Sleepover

The girls had a sleepover with Jommy and Pops on Saturday night. They made fairy land picnics, walked by the creek (and saw deer drinking out of it!), collected beautiful leaves, did some early trick or treating with a neighbor, sang, created poems, and of course stood on their heads. 

Bubble Bath

 Norah had a cold and was feeling crummy on Saturday morning. There isn't much that a bubble bath can't help.

Buzzy Bash

We got an e-mail from Ellie's teacher that she was going to be honored at the school's "Buzzy Bash" for being a responsible student this year. What a surprise for us that  Norah was honored too! So proud of them! 

Dinner guest

Doesn't everyone come to dinner dressed like this? 

Yard signs

Ellie decided our yard needed MORE decor this year and added this. It might be my favorite decoration we have up right now! 

List

Someone got ahold of my grocery and Target list and added an item. 

The Andy Griffith Show

We showed the girls an Andy Griffith Show episode on Sunday night. I have such fond memories of watching this show growing up. I texted this picture to Jommy (since it's one of her favorite shows) and she knew exactly which episode it was just from this screenshot, which was hilarious. They enjoyed it! 

Whats Up

Oh, you're trying to read? Don't mind me, I'll just stare at you until you throw my toy. 

Outdoor Move Night

One of Mike's bucket list items in life was to have an outdoor Halloween Movie Night. He can check that off the list now! We had a huge crowd of about 25 kids (plus their parents) and watched Hotel Transylvania 2. There was popcorn and candy. It was so much fun that I forgot to get better pictures! 

Tree fort

We took a family walk to the dog park in our neighborhood and the girls found a pile of big sticks. They collected more themselves and made a fort. 

Finished!

My 100 postcards are all finished, stamped and ready to be mailed on October 25th! 

Good Life

Just living his best life on the girls' sleeping bag, which he thinks belongs to him. 

Tale (Tail?) of Two Cats

We were out to dinner for Mike's birthday and Ellie drew two cats: one hairless and one with fur. 

Tractor Rides

After Carter Mountain we went to visit Fafa and Magee. The girls got to drive the tractor up the driveway and back! They also enjoyed the hot tub (twice in a few hours), swinging on the rope swing, and chasing the chickens. 

Carter Mountain

We went to Carter Mountain with the Ratliffs. It was cold, foggy, and muddy but still fun to have a donut and find some apples to pick with friends! 

Date night

The girls stayed with Jommy and Pops on Saturday night and Mike and I went out in Charlottesville to celebrate his upcoming birthday. We ate delicious asian food and then bar hopped on the downtown mall. 

Big Girl

 This sweet girl sat next to me at Ellie's soccer game on Saturday and we had time to just chat. We talked about school, books and a game she likes playing on the ipad. She also said "Mommy, I really like being a big girl", and I couldn't agree more.

Fall Festival

We had fall festival at school tonight. The girls were beyond excited. They saw a lot of friends, got bloody bandages, jumped in the bounce house, went through the haunted house, had their hair spray painted blue, petted some animals, and played lots of games. Now we are all ready for some rest! 

Nerd Glasses

These glasses are with our dress up stuff. They suit her well! 

Observations

Meme brought a pair of binoculars for the girls to use. They also got notebooks and pens in the gift shop. We caught Norah having a quiet moment making observations and recording them in her notebook. 

Ponies and Horses

 They were so excited to ride the ponies while we were in the mountains. But since she was so tall, they surprised Norah with a full sized horse named Lily! Her face was priceless. Ellie's pony was named Dusty and he put up quite a fight when Mike tried to walk him around the ring a few times, which was funny. They can't wait to be tall enough to do an hour long trail ride one year (it might be a while).

Mountains

We stayed at Skyland in the Shenandoah Mountains this past weekend with MeMe and the Hyra family. The weather was amazing on Saturday, but it rained on Sunday. The girls enjoyed playing on the rocks, and we did a small nature trail. The views were incredible. 

Planner

I was signing Norah's school planner on Friday afternoon and realized she had written our plans for the weekend in there on her own. We were headed to the Mountains! 

Smoothies

Norah has been into making smoothies on her own. They have been delicious! Ellie decided to write her own "secret smoothie recipe" and hang it in the kitchen. The letters on the bottom were just for practice. 

Raining Tacos

On National Taco Day, Mike somehow found a cartoon video called "It's Raining Tacos". The girls watched it a million times a day for three days in a row and walked around singing the song over and over. 

Flapper Dapper

 This is a Flapper Dapper. The top part flaps back and forth when you shake it!

Mini Chef and a photo bomb

Ellie loves to help me in the kitchen. Last night we were making chicken pot pie casserole and she said "I'll be holding the butter while you take a picture." Then, Norah wanted to do a photo bomb.

Tea party

We had a playdate at the Ratliff's house and the girls set up an entire lodging and dining area. The "vase" with the flowers from the yard is a tennis ball can, and they even made a dishwasher (a cup with water to dip the things in!). The beds were towels. I think they could have lived here for a day if we let them! 

Fort building

Fort building occurs quite often these days. They threw this one together after school! 

Jump

"Now jump!"