A Trip Down Halloween Lane

We always enjoyed Halloween at our house. We sewed costumes, carved pumpkins, and attended parties. We never had any trick or treaters out in the country, so we loaded up the van and headed to the homes of family and fans. It was a pretty quiet holiday for us this year, no grandkids around, no pumpkins to carve, and no parties to attend. Sad, I know. Well, I didn't miss the sewing part. :)

So... I decided to take a trip down Halloween Lane to share some of our favorite memories.

Off to see the Wizard in 1988. One of my favorites.

A dalmatian, a turtle, a lamb, a cow, and a brand new little baby calf in 1990.

101 Dalmatians (well almost), in 1991.

Disney characters in 1992. Peter Pan, Captain Hook, Tinkerbell, Pinocchio, and a little Dalmatian. Don't you love little Jonathan Pinocchio on the end there?

And I think this must be 1993. We've got a cowboy, a football player (wearing a baseball cap?), a black cat, an elephant, and one kid missing from the picture. I think Jonathan was thinking about that Pinocchio picture when he opted out of this one. :) You can just see the edge of his turtle costume on the left side of the photo.

Of course, most of these costumes are still safely stored in the archives of my closets. Sad, I know, but not surprising to most. :)

Happy Halloween!

What are your favorite Halloween memories?

For the Leaves They Are A-Fallin'

A lake house in Brown County. Seemed like a good idea at the time.

But that was spring. And now it's fall.

Fall.

You know,

when leaves

FALL

from the trees?

Hundreds of leaves, thousands of leaves, millions and billions and trillions of leaves. Bonus to anyone who knows that literary reference?

I raked mine into neat rows. And then rested the rake.

To take a few photos. Just imagine me on the end of that rake. For real.

I decided we needed a leaf fairy.

Ah ha! Maybe we've found one.

Or maybe not.

Thankfully, he kept at it while I was documenting. Someone has to do it you know.

Leaves, leaves, everywhere.

And no one...

to jump in them.

Or was there?

K & D Get Married

We attended the wedding of Katie and David on Saturday. It was a beautiful wedding, and so much fun to share in their special day. Of course, it's still just a little bit hard to believe that these kids we watched grow up are getting married. The years are short indeed.

I took my camera to the wedding, and like a good Granny, most of the photos I took are of the little ones. Haleigh is especially rewarding right now, as she seems to enjoy smiling for the camera.

Clara enjoys loving on the little ones.

Their fancy transportation to the reception.

Haleigh again. Always smiling.

Darci was a bridesmaid for her cousin Katie. They posed for a quick family picture after the ceremony.

Matthew and his little sister.

At the reception, Uncle Steve was entertaining the troops. Matthew has a turn while Will, Clara, and Harper watch.

Clara and Arden share a secret.

Josh and Emerson, Arden, and Harper. I'm guessing they're almost never running in the same direction. :)

Harper takes a break.

The kids at the wedding received treat boxes containing these little slinkies. They were most entertaining, and inspired some creative play.

The steps in the lobby area provided further entertainment.

The wedding party shared their shades with Matthew and Will. This is their Blues Brothers pose.

Matthew looking cool.

I did get some pictures of the bride and groom's first dance.

They are so cute.

A sweet one of Katie and Daddy Rich.

Andrew and Darci at the end of the evening.

We wish Katie and David God's blessings and much love as they begin their married life together.

My Baby

Twenty years ago, we welcomed our fifth baby to our family. The four "big kids" went to a Halloween party at Ruthann's while we went to the hospital. We didn't know if it was a boy or a girl, and we were thrilled to have our little Adam Carter.

I tried to add the song, "The Baby," by Blake Shelton, to my playlist to go with this post since it's pretty appropriate, especially the line, "She would always save me, because I was her baby." At least that's what the big kids always said.

You must admit, he was a cutie. Look at those curls.

He always liked swimming,

brought flowers to his mommy,

was a bit of a picky eater,

and was anxious to go to school like the big kids.

He experienced a few broken bones,

checked on the corn with his daddy,

and needed a nap every now and then.

He liked playing outside on the farm,

and dressing up like a cowboy.

He showed cattle at the County Fair, and won a trophy in showmanship.

He grew,

and grew,

while his hair got shorter... or gone!

He is a great uncle,

an MVP swimmer,

and a GCHS grad.

He loves his sibs (and they love him).

He likes being a Boilermaker,

having fun,

and just keepin' it real.

Happy 20th Birthday, Adam!
I love you!