Halloween Night

We started our night off with a fun chili dinner at our good friend's the Bensons home. We then set out for Trick or Treating!

Happy Halloween 2009!

Soooo much candy...

GI Joe's Snake Eyes Black Ninja and of course, a Princess. Sleeping Beauty.

Halloween Football

For Austin's football game on Halloween, the boys painted their faces 'scary'. So cool.

Don't know if you can tell here, but Austin is growling at the opposing team.

I don't want this little ghoul chasing me!

Room Mom

Sweet little Halloween cookers.

Pop and Grandma sent Halloween shirts to the kiddos. They lived in them for a week! Thanks guys!

Austin's church leader of his Valiant 7 class-Brother Mardo delivered Halloween goodies in person to each of his class. Austin was so happy his teacher came. What a great example to these young boys. Austin especially liked the gummy bloody finger!

At Austin's Mountain View Elementary cafeteria.

This week I had the chance to go to Austin's school to hand out Halloween/fall goodies. Goody bags (kids love those things!) and brownie's laden in Halloween frosting and sprinkles/candy corn. The kids were bouncing off the cafeteria walls. Maybe I was too. I had a great time!

Preschool Harvest Hoedown!

We LOVE LOVE LOVE Haymarket Baptist Church Preschool. The teachers, the curriculum, the events, and most of all the LOVE they've given our children.

Every fall, the 3's preschool has a Harvest Hoedown. Each time Ashley has an event, I jump at the chance to volunteer. So I had the great opportunity to help out this year with their Harvest Hoedown!

They always have a big tractor for the kids to ride on and of course, the big attraction...the HORSE RIDE!!

I was able to volunteer in the school doing the "rodeo games".

Ash loved the gunny sack races, cow and pig round-up, horse races, and lasso-ing the horses!

She loved the horse ride.

I am so thankful that I can volunteer and be a part of every second of my children's lives!!!

Stribling Orchard

VA in the fall is one of most most favorite times of the Year!

"For the Beauty of the Earth" is a church hymn that comes to mind when I think of this time of year. Being the RS music chorister, I did a musical moment about this song last sunday. I am so thankful for the beautiful place we live and all that it has to offer.

We took Jonny to Stribling Orchard and she was a great apple picker!

We love Aunt Jonny!

Cox's Farm

Is there any better Pumpkin Patch than Cox's Farm? We had a great time!!

Every year I get a picture of Ash in the dark Tunnel...the eyes go huge.

Aunt Jonny had a great time too!

Girls Shopping

One night while Jonny was here, she and I got to escape and we enjoyed shopping at Fair Oaks Mall. Probably a little too much fun.

This little babushka went shopping with us a couple of times too!

Aunt Jonny Here!

This past weekend, my sister-in-law Janvier (Jonny) came up to VA to visit us! She's so busy in Miami, working in the fashion industry, finishing her last classes to graduate from BYU and the most time consuming job of all--keeping my brother Grant happy. Anyways, she dropped her busy busy life in Miami to come up North and visit her sister and niece and nephew.

While she was here, we did local fun stuff around NoVa. She watched Ash's dance classes, went to Austin's football/Ash's soccer games. We even went to their elementary and prek for parties.

This evening in particular we went to Ash's Haymarket Baptist Preschool and I told Jonny I always win cakewalks and I love winning cakewalks. So the first time around, (I refrained from pushing little kids out of the way to step on the beloved winning square). But the first game around, Ashley won! A beautiful little homemade cake. Then, Austin won a few games later. Did I tell you I love winning cakewalks? And when your kids win something, it's better than if you win something yourself. But that night, it was Jonny and I that dug into the cake.

We took a quick juant into Home Goods where Ash fell in love with this big stuffed dog in which she wasn't going to part with. So this pic is by the check out (we didn't buy the dog) but it was a fight to get it away. Jonny bought us the most adorable Christmas ornaments here! We love them. Thanks Jonny cakes.

Jonny made pancakes for us (Ash helped with eggs a few mornings),

I had to take this picture---I don't know if you can tell in the card, but we were making Grandma Toler a Happy Birthday card (Oct 30) and Ashley signed her own name! It's not perfect, but she did it! Good job Ash.

Who is this burley man? We miss you honey!!! 43 more days!!!!!