The Trunk or Treat Adventures of a Cowboy Sheriff and a Little Cow

It's hard work being a cowboy sheriff, but Jacob was up for the job. He rode his horse tirelessly through the night, playing games and collecting candy...all while herding his cattle...errrr....one little cow....errr.....one wild little cow....named Annabelle.

Collecting Candy Corn for the "Corn Toss"

Mmmmmm....chips. Cowboys and cows love chips.

They ran into their friend, Super Why (a.k.a. Katie) and posed for a picture.

The sheriff rode through the trunk or treat event looking around and taking it all in. There were so many games to play and cool things to see, he could hardly decide what to do first. His little cow friend could hardly contain her excitement. She was so happy to be there and went absolutely crazy at the first sight of candy. Even though she was just a little cow, she was still able to play several games. She had the best time. When she wasn't playing games, she was trying to escape.

As much as she enjoyed walking around with her buddy, the sheriff, she enjoyed her freedom even more. Sheriff Jacob had to round her up a few times. By the end of the night, his horse was exhausted and couldn't even hold his head up (or maybe it was just that the sheriff's mother didn't realize she was supposed to put the strap around the sheriff's neck to hold up the horse's head. Ummmm...this costume needed a few instructions).

The sheriff showed off his cowboy skills and mastered almost every game. He had so much fun and by the end of the evening, he had a bag filled with more candy than any four year old cowboy should ever be allowed to eat. No worries. The sheriff's parents were more than happy to take care of the overabundance of sweet treats...particulary the treats of the chocolate variety.

For Annabelle, the highlight of the evening was meeting one of her distant relatives -- the Chick-Fil-A cow! She was so happy to see another cow! Plus, she loves Chick-Fil-A! The sheriff was pretty excited about it too. Jacob, Annabelle, our pastor, and the big cow talked for quite a while, then eventually, their new friend had to be on his way. After the Chick-Fil-A cow left, Annabelle kept yelling, "Cow!!! Ahhhh you????? (Cow, where are you?!?!?!?)" Perhaps, one day, they will meet again. :)

It was incredibly hot and humid that evening -- not exactly the kind of weather you'd expect at the end of October. Between the games, the walking and running around, the heat and humidity, both the sheriff and the little cow were w-o-r-n out...but not worn out enough to go to bed without first eating a little candy. They each were allowed to choose one treat from their bags. The little cow chose a Milky Way and the sheriff ate Sweet Tarts. Then they shared a tiny box of nerds with their daddy. Annabelle ate the nerds "like a rabid dog" (as quoted by Daddy). She had purple drool running down her face and onto her shirt. Beautiful image, huh? Jacob likes sweets, but I think Annabelle enjoys them even more.

It was definitely a great night and a fun time was had by all. In fact, Jacob is already talking about going to Trunk or Treat next year! He can't wait!!

Fun with Food...and the Fair

I’ll have the pumpkin pancakes with a turkey burger on the side.

Who orders that? I do…but certainly not on purpose.

On Sunday, we went to Mimi’s Café for brunch. I saw pumpkin pancakes on the menu and knew right away what I’d be having. The pancakes were served with caramel apples, eggs and a side of either bacon or sausage. I asked if I could get turkey sausage. The server replied, “No, but we have turkey patties…like a hamburger patty.” Thinking I would get little sausage patties, I said, “Ok.” Well, the more I thought about it, the more I realized I might have just ordered a turkey burger to accompany my pancakes. But…surely not. I mean, who offers someone a turkey burger as an alternative to sausage??? I’ll tell you who. Our server. Sure enough, I got just what I ordered. Delicious pumpkin pancakes topped with caramel apples, scrambled eggs…..and a turkey burger. Some breakfast, huh? All I could do was laugh…and laugh….and laugh.

