Halloween at the Wooden Shoe

 Lillian and her best friends (most of the time!) Hannah and Mia.  Lillian opted to be an alligator...I'm so glad she wasn't Elsa like every third eight and under girl who came to our door this year!

 A monkey costume never suited a kid better than our Jak.  Look at that smile.

When Jak saw Lillian's class come into the gym - there was no stopping him from running to her.  

I think Grammie is loving the group cuddle too!

Fun with Grammie and Opa

Happy 65th Birthday Grammie!  Welcome to Retirement....oh wait you've been retired for 14 years!

Get Well Wishes

Aunt Kim wasn't feeling good this morning...Lillian dictated this note to Daddy and signed it herself.  What a sweetheart...

A Little Kelli Time...Best Friends for almost 30 years!

 Even though I saw Kelli last April when I flew back to Maryland with the kids. I didn't get nearly enough one on one time with her!  We sure made up for that this weekend.  It was so nice to have her to myself.  Mike made a special effort to give us as much kid free time as we could sneak in. 

 We exposed Kelli to all sorts of life in the suburbs with two little kids. She loved it, the kids loved it and I loved it.  But I bet she was really glad to get back to her nice, clean, quiet house!

 Alexa's 3rd Birthday Party

 Alexa's mommy gave out the best party favors.  We tested them all out on the ride home!

Hiking in the Boulder Canyon

 Rock Creek Farms Pumpkin Patch

 Neighborhood Potluck Party at the Abotes...Lillian and Jak tried the "Donut on a string" game. Hilarious...

 We invited a few friends - mostly family - to come see Kelli and watch the Sunday Night Bronco Game.  Then we invited a few more friends and a few more friends.  All the sudden we had a full on party!

What?  The pink tutu doesn't bother these boys.  They're tough enough to "rock it".

Thanks for coming to visit Kelli - it's been a while since I've had that much girl time!  I needed it!

Frozen Sweeps the Nation

 Lillian has been a little challenging to put to bed lately, to put it mildly.  So as I rushed through Kohls last weekend, the Mega "Frozen" attire section caught my eye.  I bought this dress for Lillian. 

She had to go to bed without calling mommy or daddy back up for a whole week to earn it.  To my surprise, it worked!  A whole week of peaceful easy bedtimes!  This morning, Mike hung it from the railing in the staircase so when we came down the stairs it was right in Lillian's face.  I don't think she's ever taken her pajamas off so quickly!

Mary Canary Pays us a Visit

 I think it's safe to say the kids really enjoyed Mary's visit!  Hard to tell who's having more fun here....

 Mary's living in North Dakota these days.  Lately it's been hard to keep track of where she's living - she's been quite transient in the last 2 years...Texas, North Dakota, Oklahoma and now back to North Dakota.  But I have to say this is the happiest I've seen Mary in years.  She's loving her job, her "farm" lifestyle and the slow, comforting small town pace.  Of course, her happiness might also have a lot to do with this guy....

Mary and Dan were in town for her sisters wedding and Mike, the kids and I were thrilled to be their first stop on their Colorado tour.  We tried hard to get them to come stay one more night after the wedding, but it just didn't work out.  Until next time....

Fall Family Photo Shoot