Family Outings

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  • Blessing Lives Everyday with Special Surprises (B.L.E.S.S.): 25 Days of Christmas Blessings (Week 3)

    Sharing goodies

    We have entered our third week of our 25 Days of Christmas B.L.E.S.S. (Blessing Lives Everyday with Special Surprises).  It has been a real joy doing these fun events everyday.  In some cases we get to see who receives our B.L.E.S.S. gift and in other cases we will never know who is on the receiving end.  We pray that whoever receives or finds these gifts will experience joy during this Holiday Season.  Each night we take down the B.L.E.S.S. activity for the next day and read the verse and the activity then pray for those who have and will receive our little BLESS’ings.

    Here is what we have done so far and a couple pictures to share of our adventures:

    • Day 12– Paid for the person’s meal behind us in line at the drive through.  The girls were giggling as we drove away.  They had fun thinking about the responses the people behind us would have as they drove up to the window to pay for their meal.
    • Day 13 – Delivered the goodies for Jake’s team at work.  They had a lot of fun with their new “toys”!
    • Day 14 – Sent a “surprise” gift to someone who we hadn’t seen in awhile.  Love being able to bring unexpected sunshine into someone’s day.  
    • Day 15 – Put together goody bags and made treats for the girls classmates at school.  The girls picked up what they wanted to make and helped then put all the items into the goody bags with very little supervisor.  They were excited to spread the Christmas Cheer with their friends.
    • Day 16 – Gave the girls teacher, school staff, and the kids in their class some Christmas goodies.  We had a blast celebrating with their class and taking baskets of goodies to people.
    • Day 17 – Put a card and Christmas goodies into the mailbox for our mailman.  The girls thought it was awesome putting fun stuff into the mailbox.  It took them several minutes to figure out the “best” way to place the goodies so the mailman will see them.
    • Day 18 – taped some coins to the vending machines at a local store for the next person to use.

    Goodies for our mailman

    One of our favorite verses this week went along with our Day 17  activity. 

    Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others – Philippians 2:4

    I am super excited to see how great this B.L.E.S.S. activity is going already.  It has been a true joy sharing with others (many of whom we’ll never meet).  It has been a great experience and I look forward to seeing what will happen with our fun adventures this week.

    Sharing another “Citrus Hand Scrub Kit” 

    I was not able to snap as many pictures as we were doing the activities this week because I felt like it was more important to participate in the activities then to get the “perfect” picture.  The main purpose of this activity is to teach our family the joy of giving and sharing to those around us.  I plan to do another update on our fun B.L.E.S.S. adventures next week.  Sometimes it’s the little stuff that can make the most positive impact.  I would love to hear how you are spreading the Christmas cheer this Holiday Season.

    To learn more about our 25 Days of Christmas B.L.E.S.S. activity and what we have done far check out the links below:

    Teacher and school staff presents!

    I have been asked by a number of people for a printable version of the 25 Days of Christmas B.L.E.S.S. activities, verses, and sheets to handout so here they are for your family to enjoy as well:

  • Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Dip

    Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Dip

    I haven’t made this dip in a couple years so when I came across it again I figured it was time to bring out the recipe especially since we had several upcoming Christmas parties!  The recipe is easy to put together, add a few items to dip and you have a great party food to share with family and friends.  The last party I took it to we came home with an empty platter! 🙂

    Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Dip:

    • 8 ounces softened Cream Cheese
    • 1 stick softened Butter (unsalted)
    • 1 cup Powdered Sugar
    • 1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
    • 1 teaspoon Vanilla
    • 1 cup miniature Chocolate Chips
    • Dipping Items – Teddy Grahams, Graham Crackers, Pretzels, or Animal Crackers

    Blend together butter and cream cheese until smooth.  Add powdered sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla to the cream mixture until mixed well.  Stir in the miniature chocolate chips.  Eat immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve the dip.  Serve dip with teddy grahams, graham crackers, pretzels, or animal crackers.

    Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Dip with Teddy Grahams, Graham Crackers, Pretzels, and Animal Crackers

  • Blessing Lives Everyday with Special Surprises (B.L.E.S.S.): 25 Days of Christmas Blessings (Week 2)

    Box of Candy Canes the girls shared with their class at gymnastics 

    We have entered our second week of our 25 Days of Christmas B.L.E.S.S. (Blessing Lives Everyday with Special Surprises).  It has been a real joy doing these fun events everyday.  In some cases we get to see who receives our B.L.E.S.S. gift and in other cases we will never know who is on the receiving end.  We pray that whoever receives or finds these gifts will experience joy during this Holiday Season.  Each night we take down the B.L.E.S.S. activity for the next day and read the verse and the activity then pray for those who have and will receive our little BLESS’ings.

    Colored paper ornaments to hang on the Christmas Tree in the children’s wing at the local library

    Here is what we have done so far and a couple pictures to share of our adventures:

    Gathered and donated 105 magazines to a local public library and school library

    • Day 5– Picked out and donated gifts to Country Santa which gives Christmas presents to local children who would otherwise have none at Christmas.  The girls each picked out two gifts to give to Country Santa for another child’s Christmas then we prayed for the kids that would receive these gifts for Christmas.
    • Day 6 – Gave out Silly Bandz to kids coming in and out of several local stores.  I was surprised at the different reactions we noticed while passing out silly bandz from sheer delight to total disinterest.  The girls still had fun doing the activity and sharing with kids.
    • Day 7 – Gathered and donated magazines and a stack of books to a local library and school library.   Both the school library and local library staff were excited to get some new books and magazines.  Our family loves reading so this was a fun activity for us.  We spent about 30 minutes in the local library donating items, picking out books to read, and coloring Christmas ornaments to hang on their Christmas tree.  The lady at the children’s desk was so sweet when the girls showed her the ornaments that had colored for the tree.
    • Day 8 – Bought and gave Candy Canes to all the kids in the girls gymnastics class.  We just started taking the girls to gymnastics about a month ago (we got Groupon deal from a local gymnastics school) and it has been a lot of fun watching them learn not only new skills but seeing them start new friendships.  It has been great getting to know kids (and their parents) outside of school and church that we can be a blessing to as well.
    • Day 9 – Handed out candy canes as we were running errands around town and at local stores.  It was cute seeing the excited looks on kids faces as the girls handed them a candy cane.  The girls loved doing this activity so much I had to remind them not to “rush” to the kids with a candy cane because it could startle the younger kids or their parents if they saw another child charging towards their little one. 🙂
    • Day 10 – We had a blast making and delivering Christmas goodies to our neighbors.  It was nice to spend a few minutes and catch up with the people on our street.  Taking the extra time to reach out to our neighbors has made a tremendous impact over the last few years even on our small street.  One of our neighbors lost their only child right before Christmas a few years ago so this is a tough Holiday for them.
    • Day 11 – Picked out, wrapped, and donated gifts to the Heart of Christmas for kids in our local schools who would not have gifts otherwise this Holiday Season.  Our church coordinates with the school guidance counselor to get information on these kids who are in need (naturally the names of the kids are not given just their sizes, styles, needs, etc…).

    Delivering more goodies to kiddos at another local store!

    One of Brina’s ornaments hanging on the Christmas Tree at our local library

    One of Karlie’s ornaments hanging on the Christmas Tree at the local library.

    A stack of books we donated to the school library.

    A basket full of goodies ready to be delivered to our neighbors!

    One of our favorite verses this week went along with our Day  10 activity. 

     This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. – John 15:12

    Something as simple a sharing a little gift to say “Merry Christmas” to our neighbors has opened many opportunities to interact with them.  I think this verse really stood out to all of us this week because we don’t take the time to invest in the lives around us as often as we should.  This activity was a little longer because we made it a point to spend time socializing with each of our neighbors for a few minutes but we all walked home feeling even more blessed because of it.

    Heart of Christmas

    I am super excited to see how great this B.L.E.S.S. activity is going already.  It has been a true joy sharing with others (many of whom we’ll never meet).  It has been a great experience and I look forward to seeing what will happen with our fun adventures this week.

    Helping local kids by giving fun and practical gifts.

    The main purpose of this activity is to teach our family the joy of giving and sharing to those around us.  I plan to do another update on our fun B.L.E.S.S. adventures next week.  Sometimes it’s the little stuff that can make the most positive impact.  I would love to hear how you are spreading the Christmas cheer this Holiday Season.

