The Pumpkin Patch (Part 1)

It's time again for our annual visit to the pumpkin patch! Hooray! This was our third year to visit Miss Heather's Pumpkin Patch near Hammond. To see pics from the last two trips, click here and here.  Cille started the day out with a few cuddles from Mrs. Emily...

...whose handsome young man was hanging out nearby...

Cille and Stella rocked their new pumpkin shirts from Lilly Pie Creations at the patch.  Thanks, Mrs. Katie!  You are the coolest neighbor ever! Don't they look great?

The elusive dream of all parents: taking a picture in which both children are sporting the perfect smile AND looking at the camera.  The search continues...

Cille said the pumpkin was THIS BIG!

Muscles McGee...

She got in a little weightlifting at the patch...

Cille was more interested in pushing pumpkins off the wagon than in looking at the camera...

The same thing happened on the other end of the wagon...

Stella's smile is lovely in these pics, however...

They are looking at the pumpkin Cille just launched...

My little milkmaid...

Daddy and Pebbles...no, wait, that's Cille...

The Guillory girls were there with their family and guess whose birthday it was?

Like the Arkansas hillbillies that she is descended from, Cille loves hogs...

Checking out the piggy's nose...

Mrs. Kelly helped Cille pet the bunny since Mommy is allergic to anything with fur...

I love Cille's little overbite.  It's so cute that I almost don't mind the orthodontic bills looming on the horizon.  Did I mention she gets it from me?  Mine was not so cute...

Cille is a favorite babydoll for all the big kids.  She frequently gets carried around by Emma, Sadie, Victoria, Ethan...pretty much whatever big kid is around at the time.  Good thing she doesn't mind...

In this picture Mr. John is teaching the kids how to provoke a turkey attack.  One day that man's gonna end up on When Animals Attack or at least draw back a nub...

The sweet 3 year old birthday girl!

Cille was eager to explore the pumpkin patch and didn't care if anyone wanted to accompany her or not...

Stella got her hand painted...

My little pumpkin...

Sadie and her daddy...

My big pumpkin...

Since it was Talia and Sarah's birthday, we had a little party at the patch complete with fun crafts.  Here are the girls decorating their pumpkins...

Stella chose a giant spider web to go on hers...

She also applied LOTS of glue...

Did I mention that our Mississippi friends the Oswalts met us at the patch?  It was our first time to meet Miss Avery Kate and she is such a sweetheart!

Tristyn and Cille were craft time buddies...

Sometimes when you're really concentrating you have to stick out your tongue...

Cille likes glue, too...

Isn't this a cute picture of the moms?  Emily was the only one who was actually ready for this pic, but they all look great...

T-bird was putting lots of thought into her artwork...

Cille loves to color.  The paint pen was making Mommy a little nervous, but I think we escaped without any stains...

Stella showed off her finished product for Mr. John and Mrs. Kelly...

She even helped Cille finish up...

Our friends the Courvilles were visiting the patch, too, and I interrupted their picnic to snap a family photo...(Yes, I am that friend.)

Stay tuned for more fun from the patch!

Biloxi Beach

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. -Romans 8:28, NIV

The night that Lacie's twins were born, we were barreling down a dark stretch of interstate toward LaPlace on our way home when we noticed several cars pulled over on both sides of the road.  Suddenly, out of nowhere, Damon glimpsed a large black object in his lane.  He had no time to react, but braced for impact and was able to hold the car steady as he hit whatever it was and blew out the front driver's side tire.  We then realized all those people on the side of the road had hit the same thing.  The tire and rim looked like this when it was over...

So, that little death-defying stunt put us in the market for a rim and a new tire for a ten year old Mercedes SUV.  Damon was able to find one in a junkyard for $400 less than what the dealership wanted for a new one.  The only catch was that the junkyard happened to be in Biloxi, Mississippi.  ROAD TRIP!  Since it was my fall break from school, we all got to go, and since the weather was warm, we packed our swimsuits and hit the beach for some fun in the sun.  See how the above verse applies to the situation?  God took a severe bump in the road and turned it into vacation fun for our family.  Just one more way that He's awesome.

And now, the beach pictures.  Cille absolutely loved the beach this time...

Stella had a little bit of fun, too...

My little Charlie's Angel...

Splashing Daddy was one of her favorite things to do...

Actually, she really enjoyed splashing of any kind...

A wipeout did not faze her...

Especially since Dad was there to help out...

Cille was kind enough to explain her special recipe for sand soup to me...

Check out the scene behind my little sand chef...

The water was really warm, as demonstrated by Stella in this picture...

My happy girl...

Mommy under attack...

After several attempts at a group shot, we resigned ourselves to the fact that this was the best we were gonna get...

Our beach trip happened just in the nick of time. The next day a massive cold front blew through and dropped the temperatures to the 50's. We can't wait to hit the waves again next spring!