Our Halloween Weekend!!

This is our sweet little mermaid. I found this dance-outfit at our local thrift store months & months ago!! I paid $2 -- it needed a little sewing, but it was quite easy to fix. Then, we made her mermaid crown & staff. She loved her outfit!! Friday night she went with my mom & cousin Naomi to the down-town area for about an hour or so where they were having a special trick-or-treat time for kids. It was nice -- Anne Marie & Naomi got to spend special time with my mom & Mike and I had a little "mini-date-night".

We were invited to a friends Halloween party on Saturday. What fun! Everyone had to dress up... mike was a clam (can't you tell? to go w/ the mermaid? Everyone asked...no one figured it out, but Anne Marie was proud her daddy made a costume to go along with hers.) I was a sophisticated witchy-woman...again, just borrowed the hat & dressed in black ... and called it a costume. We didn't work too hard on our outfits, but you MUST dress up to be admitted through the doors of the party, so we had to come up with something!!

There was dancing.... and the freeze-frame game... adults & children.
Whoohoooo I won the adult contest!!


There was yummy food. Everyone brought a dish...there were so many good things to eat. However my very special friend Heather...who is OH SO TALENTED...made this special Halloween cake. Too cute!!

There was the mummy-wrap game... we came in 2nd :(

and finally ... pass the pumpkin. Anne Marie made it down to the last 4!! A great time was had by all -- we look forward to this party every year. We just love that it's a fun place to be with great friends & very kid-friendly!

Then, it was pumpkin carving time. We wanted to get him ready for Halloween night.

Her favorite part ... cleaning out the "gooo".

She even drew Daddy a picture of what she wanted the face of the pumpkin to look like.

Anne Marie and her pumpkin. I think Daddy did a GREAT job w/ the face. It turned out very close to the picture if you ask me!

Halloween night we dropped by Grandma & Grandpa's for a little trick-or-treating. Grandma always has a special treat waiting for us. Anne Marie loved the bat cupcakes.

Then, it was on to our Church for Trunk-or-Treat! We met up with cousin Naomi there who just happened to dress up as a lobster (NOT EVEN PLANNED!!!) So everyone thought it was sooooo cute ... the little mermaid & Sebastian!!! :) They really were quite the pair!

The walked around to each car, got tuns of candy! Whew.....I'm ready for a day off!!!

Pre-School Halloween Celebration

One of my favorite things I get to do as a mom is "holiday-stuff". I love the fun crafts, dress-ups, special treats, and memory-making-traditions. Halloween is always the start of that extra fun time (Halloween, then Thanksgiving, Referral Day, then Christmas, then New Years, then Chinese New Year, Forever Family Day, then Valentines & then it all ends with Anne Marie's birthday. Can't wait!!!!) Well, this week started our 1st celebration. Pre-school Halloween celebration. They do not dress up in costume, but I let Anne Marie wear a cute little Halloween-theme outfit & make special treat-bags for her school friends.

Anne Marie helped make special rice-krispi-treat ghosts & pumpkins for her friends.

The special Halloween outfit she picked out. (Notice the zebra shoes.....she really can make them go with every outfit that she owns!! What will we do when they no longer fit her? I better get on Eby now -- because she'll be lost without them!!)

Ready with her specially packed treats for her classmates!

Now --- we're ready trick-or-treat-time!!!

The Joy $4 Can Bring

One of my favorite places to shop is at the Goodwil! I know, I know - so many people think... really? What in the world can you find there. Well, I don't know if in our area we just have great people who are willing to donate great items or what, but between the town we live in and the couple towns within a 25 minute drive I have found some GREAT deals on clothes, shoes, and other items. (Wait until you see Anne Marie's Halloween costume!...$2 and a few "fixings" and a little "fix-up" sewing & it's good as new & extra cute!!) But the other day I stopped by our local store with a friend...and well, I not only found an OldNvy fleece (that I've been wanting for this winter) in perfect condition for myself for $3, but I spent $4 to make my child SUPER HAPPY !! I brought it home, washed it & taaaddaaa...I present...my dancing..singing...princess....

Shoes = $2

Dress = $2

A beautiful princess dancing around our livingroom = PRICELESS!!!