    To learn more about our 25 Days of Christmas B.L.E.S.S. activity and what we have done far check out the links below:

    I have been asked by a number of people for a printable version of the 25 Days of Christmas B.L.E.S.S. activities, verses, and sheets to handout so here they are for your family to enjoy as well:

  • Blessing Lives Everyday with Special Surprises (B.L.E.S.S.): 25 Days of Christmas Blessings (Update)

    Candy Cane and B.L.E.S.S. note taped to a local ATM Machine

    We have officially started our 25 Days of Christmas B.L.E.S.S. (Blessing Lives Everyday with Special Surprises) and in all honesty I think we have been blessed more by doing these activities.  It has been a real joy doing these fun events everyday and it has been a great experience so far.  In some cases we get to see who receives our B.L.E.S.S. gift and in other cases we will never know who is on the receiving end.  We pray that whoever receives or finds these gifts will experience joy during this Holiday Season.  Each night we take down the B.L.E.S.S. activity for the next day and read the verse and the activity then pray for those who have and will receive our little BLESS’ings.

    Quarters taped to the toy and candy vending machines at the front of the store.

    Here is what we have done so far and a couple pictures to share of our adventures:

    • Day 1 – Gave a donation to the Salvation Army then passed out stickers at our local Walmart as people were coming in and out of the store.   During our 45 minutes passing out stickers at Walmart we saw several friends (it was great to greet friends on their way in or out of the store).  The girls gave one little girl and her Dad a sticker, the Dad reached into his Walmart bag pulled out a new container of cookies gave it to his daughter and then had her give the girls each a cookie to say “thank you” for sharing a sticker.  It was so sweet, I almost cried watching the whole interaction in the middle of the Walmart store entry way!
    • Day 2 – Taped a candy cane to the ATM at a local bank.  Taped quarters to the toy and candy vending machines at a local store.  The girls wanted to go back the next day and see if the quarters were used!
    • Day 3 – Hid dollars in the toy section at the Dollar Tree, the girls loved doing this one and giggled the whole time they were hiding the dollars.  They were very excited for the kid who would find a dollar hidden in the toys.
    • Day 4 – Collected food for the Alms & Legs Food Pantry to help families in our local community.  The girls each picked out items that they wanted to share with others.  They spent a considerable amount of timing picking out the perfect cans of vegetables, fruit, and other goodies to share.

    Quarter taped to the vending machine for another little kid to enjoy

    One of our favorite verses this week went along with our Day 4 activity. 

    For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.  – Matthew 25:35

    The verse was very specific so it was a fun one to discuss.  When we discussed the verse with the girls they knew exactly what it meant.  “If a person is hungry we should give them food.”  They enjoyed picking out some of their favorite foods to share.

    Karlie’s $1 “hidden” in the Dollar Tree toy aisle

    I am super excited to see how great this B.L.E.S.S. activity is going already.  It has been a true joy sharing with others (many of whom we’ll never meet).  It has been a great experience and I look forward to seeing what will happen with our fun adventures this week.

    Brina’s $1 “hidden” in the toy section on Dollar Tree.

    The main purpose of this activity is to teach our family the joy of giving and sharing to those around us.  I plan to do another update on our fun B.L.E.S.S. adventures next week.  Sometimes it’s the little stuff that can make the most positive impact.  I would love to hear how you are spreading the Christmas cheer this Holiday Season.

    (Update) I have been asked by a number of people for a printable version of the  25 Days of Christmas B.L.E.S.S. activities, verses, and sheets to handout so here they are for your family to enjoy as well:

  • Intentional Living: Weekly Goals

    I was back to my regular schedule for the most part this week.  It was a busy week with a lot of catching up to do from the Thanksgiving Holidays.  I wasn’t able to get everything crossed off the list but made some headway.

