Happy Halloween!!

Hanna and Haley want to wish everyone a safe and hauntingly good Halloween weekend!!!

Hoping you get more treats than tricks!

We're Off to See the Wizard......

Delaney's 4th Birthday Party

On Saturday evening we went to our friend Delaney's Wizard of Oz costume party and it was all kinds of fun!!!  Of course, Delaney was decked out as Dorothy from head to toe and little sis was the lion.  Erin and Brian dressed up as the Tin Man and the Scarecrow and even Erin's Mom and Dad got in on the fun as the Wicked Witch and the Wizard.  

Hanna couldn't wait to show off her elephant costume and even Haley liked hers.  She keeps saying, "Ooo-oo-aah-aah" every time she sees a picture of herself dressed up as a monkey.

Erin and I have become a little obsessed with making birthday banners.  She has made some SUPER cute ones!  I wanted to make one for Delaney's party.  It was so much fun!

Lots of fun treats and decorations!!

My fab friend Erin the Scarecrow!!

Delaney and her friends eyeing some goodies.

The whole Wizard of Oz gang.  They looked fantastic!  I think Erin's Mom had more fun than most of the kiddos!

The birthday girl!!

Picking out punkies

Haley loves pumpkins and whenever she sees some she yells, "Punkies!"  So, I knew she would have a great time getting to pick some out.

I think she found her favorite!

Hanna's perfect pumpkin she picked out.  She was very excited to take it to school to show everyone.

It wouldn't be a normal day if Haley didn't try to taste test the gourds. 

Quick trip to TN

When Jason and I got back from Oregon he had to do some traveling so I thought the girls and I should hop in the car with Mimi and ride back to TN for a short visit.  It was so nice to relax and have a little break from school and all the everyday activities that keep us hopping!  We got to go the Allardt Pumpkin festival, just a short 20 min drive from my parent's house.  People come from all over to bring their prized pumpkins and gourds.  Hanna was very excited to have a pumpkin painted on her face.  Haley opted out of the face-painting.  They had crafts and all kinds of yummy treats.  As soon as Hanna spotted the big bags of kettle corn displayed that was all she wanted.  We grabbed some popcorn, barbeque and drinks and found a place to sit and watch the parade.  Hanna and Haley were simply amazed at the gross amounts of candy that was thrown our way.  We left with a huge bag of candy and got to see the biggest pumpkin.

I let Hanna pick out a pumpkin and she drew a face on it when we got home.  I tried to stay true to her drawing while carving it out.  She wanted a happy face but he ended up looking a little scary.  She was so excited to light him up and set him on the front porch.  We went in and colored in Halloween coloring books and had dinner and made caramel apples.  What a great way to kick off fall! 

We planned on taking the girls camping while in TN but the weather didn't really cooperate and we didn't end up having time to do all that.  Instead, my Dad hooked up a trailer to the 4-wheeler and pulled us out into the woods to roast hot dogs and marshmallows.  Hanna was beside herself and as giddy as I've ever seen her.  It was so much fun to see her enjoying herself so much.  I don't know why but she calls the 4-wheeler a roller coaster and loves to go for "roller coaster" rides with Papa.  Dad found a great spot and we unloaded and got the fire going, only to have a down pour drench our fire!  Luckily he brought a big tarp that we huddled under to wait for the rain to pass which it finally did.  Hanna kept saying, "This is the best camp fire ever!" And as far as she knew, we "camped out."

We were flying out of Nashville on that Sunday so we packed up and drove to my brother's house the day before since he lives close to the airport.  He bought his fiance Hillary a new puppy and boy is she ever cute.  H & H had so much fun playing with her.  Her name is Amber and ever since we've gotten back from TN Haley goes around saying, "Where's Amber?"  And then she'll follow with, "Amber bite."  Being a puppy she likes to nip at you.  

Thank you Mom and Dad for everything!  We had lots of fun and miss you!

Cannon Beach, Oregon

My Mom drove out here for a short visit to watch the girls while we met up with Bart & Raven at his mother's beach house in Oregon.  It was an amazing trip with tons of great food and wines.  I had never been to Oregon but it was just as I imagined.  It was a really cool & eclectic beach town with lots of fun shops and eateries.  Jinx was a great hostess and spoiled us with her never-ending  generosity! 

We went to the EVOO cooking school in town and was educated and fed; each course better than the last!  We also drove into the Willamette Valley to check out a few wineries.  We tried some Pinot Noir which I believe is now my favorite red wine, very smooth.  We had lunch, visited another winery and drove into Portland for the evening. 

We got out and went to a local dive for a delicious breakfast and did some hiking on our last day there.  The views from Mt. Neahkahnie were absolutely breath-taking!  We came back to the beach house and cleaned up a bit and settled in for some wine and pizza that we baked in Jinx's outdoor wood pizza oven.  Deee-lish!  The guys graciously built a bon-fire for us on the beach, so after dinner we relaxed by firelight and listened to the ocean while eating s'mores.  Does it get any better than that?!?