Fall Fun

This week we had a trip to a little pumpkin patch. Anne Marie went on a field trip with pre-school to a local Church that had a "pumpkin patch" . They were raising money for people in Haiti. The pumpkins were donated and then they were being sold to the public with the monies being donated. Well, they invited all the local pre-schools to come for a fun-fall-day and for $5 the kids could pick out a small pumpkin, get a hayride, have their face painted & play games (like roll-the pumpkin). Anne Marie had a GREAT time. She wanted to take mommy & daddy back one evening so she could buy a bigger pumpkin that she could "carve-up". (her words - but know that she loves those baby-pumpkins so much she had to have another one of those too.) So, the afternoon after her field-trip we headed back out to the "pumpkin patch". (With camera in hand this time...since I forgot the morning of the field trip). Well, She again, had a blast picking out her special pumpkins & I found some GREAT places to take a few fall photos.

15 Years?!?!!? Whoah!!

I can't believe it! Mike and I have been married 15 years!! I don't know if I'm sure we're that old?!?! We've known each other for 20 years -- we were best friends for 5 years before we were married -- we dated & dated & dated (other people) and all the while found each other much more fun that those we dated, but in our heads it just didn't click. Until one New Year's Eve. We each had dates and decided that we would meet back at his house after our dates to compare notes. When we realized that neither of us had that much fun we were hit with the thought "duh! We decided that we looked forward to meeting each other afterwards more than we did the dates themselves!" So started our short courtship - a very "hush-hush" few months to make sure it's what we thought it was, then we were engaged in May & married by October. Well, when you know, you just know!!

Oh the hair (BOTH of us!!) we had!! We look like kids! Not 24/ 23 year olds!

(Oh, wait, 24/23 year olds are kids aren't' they?!?!)

Our wedding day!

And 15 years later.....a splendid life with this man! A man with whom I've had ups & downs, but a man that has let me live out my dreams and cares for his family more than I can put into words. A man that wants God to be the center of our home. A man that has such a giving heart. A man who thought at first I was crazy when I told him that our family would grow through adoption, yet opened his heart more than I could have imagined when it really came down to the decision. A man who loves my mother & loved my father as much as I do & who's own mother & father love me the same. A man that would do anything for his family...and we feel it daily!
Here's to MANY MANY more my love!!

TuTu's For A Good Cause...

Everyone knows I'm all about finding ways to help families adopt. From starting our adoption ministry at Church to helping find ways to help other families adopt to spreading the word about news of adoption. Well, I have some fun news & a fun way to help another family bring home a baby girl. This family was a family that was part of the larger 40 families that took that wonderful trip to China when we met Anne Marie in February of '07. They are now looking to raise money in a VERY creative way for a second adoption. She has a goal of selling 2000 Tutu's. And I want to help spread the word so that she can meet that goal!

Visit Cindy & her family HERE @ 2000 TuTu's to read more about their journey to Mary-Kate. It will inspire you - I know I am! Let's all help her meet & exceed this goal.

Fashionista

What can I say? This is the outfit she chose today. And she LOVED it! And truly, I have to say there is something cute about it....especially when she added the ZEBRA-GLITTER Shoes with it!! We went shopping today & I can't tell you how many times we were stopped so people could comment on the outfit (and my cute little girl). And those leg-warmers???? I made them --- she now can not get enough of them, so I've made many (MANY) in many colors to match many of her outfits...I see a lot of skirts in our future purchases!

The Power Of An Allowance

We've started giving Anne Marie an "allowance". Cleaning her room is something that we tell her is her "job" -- and if she helps with putting dishes aways, folding laundry, and other things around the house with mom & dad she gets a little change. (It really is the left over change we have sitting in a basket) We got a bank from the place that Anne Marie has a savings account & it has 3 sections - 1 for savings 1 for spending & 1 for giving. Every time she earns money she has to split it between the three. Well, we went for a long walk today and ended up down-town near a discount-store. We headed in for a little break - well they had TONS of things Anne Marie was eye-balling. There were bins & bins of jewelry - she begged for a few things (a butterfly necklace and a BRIGHT Christmas bracelet to name a few). So, I told her that she could buy a few things, but she had to use her "spend" money. And that she needed to keep it to $3.o0. Well, no sooner did I say that then someone we knew @ the store pointed out a huge wall full of purses.....ones that were loaded with sparkles, sequins, lace, ruffles & even pictures of little yorkie-puppies on them. And, what would you know...they were $3.00. Well - one caught our girls eye & she never looked back......I tried to talk her back into the jewelry -- but she would hear nothing of it. And.... "mommy you told me I could use my own spend money". So, at that point we took our prize home!! What do you think?...............................