    Here is the update on last weeks goals:

    Family Goals

    1. Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everyday
    2. Read a book to the girls everyday
    3. Have the girls read 1 book to me 5 days this week
    4. Do devotions with the girls every night (sometimes it gets late and we rush to get them into bed)
    5. Get the girls passport pictures taken

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week – started the week well but flopped when it got really cold outside
    2. Go to bed by 10:30 or earlier on Monday and Thursday – did it about every other night
    3. Finish reading  The Money Saving Mom’s Budget: Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life, and Save Thousands a Year by Crystal Paine who has a blog called Money Saving Mom (VERY excited about the opportunity to preview this book by a blogger I have been following for years and thankful to be featured on her blog weekly with the Save A Lot Deals!)
    4. Listen to the next section of  Desiring God: Finding Complete Satisfaction and Joy in God by John Piper (I am going through this book with my Community Group)

    Home Management Goals

    1. Weekly Dinner Menu planned and written by Monday
    2. Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house
    3. Dinner on the table by 5:30 PM (Monday through Thursday) – it was late a couple nights
    4. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    5. File the receipts and coupons for the last couple of months. – started, but not finished

    Business Goals

    1. Spend 10 minutes a day cleaning and organizing my desk
    2. Pay all bills that come in the mail this week
    3. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    4. Review my 2011 Business Goals and start planning ones for 2012 – pulled it out but didn’t get in depth time to work on it this week

    Ministry Goals

    1. Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requests
    2. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    3. Make at least $25 towards my Creative Cash goal this week so I can give more to others. – didn’t meet my goal this week
    4. Deliver a meal to a new Mom. was able to take meals to 2 new Moms!  What a blessing to share and meet the new little ones! 🙂

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Pay off remaining debt – made progress this week
    3. Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses – on hold until debt is paid off

    Here are my goals for the upcoming week:

    Family Goals

    1. Spend 1-on-1 time with each child everyday
    2. Read a book to the girls everyday
    3. Have the girls read 1 book to me 5 days this week
    4. Do devotions with the girls every night (sometimes it gets late and we rush to get them into bed)
    5. Do the 25 Day of Christmas B.L.E.S.S. activities with the girls this week

    Personal Goals

    1. Exercise – walk at least 5 days this week
    2. Go to bed by 10:30 or earlier on Monday and Tuesday
    3. Finish reading The 60-Minute Money Workout by Ellie Kay
    4. Listen to the next section of  Desiring God: Finding Complete Satisfaction and Joy in God by John Piper (I am going through this book with my Community Group)

    Home Management Goals

    1. Weekly Dinner Menu planned and written by Monday
    2. Spend 30 minutes every day picking up / cleaning the house
    3. Dinner on the table by 5:30 PM (Monday through Thursday)
    4. All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
    5. Start wrapping and send out Christmas Cards / Presents

    Business Goals

    1. Spend 10 minutes a day cleaning and organizing my desk
    2. Pay all bills that come in the mail this week
    3. Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
    4. Review my 2011 Business Goals and start planning ones for 2012

    Ministry Goals

    1. Email our weekly Community Group update including upcoming events on the calendar, praises, and prayer requests
    2. Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
    3. Make at least $25 towards my Creative Cash goal this week so I can give more to others.

    Financial Goals

    1. Stay within Budget on Groceries $40 for 4
    2. Pay off remaining debt
    3. Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses

    I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us.  I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true.  When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals.  Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick).  Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.

    Why Share My Goals?

    • To keep me accountable
    • To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
    • To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
    • Create healthy habits in my life
    • To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn

    How did you do this week on your goals?  Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.

    The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results

  • Blessing Lives Everyday with Special Surprises (B.L.E.S.S.): 25 Days of Christmas Blessings

     

    I have been thinking about ways we can be a blessing to others throughout this Christmas season. It is easy to get caught up with the shopping, parties, celebrations, and everything else that we lose sight of what’s really important.  I want the girls to experience the joy of giving and helping those around us so we are delivering special surprises over the next 25 days.  I came up with the acronym B.L.E.S.S. to help remind us why we are sharing these little blessings.

    • Blessing
    • Lives
    • Everyday with
    • Special
    • Surprises

    The plan is to deliver a small special surprise to at least one person every day from December 1st to December 25th.  Each bag contains an activity to spread cheer and a scripture verse to discuss.  At dinner we will discuss our current days activity, pray for the people that received our gift, and get our bag for the next day.   The girls and I have came up with a lot of great ideas of ways we can share blessings with people around us (some will go to people we know and others to complete strangers or people we will never meet).

    Here’s how we put our B.L.E.S.S. activity together:

    Stack of B.L.E.S.S activities with scripture verses

    B.L.E.S.S. Cards to give out during our activities

    One of the B.L.E.S.S. Cards we made

    Day 1 through Day 25 bagged and ready to hang up

    All 25 Days of B.L.E.S.S. hung up and ready for us to start!

