28 October 2009

a sad day for pumpkins

this morning i let samson out front to go potty and noticed that two round, orange vegetables were missing from our porch. after a brief moment of confusion, wondering where damian moved them to, i realized their fate. they were smashed in the road along with many other neighborhood pumpkins. i tried to keep the kids from noticing thinking that maybe they just wouldn't ever notice. but that didn't last long since maddie always comes out to say hi and talk to her "friends" when i let the dog out. she noticed right away and cried, followed by noel who quietly said, "awww." it was a sad day for our pumpkins.

22 October 2009

Happy 4th Birthday, Madeline!

yesterday was maddie's 4th birthday. she woke us up at 6:30 am, very excited that it was her special day. so here she is, bright and early, opening her gifts:here's princess ariel maddie:

we took her to kids club where she and damian played like crazy on their indoor jungle gym until they were sweaty and exhausted (she was the sweaty one, dame was the exhausted one). then we took her to cold stone for a birthday ice cream.
she really did have a fun day, despite the scowl on her face.
happy birthday, madeline!

12 October 2009

maddie's new friend

yesterday maddie got to ride rocky*, a very gentle pony that friends of ours have on their ranch. it was such a treat to take the kids for a visit. they love farm animals and now maddie loves rocky. *maddie is telling me that the pony's name is rocket, not rocky. when dame gets home i'll have double check and then adjust this post accordingly. :)

pumpkin patch

saturday we took the kids to the pumpkin patch! it was a beautiful day to do it. the sun was out, the ground was dry, perhaps a little too dry --we all got a bit of a "tan" from dirt getting airborne during the hay ride. but better dirt than mud, i suppose. anyway, we tackled the corn maze first. maddie was our navigator. after getting us good and lost, she decided she didn't want to do the maze anymore. that was fun. ;) here we are at the beginning of our adventure:
after the maze we got a couple hot drinks and said hi to the animals. petting livestock and handling food is always the best combination.
this was a very sweet donkey.
next stop, the hay ride. although facial expressions may suggest otherwise, the kids really loved it. dame's expression is accurate though.

i'm just now realizing that i didn't get a picture of us with our pumpkins. i guess you'll have to stay tuned for that. ha.

06 October 2009

barber shop dad

noel got a buzz cut from damian tonight. as you see, he's a bit nervous. i wonder if that's because we just read the story about samson in the bible... ah, that wasn't so bad. see his hair! :)

BBQ 101

"alright kids, now are you watching? first let's get the briquettes in here properly..."

"next, we soak 'em up with lighter fluid..."

"there ya' go, maddie. you can never put on too much..."

"okay, noel, you got the matches? good!"

"okay, now, stand back --this is how you strike a match. see the flame?"

"good job! beginner's bbq is over. next time you kids can do it on your own!"