. Really cool place, but it wasn't the same without his buddies to race with.

We then went to the Birmingham zoo, and had a great day. The weather was sunny and cold, which is perfect to me if you're going to walk around a zoo. I am beginning to feel large already, so I was comforted by this "big is beautiful" lady.

The coolest part of the zoo (to me) was feeding these birds (whose species I can't recall). Leah was the only one brave enough to hold the nectar. Luke saw them swarming a person before us and opted out. They were beautiful, and not afraid of us at all!

Overall, we had a great time together! I'm excited about this new addition, but also relishing the time I have with Luke and Leah before the baby makes us less mobile. Here we are in the zoo photo booth.

Okay, that was the trip! Are you tired too? Now for just a couple of Halloween pics. Leah was Sleeping Beauty and Luke was an Alabama Football Player (no surprise there).

Nichole and I were Velma and Daphne from Scooby Doo. (I was the knocked-up version of Daphne:). We couldn't get our husbands to dress up with us. Party poopers! But we had fun, and the kids loved us in costume!

That was October! I'll try to keep the number of pics down in November, but I'm not promising anything. Oh, and I did get the rocker for the baby's room recovered. It's precious! I'll post nursery plans later!