    The girls are very excited about doing this fun 25 Days of Christmas Blessings activity.  I hope to share some of the stories, what we did, experiences, pictures and lessons learned as we go throughout the the 25 days.  It is my intention to update you at least once a week.  I will share as much as I can but the real reason for doing this activity is to teach our family the joy of giving to others.

    (Update) I have been asked by a number of people for a printable version of the  25 Days of Christmas B.L.E.S.S. activities, verses, and sheets to handout so here they are for your family to enjoy as well:

  • Raising Multiples: Upstate Multiples Club Fall Party

    Checking out the rabbits

    Our family had fun at the Multiples Club Fall Party!  We went to Fisher’s Orchard in Greer, South Carolina.  It is a small peach farm with a little barn, farm animals, pumpkins, hayrides and more for families to enjoy.

    Karlie having a blast with the rabbits!

    Karlie loved petting, talking to, and looking at all the rabbits on the farm.  She was thrilled to find that they were very soft and enjoyed eating the apple pieces she was feeding them.

    Brina tickled pink to have a chance to hand feed the bunny rabbits!

    Brina has a soft spot for animals and babies.  She had a grand time hand feeding all the animals on the farm.

    Hand feeding and petting the farm animals.

    The girls thought it was awesome hand feeding all the farm animals.

    Karlie running through the maze with a friend

    They had a really neat maze that the girls loved.  Both girls went through it several times on their own.  They enjoyed being able to do it by themselves yet they could still see us!

    Brina giggling as she rounded the final corner of the maze!

    Brina thought it was hilarious she made it through the maze before Karlie the first time.

    They got faster every time they did the maze.

    Both girls coming around the final piece of the maze at the farm.

    Hayride through the peach orchard

    The girls enjoyed the ride through the peach orchard.  We saw all kinds of scarecrows, trees, and a giant hay bale spider.

    Our two little pumpkins sitting with the pumpkins.

    Pausing for a moment to snap a picture (much to the girls protest).  They thought that we should take home some of the huge pumpkins but since they were $80 or more we decided they were a little out of the family budget.

    Family at the Fisher Orchard Farm

    Quick family shot on the hay bales at the orchard.

    Karlie getting her hand painted

    There is just something about being able to get your hand or face painted.  The girls had fun getting their hands painted during the party. Karlie got a United States Flag and a Rocket.

    Brina getting her hand painted

     Brina waited for Karlie to finish now she gets to have her hand painted.  So much fun!  Brina got a rainbow on one hand and a flower on the other hand.

    Relaxing on the hay bale outside of the maze

    Brina and Karlie loved all the scarecrows at this farm and hay bales to sit on.

    Pretty girls next to a happy hay bale at Fisher Farm

    It was a lot of fun hanging out with our family and families of Multiples at the farm for a few hours.

  • Family Outings: SkyTop Apple Orchard

    We made it to SkyTop Orchard this year!

    We surprised the girls one Saturday morning by taking a road trip to SkyTop Orchard in North Carolina.  Several friends had told us that it is a great place to go apple picking so we decided to check it out!

    Too busy watching everybody and everything around them to look at the camera!

    Pausing for a moment to take a picture by the Sky Top 2011 Apple.  There were so many people and activities going on that they girls were just mesmerized.

    Hey MOM! Is this a good one?

    Karlie loved picking the apples straight from the tree.  It didn’t take us long with four people picking to fill up our baskets!

    Looking for juicy apples to pick!

    Karlie and Brina looking through all the apples on the branches for the ripe and juicy ones to pick.  They got pretty good at picking out the perfect apples!

    Brina pleased with the apple she found.

    Brina found a good one!  She was so excited when she found a perfect apple to put into the basket.

    Walking with Daddy through the apple orchard

    There were a lot of apples on the ground.  Some of them were whole while others were turning into mush.  If you stepped on a mushy apple you feet would slide.  The girls held our hands when we were walking longer distances to help prevent them from sliding around so much on the slick apples.

    Girls - Look Daddy there's a good one up there! Daddy - You want which one?!

    You know the saying “the grass is greener on the other side of the fence” well the same thing applies to apple picking.  The perfect apple is always at the top of the tree out of reach!

