Happy Halloween!

This year was a different year for us for Halloween because it fell on a Wednesday night.  Since we had AWANA, we decided to have a "normal" night with trunk or treating.  The attendance was low, but the trunks were awesome...especially the Deer Antler truck!

We were asked to dress like something from a Bible verse.  The criteria was VERY flexible.  So Camden was "light of the world" as a stoplight and I was the farmer that spread the seed on the good ground.  Nathan was going to go as himself because he is fearfully and wonderfully made; but then changed to a bum because God looks on the outward appearance and God looks on the heart.  Then he made his final decision to hang with Dave at the Deer Antler trunk and be a hunter because there were also hunters in the Bible.   



                                               The Cookie Monster Truck

 

 

The taste of heaven truck!

 

Three of my 6 Cubbies who came tonight.  God made ladybugs; we will one day fly to heaven in the rapture like fairies can fly; and Super Girl has to be the Proverbs 31 woman!! 

 

Chocolate, Yearbook ads, socks and an empty box!!

 So what is going on in my life you may wonder....or maybe not!  Fall is always a busy, birthday, fundraising time of year for me.  And this year, despite saying I would not, we ended up selling chocolate bars.  They are not too hard to sell at least.  They are only $1.00 and most people like chocolate.  There were only a few houses that said no without giving us a donation.  A donation means more chocolate bars for Nathan to eat (since Camden doesn't like chocolate!). 

 

I am also the year book advisor this year at the boys' school and Nathan is on the yearbook staff.  I decided that to get the most ads, I would take the yearbook staff kids out and let them sell.  So I have been going to all the businesses around town selling ads.  I feel like everyplace I walk into I am asking them to buy an ad! 

 

And of course Nathan's birthday was a week or so ago and he got birthday money.  He is really into LSU right now (I am really not sure how this happened since no one in our family has even been to Louisiana), so he has ordered socks, a shirt, a pin and a hat.  He has been watching the mailbox everyday looking for his loot to complete his LSU outfit.  The socks came in, along with his black and green Nike elite socks, but he has really been waiting for his hat and pin.

Well today the box showed up on our doorstep.  I left it alone so he could open it.  I was in the other room when I heard, "There's nothing in it!"  And he was right.  Nothing.  Not that they had left out the hat, but the packing slip was in there or the pin had slipped under, well, there was nothing for the pin to slip under.  It was just an empty box.  Some kind of Happy Birthday!!  At least the customer service people were understanding.  They promised to ship another box right away...and promised that it would have something in it this time :)

 

 



Nathan is 12 years old!!!

I want to say Happy Birthday to my oldest son today.  To say I can't believe he is 12 is an understatement and what I hear from others who have known him since before he was born.  But to think that 12 years have passed since I held that sweet, inquisitive baby in my arms.  To know such love.  It is hard to comprehend!



He is an amazing person.  Not perfect by any stretch as each day shows us; but willing to listen (eventually) about what he has done wrong and having the willingness to want to be a better person.  The one thing he totally excels in is being a great big brother.  He is patient with Camden and tries to teach Camden to do right.  Yes they fight, but not too often.  And I could see Nathan jumping in any situation to save or protect his brother.  Of course he also tries to keep him in line by making sure I know what he has done at school that was not quite right :) 

 

So in honor of brothers, I had to post a video of that card that Camden picked out for Nathan.  I really need to fear about being outnumbered by boys at my house! 

In addition to the card, Nathan also got to go to a preseason NBA exhibition game.  Chicken pot pie, apple pie, and mint chocolate chip ice cream cake made for a great pre-game dinner.  On his actual birthday he was treated to his own sushi roll!!  Nike elite socks, an LSU hoodie, Madden 13 Wii game, and the Avengers movie (along with a little money from other relatives) rounded out some nice presents for his birthday. 

So one more year until he is a teenager...I hope this is a LONG year!!

California Big Trees

 

 

When we were in California this time, we were able to see the tall Redwook trees. After our time in San Francisco, we drove over the Golden Gate Bridge and headed to the John Muir Woods. The trees there were the tallest I have ever seen. It was like a sanctuary walking through the woods.  In fact there were signs asking us to be quiet.  We arrived there 2 hours before they closed, so the crowd was down. I was glad of this so that we didn't have to walk around crowds of people in order to see the trees. I took lots of pictures, but it is very hard to truly get a sense of the trees when they are so tall.  I would definitely recommend this as a stop to anyone going to that part of California.
 

Inside a fallen tree!

Sitting in front of a "slice" of a tree

 

 

 

The other side of the country

Having grown up in the east and loving to travel, I had fun seeing the sights of San Francisco.  I have been to San Fran before, but this was the first time we have been able to take the boys.  So we had a lot of fun touring Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 39, and of course drinking chocolate milkshakes at Ghiradelli's!  We were planning on walking the Golden Gate Bridge, but it was so foggy we couldn't even see the bridge; so we just drove over and went to the John Muir Woods to see the Redwood Trees.  Here are some pictures that showcase our fun day on the west side of America.

Pier 39 in San Francisco...a pier full of stores and a "home" for the sea lions.

The double decker carousel on the pier.

Alcatraz in the distance

Sea lions basking in the sun

 Standing in front of the famous sourdough bakery with bread in the shape of crabs and alligators...

...and eating clam chowder from one of their bread baskets!

Lots of views of San Franscico

 

San Fran is always cool or even cold...and people swim in the bay!!  Crazy!

Nothing is better than a chocolate milkshake from Ghirardelli!!

The best view we had of the Golden Gate Bridge...next time we will walk or run it!!

Getting over jet lag!

It is Friday night and I hope that tomorrow the jet lag is gone!  We arrived home from California Tuesday night at midnight and I have been on the go since!  With any luck, I will sleep in tomorrow morning and wake up refreshed.  Why California?  Dave is from there and we have not been back to visit family in about 4 years.  So we packed up the kids and boarded the plane and off we went for a 10 day trip.  Although is may be the land of the fruits and nuts, it is a very pretty land and we were able to see different parts of it while visiting family.  We traveled to the foothills and the valley; to the bay and the farmlands.  Lots of driving and lots of eating...everyone wanted to feed us!  It made for a fun visit. 

But first, the airport in Sacramento.  Camden outside of his "restaurant" at the airport.  He went in and told him what his name was!

Camden swimming in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. 

Nathan practicing his diving

Camden practicing his tractor driving with Uncle Bob

The manzanita tree with red bark.

Deer have black tails out in California

Hanging out with Gramma and Papa in the valley near the grape vineyards.

The children's museum in Lodi

Papa camp tent sleeping...a favorite for the boys.

Playing football...always fun on any coast!

Granny with the boys...celebrating early birthdays 

Dave with Gramps

 

Spending time with Dave's 90 year old Grandma Shirley at her house near more grape vineyards.