The food adventures continued throughout the day. In fact, it got even better. After we left the restaurant, we decided to visit the State Fair. Oh, boy. Fair food. Need I say more? If you like fried foods, the fair is THE place to be. It’s proof that people will eat absolutely ANYTHING as long as you throw it in a deep fryer first. My favorite? Deep fried Oreos. My goodness. Those things are yummy. It’s like eating a doughnut with a wonderful Oreo surprise inside. Happiness.

I admit, I like fair food, but there are some foods that cross the line. Take the Krispy Kreme burger, for example. Who decided this was a good idea? A hamburger smashed between two glazed doughnuts complete with bacon and cheese. I’m sorry, but that’s just gross. Another outrageous menu item I spotted was fried butter. That’s right…fried BUTTER. At the same stand where the fried Oreos were sold, you could also purchase deep fried cinnamon butter balls. Now, I realize eating deep fried **insert your favorite food here** isn’t exactly good for you, but deep fried butter? Wow. Even more incredible? The number of people I saw consuming the deep fried butter balls. I’m no doctor, but I’m willing to bet those things clog your arteries the second you even think about popping one into your mouth.



Jacob and Annabelle seem to share my love of fair food. It’s an unfortunate fact. I bought myself a small cup of fries, then decided I needed a little something else to eat along with them. I left my fries at the table and went on a search for some other kind of deep fried food. I returned to the table to find an empty fry cup. Annabelle ate the entire cup of fries – THE ENTIRE THING!!!! Heath said, “Oh. I thought you bought those just for her.” Oh my. You can be sure I won’t be sharing this story with the pediatrician when we go for Annabelle’s two year well visit. I later watched Jacob tear into a corn dog, then learned he drank about half of Heath’s sweet tea when I wasn’t around to see. Yikes. What kind of parents have we turned into? I guess as long as it isn’t an everyday occurrence……..

Jacob couldn’t wait to get on the rides at the fair. He rode the carousel once with Annabelle, the bumper cars with me, and a little dragon roller coaster by himself. During our little bumper car ride, he laughed the whole time. He loved it when we bumped into someone. For some reason, simply hearing someone say, “BUMP!” makes him laugh. So, every time we crashed into another car, I yelled, “BUMP!” which threw him into a fit of laughter. I came off the bumper cars with a bruised knee, but we had a lot of fun.

I apologize for the quality of the pictures and videos. I left my camera in the car, so we were forced to rely on the BlackBerry.

When Jacob rode the roller coaster, I wasn’t sure how he would like it. The first turn threw him around a little bit and his facial expression looked to be a combination of seriousness and fear. But, according to him, he wasn’t scared at all.

Me: Jacob, did you like that? Did you have fun?
Jacob: YES!! That was fun! I went from side to side in my seat!
Me: Were you scared?
Jacob: NO! That was awesome, dude!

Jacob is in the second car:

Annabelle got to ride the carousel twice since it was her favorite thing. She loved it. She smiled and laughed the whole time. Heath rode with her and each time they came around, Annabelle had a huge grin on her face. I was so wishing I wouldn’t have left my camera in the car.

The fair is definitely an interesting event -- the food, the rides, the people. It seems the "adult" rides get more and more crazy every year. Just thinking about getting on some of the rides we saw makes me feel sick. And can you imagine getting on a fair ride after consuming a Krispy Kreme burger? Probably not the best combination. But, that's what makes the fair, THE FAIR. Deep fried Oreo anyone?

Bye-Bye Babyhood!

It's official. Annabelle has graduated from babyhood. We even have a certificate to prove it.

The certificate states,"Annabelle.....has graciously met all of the requirements of receiving her first haircut and has graduated from babyhood on the 21 day of October in the year of 2010."

It took quite a while, but Annabelle's hair finally reached the point where it was time for a trim. I debated for several days on whether I should let her bangs continue to grow or have them cut. The bangs won. We're going to keep them for a bit.

