More Halloween Happenings

Another week has flown by in a hurry. I worked some call this week, so I had a couple days off in the middle of the week. One day, I spent with Emma and we had an Emma and Mommy day, and it was really fun.

We started our day off with a trip to the dentist. That went pretty well, Emma did very well, and they said her teeth looked very good and there were no problems to report. So, that was good news. After the dentist, we headed to Hy-Vee for some breakfast. Emma had a chocolate donut with some chocolate milk, and I had some coffee and a muffin. It was wonderful.

We decided to get haircuts after that, and Emma got a cute little bob and looks adorable. After haircuts we made a trip to the library and picked out some new books and movies. Next was lunch. Emma and I had a lunch date at Noodles and Company, which was delicious. Last, but not least, we headed to Walmart for a few essentials. Emma loved spending the day just the two of us, but was pretty beat after all the stops around town and she took a good nap.

After naps, we went and picked Elliott up from daycare, and then spent the evening playing outside and enjoying the beautiful fall weather. It was a great day with Emma, and I loved spending some quality time with her.

I also had Thursday off, so I kept both kids home with me on Thursday, and we had a beautiful fall day to enjoy together. We spent some time playing outside, and jumping in the leaves again. We also went to the zoo, and enjoyed running around there for a while seeing all the animals. They also had all their decorations up for Zoo Boo, so we got to see all the Zoo Boo decorations without all the crowds, it was awesome. To top it off, it was sunny, about 68 degrees, and just a perfect fall day.

We also spent the evening carving some pumpkins. John and I each carved two pumpkins and then Emma decorated and colored one pumpkin. Emma really enjoyed the pumpkins.

Friday evening, we invited Grandma Barb and Grandpa Jim to come with us to Zoo Boo. It was another gorgeous evening, so there were a lot of people at Zoo Boo. We had to stand in line for quite a while, but it was a fun evening. Emma really enjoyed it, and had been talking about Zoo Boo for about 2 weeks before we went to it. So, she was very excited, and she enjoyed all the candy and treats she got while she was there as well. Since it was so nice, and apparently we hadn't had enough sugar yet, we went out for ice cream after Zoo Boo. We had some hyper kids after that.

I worked all weekend, so John spent some quality time with the kids and it sounds like they had a nice weekend. Right now, the kids are at daycare since they are having Halloween Parties today, which Emma was super excited about. After that, we are going to John's office to do some Trick or Treating, and then of course coming home and Trick or Treating in our neighborhood. It should be a very fun evening :)

Dentist Visit 

Donuts!

More Leaves!!

Enjoying a day at the zoo

Zoo Boo Selfie 

Carousel Ride at Zoo Boo

Minions 

Halloween Festivities

We are in full Halloween spirit over here. The costumes and pumpkins are bought, the decorations are up, and we are eagerly awaiting Zoo Boo and of course Trick or Treating. In the meantime, we have found some pre-Halloween activities to keep us busy.

The other evening, Emma and I made some Halloween cupcakes. She was so excited, and proud to help me make them. I pretty much let her help with pretty much every possible thing she could, and she just ate it all up. She loved helping make them, and they tasted delicious when we were done.

John was gone in West River for a work retreat on Thursday and Friday, so I stayed pretty busy between working and taking care of the kids. The week flew by pretty quickly, but it was uneventful and everything went very well.

This past weekend was very busy, but a lot of fun. On Saturday, Emma and I got her dressed in her Bat Girl costume, and we hit up Hy-Vee for some trick or treating, pumpkin decorating, and cookie decorating. Emma had a blast, and probably ate too much candy. Since it was about 70 degrees out, and absolutely beautiful outside, we went to a park afterwards and played for a while.

In the late afternoon, we headed to Good Reform Church for some Trunk or Treating. We met up with Johnny and Kristina and their kids, and Marie and Abby. There were a lot of people there, but the kids had a great time. They made a pretty good haul Trunk or treating, and then there were kids games and prizes inside the church. Emma was so excited to hang out with Abby and Anna, and Elliott just went with the flow. He doesn't mind the trick or treating stuff, but he doesn't actually love it either. Once we had enough of the crowds, we went to TC Referee's for some supper, and then called it a night.

Today was a little more low-key. We went to church, watched the Vikings sucks terribly, and then just stayed at home and played with the kids. It was another beautiful fall day, and we raked up some leaves and the kids enjoyed jumping around and playing in them.

Now the kids are asleep, John's at church paying bills, and I am enjoying a show while I blog. A nice ending to a wonderful weekend. So not looking forward to starting another week though!

Emma and I love Fall

Baking cupcakes 

So proud of her cupcakes 

Bat Girl

Decorating Pumpkins 

Fun at the park

Failing at the group shot

Fun at the Trunk or Treating 

Bat Girls 

Leaves!!!

Fall Fun!

Well, just like every other month, this one is flying by. It's already the middle of October! That is just plain crazy. I am totally loving this fall by the way. The weather has been wonderful, the leaves are turning beautiful colors and haven't quite fallen off the trees yet, and we have just been staying really busy and having a really fun fall.

I played on a Fall Ball Softball League for the last 6 weeks. It was really fun to have a night to just hang out with other adults and play some softball. Some of our games got pretty chilly, but for the most part we had some beautiful evenings to play ball. We did pretty well on the season. We played about .500 ball, and then we won the tournament for the lower bracket division. I even hit a home run that game, which was awesome. I don't think I have ever hit a home run in my entire softball career, so that was really fun!

