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. :)

But What Will Happen to Jesus?

Last week, my dad went to the hospital for an in and out procedure and decided to take up residence there...for a week. Well, it wasn't actually his decision. Obviously, no one wants to stay in the hospital for a week. While Daddy was being monitored after the procedure, the doctor discovered his blood pressure was extremely high. He made him stay until they could get it under control. As they continued to monitor blood pressure and heart rate, it was decided that Daddy needed a pacemaker.

The day he was to get the pacemaker, Jacob and I called Papa to see how things were going. While we were on the phone, a nurse came in to say they were going to take him back for surgery earlier than expected. When we hung up, Jacob looked a little confused.

Jacob: What were they doing to Papa?

Me: Well, the nurses are getting him ready for a little surgery. The doctor is going to put something in his heart to make his heart beat better.

Jacob: You mean....like a little ouchy?

Me: Yes, it will probably be a little ouchy.

Jacob: (pause) Well....Jesus is in there. What will happen to Jesus if they stick an ouchy in his heart?

Me: Oh, Jesus will be fine. Jesus will make the ouchy all better.

Ahhhh.....the mind of a child. :)

Jacob continues to amaze me with his ability to memorize. So far, he has memorized Ephesians 6:1-5. Each week, he learns a new verse. The goal is to memorize verses 1-24 by the end of the school year.

Since he's been doing so well in school, Jacob got a surprise on Friday. We bought him the new Imagination Movers CD, autographed by the Movers. He was ecstatic. We've been listening to that CD nonstop for three days. Fortunately, I like it too. :) New Imagination Movers music means dance parties...and lots of them.

While his little sister likes to play in toilets, Jacob likes to draw them. He was very proud of his magnadoodle toilet drawing. Wow. Now, that's art.

It's Not a Black Eye. It's a Beauty Mark.

She plays hard. She plays rough. She gets dirty. She falls down -- just another day in the life of our sweet little Annabelle. Last weekend, she fell face first into a coffee table and her cheek instantly turned purple. "Well, she may have a bruised cheek, but at least she doesn't have a black eye," I thought. So much for that. By Tuesday morning, the bruise on the side of her face had crept up to her eye, giving her a splendid shiner. She didn't mind. Actually, given her personality, she was probably quite proud. Her first black eye. For some reason, I'm thinking this won't be the last. I think from here on out, I'll just refer to them as Annabelle's beauty marks. It's been a week now and we've watched the bruise under her eye slowly fade from black to purple to gray to yellow. Another couple days and this little beauty mark should be gone.

This picture was taken Monday morning, before her eye got bad. It was just starting to turn purple. I should have taken a picture of her Tuesday morning, but didn't think of it.

Her hair is finally long enough for pigtails and this makes me very happy. They are just so cute! So what if they look like little plants sprouting from the sides of her head. I think they are adorable! Besides, they draw attention away from her black eye. :)

Did you catch the concert going on in the background? Jacob was giving a piano concert while Annabelle played. He had been on the piano for quite a while before he finally ended with, "Thank you. Goodnight!"

I had nursery duty last Tuesday morning during Jacob's Classical Conversations class. Jacob did just fine without me being in the classroom with him. I understand his presentation went very well. The topic was "a favorite joke." I asked Jacob what joke he wanted to tell for his presentation. This is what he chose:

Knock knock. Who's there? Cargo. Cargo who? Car go BEEP BEEP!!

He said none of the kids laughed, but all the mommies did. Well, at least someone got it. :)

Now, back to my original story....nursery duty. There were 13 children in the nursery, ranging from 16 months to three years old. Whoa. Talk about exhausting. For three hours, all I did was wipe runny noses, change dirty diapers and try to keep my own child from playing in the toilet. No, I wasn't the sole caretaker. The girl who usually stays in the nursery was out that day, so one of the dads helped out. Thank goodness. I don't think I could have handled 13 kids on my own.