The Little Mermaid

Annabelle was on her best behavior that evening. She sat perfectly still in the chair, taking in the scenery. I couldn't believe it. I can't remember ever seeing her so calm. I fully expected her to climb all over the chair and up the walls -- not that night. Perhaps it was the promise of a sucker at the end if she was good. Jacob had informed her that "Mr. Jerry will give you a sucker if you're good for your haircut." Jacob was correct. In fact, Annabelle was SO good, she was allowed to have two.

Although her First Haircut Certificate clearly states that Annabelle is no longer a baby, I beg to differ. I say, she is STILL a baby...at least for a few more days. She does look a little older with her new haircut, though. Don't you think?

I realize this isn't the greatest "after" picture, but as soon as she got down from the chair, she immediately regained her "wild child" status and would not be still...not even for a split second. While Jacob was getting his haircut, I chased Annabelle around with the camera. I tried my best to get a good shot of her, but she decided playing with the water cooler was more fun than having her picture taken. I was forced to put the camera away in an attempt to keep her from flooding the shop.

A Week-Long Birthday

I love birthdays. They're so much fun. I admit, I'm not particularly fond of the growing older part, but birthdays are a great excuse to eat as much cake as you want (or in my case, cake AND pumpkin spice doughnuts) because.....on your birthday (and everyday during that week) all food is fat and calorie-free.

If only that were true.

I celebrated my birthday last week. No, not just one day last week. ALL of last week. It was a good week. I started out by baking myself chocolate cupcakes. On my actual birthday, Heath came home with a birthday cake. Then, I topped off the week-long celebration with several Krispy Kreme pumpkin spice doughnuts. I'll say it again...it was a good week. However, whoever told me that all food is fat and calorie-free during your birthday week was obviously misinformed. I'm pretty sure I'm one doughnut away from having to lie down to zip up my jeans. I see a date with my dvd player and Jillian Michaels in my near future.

Birthdays have always been a big deal in my family -- full of fun and surprises -- always a party, sometimes big, sometimes small; always a cake; always candles; always friends and family around to help celebrate. Birthdays are great and definitely something to look forward to.

This year, the morning of my birthday, I awoke to a little voice saying, "Happy birthday, Mommy!" Jacob walked into the bedroom, sat down on the bed beside me and handed me a card. On the front of the card, he had written, "Mommy." I was actually impressed with his handwriting. Before I opened the card, he sang Happy Birthday to me. What a great way to wake up! Later, when I walked into Annabelle's room to get her out of bed, Jacob instructed her to say, "Happy birthday, Mommy!" She obliged and it was the sweetest thing. I love my children.

Heath planned to surprise me that evening by bringing home a birthday cake, but he made one little mistake. He told Jacob.

Jacob: "Daddy is going to stop by a bakery on his way home and pick up a cake for you!"

Me: "Oh, he is?!?! Was that supposed to be a surprise?"

Jacob: "Yes. Daddy said, 'If you tell her, then it won't be a surprise.'" (brief pause) "I guess it isn't a surprise."

Me: "No, I guess it isn't" :)

Oh, well. It's the thought that counts, right? Besides, I was still surprised...just a little earlier than Heath planned. He also invited Erika over for cake that night. That would have been a surpise, except he gave in and told me. I love my husband.

Jacob normally has class on Tuesdays, but last week was fall break, so he didn't have school on my birthday. Instead, one of the moms organized a playdate at a neighborhood pool / playground. All the kids had a blast. Jacob and Annabelle certainly were not exceptions.

Playing in the fountains was the highlight of their day.
Can you believe it? It's October and the kids were still able to swim in the pool and play in the fountains -- one of the perks to living in this part of the country.

Annabelle loves to slide.

While Annabelle climbed up and down the playground equipment and ran around like the crazy little girl she is, her brother was busy pretending to be an engineer, taking several of his friends on train rides.

The weather was perfect. It was a fabulous day to be outside -- cool in the morning, warm in the afternoon. A great day for a birthday. And when we finally decided to head home, Jacob and Annabelle both took nice, long naps. I couldn't have asked for more. :)