John went to California last week for a conference at Facebook headquarters, so the kids spent a couple nights out on the farm. I missed them, but they had such a fun time, I don't think they missed me at all. I also had some crazy call evenings last week, so I was very happy to see the work week end.

This past weekend kept us hopping again. I had Friday off, so I packed up the kids and we headed to Minnesota to visit my parents while they were harvesting. Emma and Elliott both got to ride on the combine, and they loved it. I also made a couple rounds with my dad in the combine, and he even let me drive it! That was a first for me, and it was kind of fun!

It was a short visit to my parent's house. We spent one night there, and then played on the farm and went for more tractor rides on Saturday, but by Saturday afternoon I was on the road again to head back to Sioux Falls. We had church meetings and a baby shower to be back in town for on Sunday, so we just spent one night. The kids sure had a good time though, and my parents loved it too.

Sunday, we spent the day playing and enjoying the wonderful weather. Then, Emma and I helped to host a baby shower at the church for our neighbor Lizz. Emma loves going to that kind of stuff with me, and it ended up being a really nice shower.

Today has been a great day. I have the day off today, and I was lucky enough to spend it at home with the kids. We spent the early morning hours just being lazy and watching cartoons and munching on some breakfast, and of course playing with toys. Once it warmed up a little, we headed to Sertoma Park (after mommy got some coffee) and played at the park. Today is like an absolute perfect fall day. It's sunny, not windy, and about 65 degrees out.

We played at the park for a good 2 hours, and then we headed to the Outdoor Campus and walked on the Nature Trail and played inside with all the games they have in there. The kids were in heaven, they were having so much fun. We rounded it off with some Happy meals at McDonalds, and now they are both resting peacefully. They were really worn out after all the running and playing in the fresh air.

This coming weekend I have some fun Halloween things planned for the kids. Hy-Vee is having a Halloween day on Saturday where you can trick or treat, decorate cookies, and other fun things, and then we are also going to Trunk or Treat at one of the churches here in town. The kids are going to love it. And, if it's nice enough out I am considering taking them out to see Judy's horses, and cats, and her new puppy.

Have I mentioned I love this time of year?!

Fall Ball League Champs (Lower Bracket)

Emma being goofy

Mr. Eli

We love fall!!!

Being goofy 

Loved the combine rides

Helping Grandpa Jack Harvest

Hiking in Newton Hills and a Princess Ball

This past weekend was beautiful, and we made the most out of it. On Saturday, we decided to head out to the Riverview Christmas Tree Farm and check out their Pumpkin Festival. We had never been out there before, and it was a beautiful farm out by Newton Hills.

The kids had a really good time out there. They had free inflatables, pumpkin painting, bean bags, and food. The kids loved jumping in the bouncy houses, and then we just enjoyed eating some lunch and enjoying the scenery.

After the kids were tired of the Pumpkin Festival, we decided to go check out Newton Hills state park since we were so close. We let the kids play on the playground for a while, and then we did some hiking on the trails. Emma and Elliott thought it was great, and they really had a fun time being out in nature and just enjoying themselves.

Once everyone was tired, we headed back for the home. Needless to say, both kids fell asleep on the way home. After a couple naps, John's parents showed up to our house and offered to watch the kids. John and I didn't argue, and we headed out for supper at Ode's, and then we had some wine at Prairie Berry. It was a much-needed evening out, and we really enjoyed a night out downtown by ourselves.

A fall outing at the zoo

Posing at the Zoo

Dress up day at daycare 

Dr. Emma

Pumpkin Festivals

My boys. 

Hiking the trails 

Sunday was another gorgeous fall day, and we were kept busy all day.  We started off with church and bible study, and then Emma and I headed downtown to go to the Princess Ball. 

Emma was really hesitant to even go to the Princess Ball. She wouldn't let me put her in a princess dress, and she did not want to talk to any of them, she just wanted to watch them. She was very shy when we first got there, I think she was awestruck by all the Disney Princesses. Of course, she eventually warmed up to them and met them all. Her favorite Princess of the day was Ariel, and she danced with and talked to her quite a bit. 

It was a cute little ball. They had crafts the kids could do. They also had a makeup station and a fingernail polish station. Emma just ate it up, she loved it. They also had story time, and then of course had plenty of songs and dancing. Emma talked to every single princess, and she was just adorable to watch the entire afternoon. She really enjoyed the experience. Also, her friend Hannah from church was there, so she loved hanging out with her. 

After the Princess Ball, we met up with Abby and Hannah, and ate lunch and McDonald's. I also drug Emma along to tour the new Avera Free Standing ER Department. It is a beautiful new building, and it was fun to snoop around at. 

Once we got home at around 2:30pm, Emma put herself down for a nap because she was so tired. Elliott and I played and watched the Vikings game. After everyone was rested, we spent the evening relaxing, and packing up bags for the kids and John. 

John is in California right now on a work trip, and the kids are at Grandma Barb and Grandpa Jim's house for the night. It sure is weird to have the house to myself! My work schedule is just kind of crazy for the next couple days, so the kids are staying out at the farm. I miss them like crazy, but it's nice to have some time to just relax and chill. 

Prepare yourself for some adorable Princess Ball photos :)

Enjoying some Happy meals after Princessing so hard