Halloween Fun Run

Isn't this a great idea? All the kiddies showed up to have a "Halloween Fun Run" to work off all the candy they'd eaten the night before! They each got a number, healthy snacks, and water of course! It was so cute to see them running in their costumes- Tyler decided against one, though, and Logan only wore his the first time around. The kids had so much fun breaking the finish line (which the parents lovingly put back up for each and every runner to break.) It was a wonderful morning- I definitely want this tradition to continue!! Thanks Jenn & Ned!

Here's Logan, Round 1.

Tyler ready to cross that finish line "fast."

Tyler celebrates his great run with Daddy.
Logan, Carter, and Tyler Round 2.


Tyler had a ball!

The boys had a great time, and the parents had fun watching! :-) Nice job, Boys!

Happy Halloween!!

This is Red Dino-Ranger Logan and Spidey-Ty making muscles before the Trunk-or-Treat.

The next day was Trick-or-Treating in the neighborhood, so we had friends over for dinner and then the guys took the kiddies around while the ladies kicked it handing out candy. Right before leaving, we were all searching the house for Tyler's Spiderman costume- no CLUE where it had gone! After a quick dash downstairs to the dress-up box, we came out with the Flash costume for Tyler. He LOVED it! The funniest part was when he responded to the question of who he was with, "I'm Batman."
Miss Katie Faith wore the traditional baby Halloween costume in our family- the bee. Luke & Logan made adorable bees 5 years ago, Tyler was a happy little bee 2 years ago, so it was only fitting for Katie to also be a bee. I was not content with this, however, until James said she would only be fit as a "queen bee." So here she is wearing a crown to display her royalty. :-)
I LOVE THIS BABY GIRL!!!

This next pic is from the "Trunk-or-Treat" at church- everyone decorates their trunk and the kiddies go up and down the parking lot Trick-or-Treating at each car. It's so much fun- some people really get into it! The boys had a great time going around, but by the end of the second row of cars they were ready to find Daddy back at our car and chow down on some of their goodies. :-)

I love dressing up- this year I was a cow girl, and James was a cow (a Chick-Fil-A cow to be exact). He was such a good sport- he even wore a huge aluminum foil ring on his nose to give himself the "Bull" look. (It's not pictured- I wish I would have taken one of him with it!)

Pretty in Pink

One of the best things about a baby girl is getting to paint her teeny little toes! :-) Here are Katies cute little feet with pretty pink nails- I think she likes them. It's crazy how small those little toes are, though! This bottle of nail polish is going to last for YEARS! ha ha

Air Logan

Logan has just begun his basketball season, and he is LOVING it! He got "10 shoots" at practice last night.. we're still working on the lingo.
Hands up, defense...and offense....ok, everybody, hands up! :-) Watching these kiddies just learning the rules is so much fun.

Katie's Blessing

Katie loves her Daddy!

Proud Mama with my sweet Baby Girl!

Papa & Nonna were able to visit for the day!

Mimi, Devin, Becky, and Hillary all came as well!!

This is the one picture we got with Tyler actually standing still...unfortunately Katie didn't enjoy waiting for him to cooperate. :-)


Here's my little wild man after a very tiring day.

He rarely falls asleep on anyone, so this was a real treat!

Theme In Blue

Logan had to write a poem back at the beginning of school based on one we read, and this is how it came out:

Theme in Blue

I make you brave and help you do flips.

I am called a Power Ranger suit.

I help you go fast and turn around some.

I am called a Blue Ranger Bike.

I keep you warm and help you sleep.

I am called Batman Pajamas.

I've had it on our fridge because it always makes me smile, and figured you'd all enjoy it as well! :-) Can you tell he's still into superheroes?

Red "Sparrow" Night

Are you dreaming? Nope- this is a homemade copy-cat Red Robin Guacamole Burger and fries (hence, we called it "Red Sparrow"). It is SPECTACULAR! It's James' fave thing to order if he's got the chance to eat out, and I thought it'd be fun to try to surprise him with it at home. It came out perfect! The recipe is below- I believe the order of the stacking is what seals the deal... 1. Make seasoning for meat and fries: Combine 3 T salt, 1 T tomato/basil/garlic soup mix- I used Mrs. Dash seasoning, 2 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper.
2. Make guacamole: (The last time we had Red Sparrow night, we just used avacado smooshed up by itself instead of guamcamole and we thought it tasted better- plus it was way less work.)
3. Toast bun
4. Season meat with mix you made above, and grill. We used the really lean ground beef, and it was delightful! I kind of think the actual Red Robin uses not-so-lean beef. :-) I'll leave that up to you!
5. The stacking of the sandwich. Burger goes on the bottom bun. Top with guacamole, melted swiss cheese, bacon, (onion- we skipped this), lettuce, tomato (from our garden!), and mayo.

This is now probably our favorite meal. And if you thought the burger at Red Sparrow was good, check out the freckled lemonade!!

I had a little snaffoo with the 'dream like' look I was trying to create with this picture, and didn't notice until it came up now. If I hadn't gone overboard, you'd see beautiful strawberry lemonade with strawberries gently floating in it. This is the highlight to Red Sparrow night, so I recommend making this regardless of the poor quality picture above! :-)

1. In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar to a boil.

2. Reduce heat and simmer until the sugar dissolves.

3. Add 1 cup of lemon juice, stir, cool, and pour into a pitcher.

4. Once it's cool, add 1 pint of strawberries, stir, and refridgerate until chilled. (I used frozen strawberries twice, and fresh strawberries once- the frozen strawberries were better, but the fresh ones were healthier- you take your pick!)

5. When ready to serve, add 2 cups of water, stir, and serve. It is TO DIE FOR!!! :-)

To finish off Red Sparrow night, we added steak fries (Kroger brand) and cooked them with the seasoning above. They came out just like Red Robin. The coolest part about the meal? It cost us about $12 all together and fed our entire family. Compare that to a $30-plus ticket at Red Robin, and I think you'll agree that Red Sparrow is the way to go! :-)