Happy (late) Halloween

Rather than dwell on election results - and we've all had enough of that, haven't we - I thought I'd play a little catch up again. Much less likely to provoke angry debates and much, much cuter!

Our "celebration" started the Sunday before Halloween with a pumpkin carving party at our friend Katie's house. (Yes, this is the same Katie that took Mallory's pictures in the park.) It was actually supposed to be a "work" party for the employees at the pharmacy I used to work at, but since they apparently still love me, we were invited. Well, it actually helps that my mother-in-law still works there....

Anyway, Mallory wasn't terribly gung-ho on digging out pumpkin guts, but she did help a little. She also told me that our pumpkin had to be happy, not crabby.

Halloween night itself was lots of fun. Both Grandma and Billie had to work late, so Mallory and I picked Tera up from daycare and the three of us went in search of tricks and treats. The little (and I mean that "little") mall in town held a trick-or-treat event for the kids in the late afternoon, so we hit that first. Mallory in full kangaroo regalia (black nose courtesy of Jojo) and Tera as a sheep.

We then headed out to visit Paula at work and grab a bite of real food for supper. Well, if pizza counts as "real" supper. Can you guess what Paula was dressed up as?

As luck would have it, Jojo was working too, so Mallory needed another picture.

After our "real" supper, we headed out and made a round around the new section of town. It was absolutely gorgeous outside and perfect weather for trick-or-treating. By the time we made our loop, it was getting dark (thank you daylight savings time!), so we headed to Grandma's house to show off the costumes and drop off Tera.

We also made a quick trip to great-grandma's house. Angie and Damien, Billie and Tera, and Mallory and I converged on her home. Unfortunately, she had already run out of treats, so we were given apples instead. Or, maybe that was a good thing -they were really yummy!

Finally, we made it home and Mallory crashed. I can't say I blame her, it was almost two hours past her bedtime and even I was tuckered out.

Oh, and Paula was construction Barbie.

Another Saturday

I actually still have a few pictures from last Saturday to share. My friend Katie hosts a hayride at her parents' farm each fall and this was the first year that it worked for us to join in the fun. Just a little tease, though - I'll show you those pictures another day. I figured I'd try to stay on track and actually post todays pictures...today. Shocker, huh?


I've been pretty good about getting Mallory's pictures taken for each of the big "milestone" months. You know at 3, 6, 9, 12, 18....well the two year pictures didn't turn out so well. They never happened at all. We got to the portrait studio (okay, Wal-mart) and she would have absolutely nothing to do with sitting on their little table thing OR looking at the camera. We ended up leaving with no pictures even taken! Enter other friend Katie. She took Mallory's first two sets of pictures at her home for us, which had turned out quite nice. Her family was going camping at a nearby state park this weekend and she invited us to join them this morning and offered to try to get some pictures of Mallory that I could call her two year shots.


Mallory still wasn't terribly cooperative, but since Katie's 3 year old son, Gus, was there to play with, it went a little better. I don't have her shots to share yet (she has a much nicer camera than I), but I thought you might enjoy my quick point and shoot pictures anyway.






We were at Camden State Park for these pictures - I've actually never been there, even though it's less than 15 miles from our house. It's really pretty with a neat little river/stream that runs through the park. Here's my try at scenery.

After we were done with pictures, Mallory and Gus had some Froot Loops for breakfast/lunch (it was about 11am - Gus hadn't eaten breakfast yet, Mallory had eaten about three times already). Mallory was pretty tuckered out, and this is what I saw in the backseat.

After a nice (long) nap, we headed out to take lunch to Daddy and Grandpa in the field. They were just fininshing combining a field of soybeans and were able to take a break for a late meal. Mallory had eaten her lunch on the road, so was able to keep Daddy's seat warm.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. We did make yet another batch of cookies - cereal crunch this time, mmmmm. After Mallory was in bed, I worked on something that I was hoping would be Tera's birthday present for tomorrow. However, the instructions made it look much easier than it was, so I had to scrap that idea. I did have a bit of a back-up, but we'll be making a gift-buying stop tomorrow after church. Big birthday party at Grandma and Grandpa's house tomorrow - Tera will be four - so hopefully Mallory will be nice and rested.

How we spent our Saturday

I've created a monster. A cookie monster. Mallory and I have made more cookies in the last couple weeks than I have for quite some time before this. It started out as a way to keep Matt quiet - apparently I don't keep enough cookies in the house - but has now transformed into a wonderful distraction.