    Daddy gave the girls a few boosts to get some of the "perfect" apples at the top of the trees!

    Thankfully with a little boost from Daddy the girls were able to get some of those pretty apples up on top.  They thought it was neat that they could reach the apples without climbing the trees.

    Brina and Karlie playing on SkyTop's playground

    Another highlight for the girls was playing in the houses and on SkyTop’s playground.  They had a blast checking out all the fun houses, slides, and fun activities.

    Two sweet girls peeking through the playhouse window at me!

    As I was watching them play I caught them peeking at me through the window.  Cute!  Love those two girlies so much and thankful for an opportunity to go on a family adventure together.  Great memories!

    Brina Bee climbing up the wall

    Brina proudly climbed up the climbing wall.  She came over to me and said Mom that is a lot easier then the ones that you have to get buckled into.  Brina loved seeing all the babies and little kids at the orchard.  Glad she had a great time!

    Karlie Kook Kat peeping through the window.

    Sweet picture of Karlie peeping out the window.  It is amazing to see how much they have grown up over the last few months.

    Giant haybale spider

    The girls thought this giant spider was hilarious!  They had fun climbing all over it!

    Our family at SkyTop!

    We had a blast together picking apples and playing at SkyTop Apple Orchard!

    One bushel of apples

    We picked one bushel (approximately 42 pounds of apples)!  These apples were delicious!  It was a lot of fun to eat them plain and in a lot of dishes from apple crisp to apple pie to applesauce to apple smoothies and more!

  • Family Outings: Fall Festivals & Fun Activities

    A little behind in posting these pictures but I figure it’s better late than never, right!? Since a couple of our family members have requested these pictures here we go…..

    One happy and one scary pumpkin on the front porch

    In celebration of Fall Festivals, events, and activities we had the girls do a pumpkin this year.  Brina wanted a happy pumpkin and Karlie wanted a scary pumpkin.  They did the outlines for their pumpkins and Daddy cut out the pieces.  They were both quite pleased with their pumpkins.

    One Blue Crayon and One Violet Crayon

    The girls dressed up this year as crayons!  They were super excited to wear their crayon costumes that we picked up on clearance last year.

    Goody cups for the girls class at school.

    The girls helped pack the goody cups for their teacher and friends in their classroom!  Besides stickers, pencils, glow in the dark silly bands we included a toothbrush and toothpaste.

    Candy Corn Cupcakes for the girls class

    We made candy corn cupcakes for the girls class at school.  They were so excited to take them and share with their friends at lunch.

    Karlie and Brina carrying their goody basket into school

    They were thrilled to carry the goody basket into school.  Several other students stopped to express their delight in the cool basket on their way to class, I think that alone made the girls day!

    Two little crayons and Daddy getting into the teacup

    This was the first ride the girls went on at the Fall Festival.  So thankful Jake was willing to ride with them, last year I went on it and almost threw up from the spinning!

    Hold onto your hats little crayons!

    It made me dizzy just watching them spinning in circles but they had a blast!

    Fun fall festival rides

    Our two crayons are in the blue one.  They loved this ride last year too.

    Having fun

    They loved looking out of their “cage” as they called it over the rest of the Fall Festival.  When they got off they told us everything that they saw on the ride and what activities they wanted to do.

    Ready to fly on the bug

    Two little crayons going for another spinning ride on the little bug, too cute!

    Bug in flight

    It was hard getting a picture when both of them were looking at me.  The bug got cut off on this one but at least both girls are looking my direction! 🙂

    All buckled in...now ready to swing and spin

    Daddy was such a sport and went with the girls again on this spinning ride.  Everyone is all buckled in and ready to SWING!

    There they are swinging

    It looks pretty innocent doesn’t it but if your stomach does flip-flops while going in circles…..

    Checking out all the equipment in the medical helicopter

    They had a emergency helicopter there so you could show your kids.  Pretty neat seeing on the devices they put into it.

    Two little crayons coming down the slide

    They had a blast jumping on bouncy castles, racing through bounce house mazes, and zipping down the slides.

    Two cute crayons next to a giant black cat

    The cat was having problems staying up but I snapped a quick picture with them in front of it.  They thought it was so funny seeing a giant black cat.