Start of Halloween and Crafts!

Hello all, 

The other night was the start of Halloween for us, we went trick or treating up town to the businesses that hand out candy.  I think it is great that we have an opportunity to trick or treat more than once and use our costumes more too. On that thought, I will tell you what happened to me. I had a hard time figuring out what my kids were going to be for Halloween this year and I kept putting it off, so when I finally decided, I ordered them. Funny part is back in mind I was thinking that it was ridiculous that I was ordering them when I could just take the time and make them homemade! Well, like I said I went ahead and ordered them, and as time got closer I wasn't seeing them, I was very frustrated and worried because I wanted them to get use out of them more than once like I said. It was a day or so before this up town trick or treat night that I realized my daughter Alivia's was out of stock after I had already planned to have it for a week, they didn't let me know till a day before, grrrrrr! Brandt's wasn't here either and I thought maybe it will come the same day?! So after all of this craziness I thought I better come up with a plan B, so to Walmart we went to try to make homemade costumes. I was SO thrilled that I found supplies for homemade costumes, but after I came home and put them together, my Mom called me and told me Brandt's costume had arrived, ha my luck right?! My Mom wanted to buy Brandt's costume this year so I said sure, wasn't going to argue with that..lol. Since Brandt was really excited about his homemade costume, I decided to pass on his other costume and let him be the homemade one for the business one and then have him wear the one my Mom bought him to school and for Halloween night. Alivia still had no choice since she didn't have one, ha, but her homemade one was a cute idea:) 

So here is what we ended up with for the homemade one's.............

Smurf and Princess Fairy

This was the night before making sure the hat I made him fit:)

This was the COOLEST part to him.... his face gets to be all blue:)

My Princess

( I found the felt purse and felt wand at Walmart, along with the crown and just added jewels and her name on the crown, she LOVED it)

Since we are in the Halloween kick I decided to do a little fun craft at home with the kids.....

Painting plates to make them pumpkins.. I didn't have orange paint so we made green ones:)

So excited to be painting

The finished pumpkins:)

Brandt said his is SPOOKY(on the right) 

Alivia's is HAPPY(on the left)

I couldn't resist these glow in the dark jammies for Alivia, they didn't have any in Brandt's size which was disappointing!

She was SO proud of them.. ha ha!

Here is what else has been going on the past few days......

 I have been married to my sweet Husband for 7 years and we had the chance to go out on a date Saturday night to celebrate!

I think it is safe to say that I am a little spoiled by my Hubby.. gorgeous flowers.. he never fails to surprise me:)

 I have a hate/love relationship with these carts at the grocery store.. they are fun for the kids but make the process of getting groceries take FOREVER! Do you agree with me Mom's out there? It's obvious she LOVES it though:)

Brandt agrees that it is cool, now only if he could buy the groceries also, ha!

Aviators, in style, who doesn't want a pair? Who can beat my Walmart special one's, I bet you can't tell they aren't real?

(LOVE them) Especially since I didn't spend much on them at all

Stay tuned to find out the big REVEAL of what Brandt and Alivia and maybe ME are going to be for Halloween tomorrow night!


Till next time................

Pumpkin Patch

A few weeks ago we went to the pumpkin patch with my cousin and her kiddos, it was a lot of fun! I just love a pumpkin patch when Fall comes along, it is always fun, fun, fun!

Before we left

Goats

Brandt didn't know what to think of the goat staring at him.. ha ha!

Pretty bird 

Camel

Kids feeding the camel

Brandt feeding the goats

Alivia's turn(sort of) ha!

Me and my girl

Brandt was having a blast feeding the animals

Basketball court in the barn up top.. SO neat

Climbing the bales

Balls of fun

Outlook in the barn

Alivia riding the horsey

GiGi even had fun too:)

Too funny

Donkeys.. I want one some day:) I also want llamas.. yep, I want to be a funny farm!

Teeter totter

Tire swing

Alivia loved the kitty's

Here are the fun pumpkins we got at the patch..( I didn't get a picture of us picking them out) so here they are in front of my house with my mums!

We have made pumpkin patches a tradition now, we go every year and can't wait to go every time! Do you and your family go to pumpkin patches? What's your favorite thing to do in the Fall?

Till next time..............

First Egg!

I am SO excited to share with you that after months with my chickens, we FINALLY got our 1st egg! I couldn't believe my eyes when I went out to the chicken coop and their was a brown egg sitting there. I felt a sense of accomplishment, ha ha, very proud of the chickens I have raised, I really felt that way because I have never had farm animals and raised them on my own, so THIS chicken farmer was VERY proud! After my pride left I began to think how the world does an egg come out of a chicken? I know what you are thinking, some chicken farmer she is? He He! It really is amazing to me that even without Roosters that your chickens can produce eggs, I don't have any Roosters right now that I know of yet:) I did have two Roosters when I started with my bunch but we got rid of them. 
So when I found the egg I called Brandt outside and had him retrieve it for me, he was SO EXCITED! I am counting on the excitement for my kids to wear off, since this is going to be a daily chore of getting the eggs:) I thought getting chickens the kids could do their own chores and learn responsibility!

