Fall & The All About Me Bag

Somehow in the craziness that is my life, I've forgotten to make a big deal out of the best day of Towns' life (or so she said)! At school each child in the class gets the All About Me Bag to take home and fill with all their favorite things that tell the class a little bit about them. Towns has been waiting since school started in September for that bag and I think her little heart was sad every time it went home with someone else besides her. But a couple of weeks ago Mrs. Glenda gave her the bag to bring home, and I knew by the look on her face when I picked her up that she was the happiest child on Earth! You might recall how excited she got over having to decorate the little person to look like her for homework...well, that excitement times fifty is a good description of her that day!

She picked out everything she wanted to put in it...

Tap shoes, ballet shoes, gymnastics 'liptard', her Bible, her book of Bible stories, her favorite twisty colored pencils, a picture she drew of her family, her princess camera, two favorite books, sprinkles and a cookie cutter since she loves to bake, her lovey, and the Madame Alexander doll I had when I was little that she loves to play with - wearing a tutu, of course!
All packed and ready to go...

She had to include a picture of her when she was a baby and also a picture of her family so she could tell the class about us...so sweet!
An added bonus is bringing something to show that starts with the letter of the week. Since P was the letter that week, she wanted to take Pink!
Cue the madness. Imagine 15 four year olds in one small classroom + their reactions to seeing a PUPPY at SCHOOL! I think Pink is scarred for life! :)


Before we took Pink in, we listened outside the door as she was telling the class about everything she'd brought. Mrs. Michelle was sweet enough to take pictures for me...

What a fun day!!
Pink might have been traumatized by Towns' classmates, but it was nothing compared to having to ride in the carseat with Cate all the way home...


We've been gearing up for Halloween and enjoying the fall weather this week...




The girls went like this to church Wednesday night and a friend asked if we'd been to a fall festival. Nope! We do things like this for no reason at all, other than it's just fun!

Last weekend, the girls made sprinkle-covered caramel apples. They really love to be in the kitchen, so we're constantly trying to find something new to cook up. I figured since Fall is upon us, caramel apples were perfect!


Everything is a little more exciting when you add these...

Cate usually has her own way of doing things, and this time it included covering the counter in sprinkles as opposed to her apple...

And apparently, sprinkles make water a little more exciting to drink...


Ahhh, now that's delish!

After the caramel apple fun, we dove into chocolate-covered pretzels. Actually, first the girls dove into the white chocolate chips! Thank goodness they'd washed their hands...



Last night, we had a Halloween party because Bethany is going to be at her mom's this weekend. We didn't want to leave her out, so naturally we had to celebrate before she leaves!
For some reason, these are the only pictures I have...


That's probably because I had pizza and Halloween brownies right in front of me!
Happy Halloween!
We'll miss trick-or-treating with you, B! Have fun this weekend!

Party in the BJCC

Friday afternoon Bethany and I headed south for a...

Months and months ago she asked to go to the Miley Cyrus concert for her birthday, which is actually in November, but since Miley was coming to Birmingham late October we said...

My mom and sister met us there, and we all headed in to sit back and be amazed.
This wasn't our first rodeo....we've done this before.
And just like last time, seeing her in person was absolutely unbelievable. That girl is pure talent from head to toe, and B and I were ever so thankful that she chose to share herself with the world! Just when you think she can't top what we've already seen, she goes and does something like this...

That's her singing (the oldie but goody) I Love Rock and Roll atop a red motorcycle that's hanging from the ceiling by wires and she's floating all over the BJCC above screaming fans!
Oh, and then there's this...

She's wearing the fluffiest dress you've ever seen while driving an off-road vehicle down stairs and to the front of the stage during Fly On the Wall. Insanity!
And apparently we're not the only ones who love her...

There's will.i.am from the Black Eyed Peas giving her a shout out!
I've never been too shy to admit how much I love MC. Even the OOC crew gets little Miley treats on their annual soundtracks, right girls?! They don't love her nearly as much as I do, but they're sweet about not giving me grief over being completely in awe over a 16 year old. So to say that B and I equally share the love, that's no exaggeration.
I secretly hope she keeps this birthday request coming for years.
We screamed, we danced, we picked our jaws up off the floor a hundred times.
We laughed, we cried (well almost - just the sight of her usually makes us go into hysterics), we waited forever in front of these just hoping to get a glimpse of her...

We had the best afternoon and night ever, and we would both do it over again a million times just to hear MC sing Party in the USA in person!!
Speaking of...

April, that one's for you!

The bottom line is that the girl's just good...




And I'll end with this one...

Want to take a guess at what they're doing? Does Thriller ring a bell? It was just the intro, but unbelievable none the less!
Thanks for a fun night, B! It was one of my favorites by far!! When MC goes on tour again, we've got a date!

Fall Festival

This morning the girls had their annual Fall Festival at 'school' (our church's Mother's Day Out), so they got suited up in their costumes and were ready for some fun...

Cate's class went at 9:00, so I was able to go with her and then wait around until it was time for Towns and her class to have their turn. We are really blessed this year with fabulous teachers, and I'm afraid we're a little spoiled by it. Towns' pre-k 4 class is phenomenal. She has already learned so much, and is coming home speaking in different languages! She's even teaching Bethany about the color wheel and what colors to mix to make other colors, right B?! And Cate's class is pretty much like personal nanny service because there are only two other children in with her. Her teachers love on them all morning long and are simply the best. Cate goes to bed at night asking if she gets to see Mrs. Judy and Mrs. Irene the next morning! The girls couldn't be happier which means I couldn't be happier!
Cate and her friends Brock and Ella couldn't decide what to do first...

Naturally, the only good choice is to go straight for the candy!

Next, she picked out a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch which was really 'hebby' so she asked me to carry it for her...

These two were as happy as pigs in the mud (pun intended) once the sugar high kicked in...

Both of them would survive on candy alone if they were allowed, and usually they are!

The child wouldn't lose the sucker long enough for picture taking!
The 4 year olds spiced up the Fall Festival big time. They're a lot louder, wilder, and a ton of fun to watch!







The day was way more special since Daddy got to come...

He quite possibly was the biggest kid there! He had the all the kids rolling over huge balls head first...never a dull moment! That's why we love him!

After the fun, the class had a pizza and popcorn party since P was the letter of the week. I couldn't resist this picture with Towns' little legs crossed like she's a mini adult...

She's getting so growny and it's killing me! This morning when I asked her if I could join her at Fall Festival she literally hesitated for 30 seconds, and the look on my face must have gotten to her because she finally said 'sure, I guess you can come.' Ahhh! Breaking my heart!! And bring on the tears once I realized this morning that this was her last Fall Festival at the church...next year she'll be in Kindergarten. Suggestions welcome on how to freeze time!
Happy weekend!
B and I are headed to see Miley Cyrus in concert tonight...my hands are up 'cause they're playing my song! Can't wait!!!