We even used sprinkles! Messy, but probably not nearly as messy as frosting would have been!

Finally, some more pictures

It's about time, isn't it?

Mallory and (cousin) Tera riding the ladybug at the county fair. There were exactly two rides appropriate for these guys...the other was the big slide.

Tessa, Joshua and Mallory lazing on the couch waiting for the birthday festivities to begin.
Can you believe she's two? Please don't mind the stained t-shirt - there were popsicles involved. Makes me happy that I didn't make her a special birthday outfit!
We had a nice little picnic to celebrate. Sure beats last year when it rained and we were all stuck inside!

Getting a little Miriam fix.

I think I shared this picture before...but it's so cute you get to see it again!

The nice sunny weather we had today reminded me of the weekend we spent at the lake (that I never showed pictures of). Here's Mallory and I going for a boat ride.
My dad bought this awesome two seater monstrosity to pull behind his boat. It's nearly impossible to tip (although he has tried)...and so far no one has fallen out. The only casualty so far has been my prescription sunglasses which currently reside at the bottom of the lake. Anyway, Mallory and Joshua wanted a turn, too.

Okey-dokey, that about catches me up with the pictures that I have from the summer. I really need to get my camera out some more....

New "family" members

I know it irritates my mom to no end when pets are referred to as family -such as "I'm Fido's mom"- hence the quotation marks. But, I wasn't quite sure how else to introduce these two, so that'll have to do. Sorry mom.

This is trouble...I mean Tucker. He's a little Heinz 57 - although looks mostly lab-ish. I can't decide if there's some German Shorthair Pointer in there somewhere or not. His developing (bad) habit of standing just out of reach when I want him to go in his kennel is making me think yes. He was found living with his sister at a farmsite and was being fed there, but after his sister disappeared, the people feeding him decided he needed to find a real home. One of the girls that works part time at the vet clinic also does rescue, so she took him, brought him to the clinic and he had to come home with me. I'm hoping to get Mallory more comfortable around dogs - she's a little bit nervous when they get right up to her - but this little tigger sure isn't doing much to help. He seems to realize she is about his size and wants to play whenever she walks around the yard.

This is Mallory's favorite new addition, OJ (as in juice, not Simpson). He has a similar story to Tucker, except my enabler was one of the pharmacists I used to work with at Hy-Vee. He and another cat were being fed by her neighbor, but OJ was so tame he was hanging out in their yards, even though their house cats were not in the least impressed. He is a really nice cat, and now that his boy parts have been removed, I'm hoping he'll stick around. The other cats are slowly getting used to him (not that I care - they're all fairly wild barn cats anyway) but OJ and Tucker actually get along quite well. I think OJ is a little dumb - he doesn't seem to realize that he's supposed to be scared of a dog. And for Tucker's part, cats are only fun to chase when they run. (I'm half hoping he'll continue chasing the stupid black cats that just eat my food but won't let us pet them, how bad am I?)

I'm sensing a new blog theme

It's: "Let's see how far behind I can get before I show you all some new pictures." So far I'm doing well, no?

Anyway, since it's too late to start any new projects I figured I'd better get my rear in gear uploading pictures before the grandmas stage a revolt. And they know where I live.....

First, I want to show you the pretty "aye, bees" (letters) that are up on Mallory's wall thanks to Tessa. I was a bit concerned about the colors, but they ended up matching the cow border on her walls perfectly. Yay.

Next up, my happy little rag-a-maid. Do excuse the yellow water - no it's not "used", it's just that our well water is a bit rusty. I wonder if she'll continue to like housework this much as she gets older. Lord knows that gene didn't come from me! (No snide comments, please.)

Blowing bubbles with Grandpa.
My grandpa passed away and his funeral was held the week before the 4th of July holiday. Since the funeral was in my hometown, my parents hosted the extended family for the afternoon. By the end, Mallory and Joshua were in charge of snacks and beverages....

They were in serious need of a good soaking by the time the evening was done. Whatcha think of Mallory's unibrow - fashionable, eh?
And finally - the dynamic duo in their pink shades. Yep, Joshua's are pink. With rhinestones. Hmmm.....okay, they're really Mallory's. But you figured that out, didn't you?

I have a bunch more pictures from the 4th of July weekend that we spent at the lake. Those will have to be for another post, though as I'm not going to press my luck trying to load too many pictures. I promise I won't procrastinate quite so long next time, deal?

I'm trying....

I'm working really hard on a new post with pictures, but blogger isn't cooperating. I can't get my pictures to upload right now....stay tuned!