Here is the BEAUTIFUL EGG.......

Nice and brown(this will be my very 1st time of eating a brown egg, I always get the white ones at the store) I better get used to it huh?!

Brandt showing off the egg

That was our excitement since the past few days? What about all of you?!

Till next time......

I'M BACK!!

HELLO EVERYONE,

As you read my title I know what you are thinking, where have you been for the last 3 months? Well, VERY busy and I have been wanting to blog again, I really have, I just haven't taken the time to do so. Well, here I am committing myself to blogging again, not only is it FUN for me, it is a GREAT scrapbook for me to have since I don't do homemade scrapbooks at home(great for you if you are a busy Mom and still find the time to do so, that's wonderful, I might be a little jealous of you). Have I mentioned that I am SO busy?!(ha) For all you out there that ask what stay-at-home Mom's do all day, come be my shadow for the day, ha, then we will see what you really think(that wasn't meant to be a slam, just wanted to let you know that we keep plenty busy too)!

This blog is going to be a BIG one.. I am going to try to capture the last 3 months of what has been going on with my pictures, bare with me.. should be fun though:)

The Summer started off with Blast Ball!

Swimming lessons

Alivia hanging out at swimming lessons for Brandt

Princess cupcakes

Alivia's 2nd Birthday!

She got tattoos at the art show that day in Clear Lake

Brandt got a batman tattoo

She got a real life baby doll, she was SO excited!!!

Alivia loved her baby so much she slept with it(melts my heart)

The kids had a pool birthday party together since their birthdays are a week apart. Alivia turned 2 and Brandt 5!

The awesome cake they had

Isn't it the coolest?! WE ALL LOVED IT!

All of us

The kids and I

Decorations

Cute pool themed plates, pink table cloth for Alivia

Huge flip flop filled with candy

Yellow table cloth for Brandt

Daddy with the kids swimming

Fearless Alivia jumping in the pool, she did this ALL night:)

Mom and I

Hubby and I swimming

Brandt's official birthday, 5 years old!

Mama made him a football cake:)

He got a NEW bike

Pops(my Dad) felt bad for Alivia since she didn't have a bike so he bought her this bike a few days later after Brandt's birthday

We took Brandt miniature golfing on his birthday, he loved it

Pontoon ride

Semi for Brandt's birthday

A family friend of ours owns this amphicar(car that drives on land and can go in the water and run like a boat) it is so cool and so fun to ride in. It's fun to see every one's reactions when you start to drive the car into the water and ask them if they know where the interstate is? (ha ha)

New neighbor friend at the lake

Daddy made the kids a spaceship for the day

Alivia and Mommy

Making cookies with Grandma is always fun

My fashionista:)

Swimming at the lake

My boy:)

New hairstyles are always fun to do

Iowa State Fair, sharing apple slushy

Little farm at the State Fair

Cute little farmer

Haulin' his vegetables

Alivia's turn

Love moments like these(tear)

Lake girl

Bella relaxin'

Hugh Jackman came to our hometown to reopen our small town theater, how cool is that?! Look how close I was to him:)

Our town made a red carpet for him and everything

(my friend Melissa and I on the red carpet)

Her kids and our kids on the red carpet

Our theater lit up

Big lights for the event

Hugh signed my arm, I didn't think this through, I had nothing else for him to sign, clever I know:)

The coolest couple I know:)

In front of Hugh's poster for the movie

Back to preschool for Brandt

He said he wants to be a farmer and a train engineer:)

In front of his preschool(he loves school, I am so thankful)

On the Hawkeye train headed to a Iowa Hawkeye football game

GO HAWKS!

In the field helping with harvest, love the farm life:)

After we help in the fields Brandt and Alivia come home and turn our living room into a farm:)

Cousin's swinging together(Ellie and Alivia)

Alivia holding my cousin's new baby girl Colette.. she is so sweet,  Alivia looks like a natural, don't you think?

The kids and me

Brandt and I acting like Miley Cyrus, help us all!(ha ha)

Brandt being scary(goofy) with the masks at Target

And finally my little princess trying on a new dress and hat I got her the other day

That was a "BIG" post.. hope you enjoyed all the photos, I WILL be back!! Also a HUGE thank you to all of you that encouraged me to start up again:)

Till next time..........