One of the little girls in the nursery is about the same age as Annabelle. In fact, I think they are only a couple weeks apart. Yet, they couldn't be more different. There was Annabelle (with the lovely beauty mark around her eye) splashing her hands around in the toilet and clogging it up with paper towels, while the other little girl sat quietly on the floor playing with a toy...the ENTIRE time. Later that afternoon, I told Heath about this to which he responded, "Hmmm...so it's NOT just her age. It IS possible to have calm, quiet children." Yes, I guess it is possible. Obviously, God had other plans for us. Hey, our children may be crazy (I mean that in a good way, of course), but they are so much fun and there is definitely NEVER a dull moment around our house. :)

Heath took the kids to the playground Saturday afternoon and when they walked in the house, Annabelle was a mess. Her hands were black and she had dirt all over her face. "Do you know why we came back?" Heath said, sounding a little exasperated. "Annabelle kept eating dirt. She was EATING dirt!" That's our Annabelle!

I can feel it. Fall is coming. We went outside to play this morning and I was pleasantly surprised. It was one of those perfect mornings when you'd like to stay outside forever -- lots of sunshine, deep blue skies with white puffy clouds, a comfortably warm temperature, a gentle breeze. Perfection.

One of Jacob's favorite books is Little Cloud by Eric Carle. Every time we go to the library, he asks for this book. Every. Time. He loves it. It is about a little cloud who changes his appearance in the sky to look like a rabbit, shark, trees, etc... This morning, the three of us (Jacob, Annabelle, and I) laid in the grass and looked up at the clouds. Jacob immediately said, "Hey! I see little cloud!" Then he proceeded to tell me what he thought the clouds looked like and this developed into a story about a flying dog and a mean guy chasing after the dog and later ended up with the three of us pretending to be pirates, sailing the high seas on a pirate ship. He even gave us each a new pirate name because "pirates do not have regular names." He has such a great imagination.

While Jacob continued his story (he was up and running around at this point), Annabelle laid beside me in the grass, gazing up into the sky with the funniest look on her face. I think she thought this was a silly idea. Before she joined me on the ground, she gave me one of those, "What in the world are you doing?" looks. The whole time she laid there, her expression never changed. It was the same look she gave me yesterday when she heard opera music.

During his Classical Conversations classes, Jacob's teacher plays classical music while the children work on drawing or whatever the art project is for the day. I do this at home, too. Yesterday, Jacob finished his project and we went into the kitchen for lunch. The music continued to play while we ate. Jacob ate and listened, calling out the different instruments as he heard them. Annabelle was much too focused on devouring her string cheese to be interested in the music...until....an opera song began to play.

The song was Flower Duet by Leo Delibes. The look on Annabelle's face was so funny, I was, very literally, doubled over with laughter. I had never seen her look more confused. She had never made that face before. As I laughed, Jacob said, "What kind of instrument is THAT?" I laughed even harder. My children obviously haven't had much exposure to the opera. Even now, when I think of Annabelle's face, I can't stop laughing. It was one of the funniest things she has done to date. I so wish I'd have had my camera in hand and ready to go at that moment. If only YOU could have seen her face!!

A couple weeks ago, my sister, JoBeth, visited us for a few days. It turned out to be a very busy week with school and church events, but somehow, we managed to carve out a little free time in our hectic schedule. We even went to the beach one morning. I must say, it was a very fun four days and we were all sad when JoBeth had to get back on the plane to head home. As JoBeth made her way through security, Jacob, Annabelle and I watched a couple airplanes take off from the runway. Jacob looked up at me and said, "Is Aunt JoBeth gonna BLAST off?????"

Here are a few pictures from JoBeth's visit. (Thank you, JoBeth, for remembering your camera when I didn't!!)

JoBeth stayed home with Annabelle while Jacob and I were at Classical Conversations. By the looks of these pictures, I'd say they had a fun morning. :)
Can't you just imagine what is being said in this pretend phone conversation? I think Annabelle is saying, "You've GOT to be kidding me...."
Mommy bought me a backpack. Can I go to shcool too?

It was a beautiful morning down by the river.....