The Bright Eyed Brunette

My witch, Cowboy, and Country Diva at Nanny and Pop's house My scary neighbor, Anthony.  He's 17 and was riding his bike around trick or treating!!  I prayed all night that he wouldn't get ran over! At Grammy and Papa's Carlie with her wax vampire teeth!  A classic :) With our sweet neighbor, Lauren.  Happy Halloween!!  This was probably the most unorganized Halloween that we've ever had!  We didn't have costumes until Saturday night, so you can imagine how picked over everything was.  We kind of did a little bit of this and that, but they were happy so that was all that mattered.  Carlie was supposed to be a country diva (singer), but didn't like carrying her guitar and microphone around with her.  Makena was a witch but we didn't do any face paint, and Trey was a cowboy....again.  He was a cowboy when he was three.  They got way too much candy, so we'll be playing Bible Bingo tomorrow night in Discovery!!  I've got to find some way to get

Friday night we traveled to Cherry Valley to watch Carl's nephew, Hunter play in his Senior Night game.  We got a real treat when we got to watch Riley play too :)  They lost, but it was still fun to get to see them both play.  And yes, I froze.  Winter is NOT my thing!! Here are a few of the pictures I took: Wendy, Hunter, and John Leslie and Carlie took Hunter a gift out on the field.  This picture was a little blurry, but isn't the sky so pretty? :) Number 72 is little Riley.  He looked so little in his uniform. Maybe we'll be able to attend a warmer game next year :) Trey and Riley.  He had such a good time playing with him.  The more rough the better for T! Makena and Uncle John....they all love him! We had such a good time visiting with everyone.  Thanks Nana for the yummy soup, chili, and pizza and for letting us crash at your house.  We left full and rested :) Beth 

Carlie with her best friend since preschool, Heather Makena with her friend, Mady.  They are the same age, in fact Mady is actually 2 months older than Makena :) Most of the kids that attended the FF. The girls who stayed for the sleepover.  Mady and Makena crafting with their tiles. Girl Talk! Friday night was the Annual Fall Festival at our church.  We had games, a devotional, and of course we ate!  In preparation for the FF, I injured my back, so I wasn't exactly myself that night, which is the reason why I didn't take very many pictures!  Both of my girls invited friends to stay the night at the sleepover following the FF.  They both picked their best friends, Heather and Mady from school.  The sleepover was at my parent's house and it was super fun for all the girls.  They crafted , talked, told stories, played Judge Judy (?), watched a movie, and drank WAY too much Mt. Dew!!  Like I said, my back was hurting pretty bad, so I had taken a muscle relaxer.....needless

Makena and Carlie riding the 4wheelers in the woods by Carl's deer stand/honey hole :) We looked around and found T on his way up to the climbing stand.  Of course then he had to pause for a picture! Then Carlie thought she needed to pose for me too! And Makena sat on the 4wheeler and watched us :) Carl and Trey checking out the deer feeder. Today was a great day for a ride through the woods to check out the deer stands and feeders and cameras.  Carl hasn't really been bow hunting because he's been really busy and it's been extremely warm!  When we were out there today it was almost 90 degrees.  That's WAY too warm to be hunting here.  Mosquitoes almost ate us up before we could get back on the 4 wheelers.  Carl has lots of deer on his game cameras including one monster buck...even bigger than the buck he killed at the farm last year!  After we finished we came back home and Carl cleaned out his truck and vacuumed my car out and I took a nap!  I have just been so

Today our school went to the Pumpkin Patch.  Usually we go to Hardin Farms in Grady, but this year it was closed so we went to Wildwood Park's Pumpkin Patch in West Little Rock.  It was fun and they had different activities for the kids, but we had to split up into groups of 15 or less, which was my first dilemma.  I thought I was going to have to make a decision to either go with Trey and his class or the girls and their class.  I didn't want to have to choose one or the other, because I wouldn't get to see them play games and take fun pictures!  Thankfully we worked it out so that I took Trey with the girls group.  I hate it that he didn't get to spend the time with his classmates, but he is so social that it didn't bother him.  He has never met a stranger :)  Anyway, here are some pictures I took: T climbing through the hay maze.  Carlie and friends, playing in the hay Makena, about to go in the hay maze Jared, Madeline, Carlie, and Bonnie smiled for me before

Our Group: Heather, Gracie, Abby, Hannah, Carlie, Aiden, Stephen, David, and Skyler Well, today I got to experience my first Farm Safety Day :)  I say that like it's a big deal or something, but I have always heard of it and since it was just for 5th graders, I didn't know what it was so I was curious.  It was really fun, and a great break for the kids from school!  They had 10 safety stations set up.  We were all split into groups, and since all the private schools (3) in Stuttgart aren't very big, we all got grouped together, plus we had one home school student in our group (Carlie's new friend).  There were also two public schools there (Stuttgart and DeWitt).  Anyway, we were told that our group was the best behaved :)  Here are some of the kids at our first station, the smoke house (fire safety): Waiting to go into our first station...fire safety.  They filled a little house with smoke and told the kids what to do in case it ever happened to them. Carlie was th

Today the boys started harvesting the soybeans, which means we are getting closer and closer to this all being done!  Woo Hoo :)  Deer season (bow season) started on Saturday and believe it or not Carl didn't even go.  Yes, we did go to Morrilton, but we didn't even leave until 11:00, so he had plenty of time.  He said he just needed to sleep in?! Yes, I did check to see if he was running a fever!  He has pictures on his camera of a monster buck at the farm, which is where he killed the big one last year, so he hasn't even said much about going down south to hunt :)  I really don't mind anymore, but he doesn't want us staying alone.  Here is a picture he sent me today: And here is a picture of the kids that I took yesterday after school: As you can see all the animals are in the picture:  Happy jumped in the picture right as I snapped it! I can't wait to get the mums I ordered from the FFA....they should be in any day now.  Sad thing is, I don&#

Jacob and Troy Landry at Macks Prairie Wings in Stuttgart :) They were there from 10-3 today and we didn't get to meet them because we went to church before going to Macks, but it was okay because we got a pretty good picture of them :)  The kids had a good time playing games, rock climbing, and getting free stuff.  It was SUPER crowded.  Even people that come every year said that it was more crowded than ever.  Here are some of the pictures that I took there.  Some of them are poor quality due to my phone.  Trey loved the bouncy slide! Carlie, climbing the rock wall Makena tried, bless her heart, but this was as far up as she got. Trey even got to climb.  It looked like a lot of fun! I almost wanted to try it, except that all the adults were standing around watching and I didn't want to be the one who couldn't get off the ground. They had targets for the kids to shoot at.  He was trying to shoot a bear.  He missed (twice)! Now

Today we made the trip to Morrilton to celebrate sweet Elijah's 3rd birthday!  I remember so well the day he was born.  Me and all three of my kids loaded up in our van and went to LR to be there at 3:30 in the morning.  We didn't make it in time, but we were still able to see him and I got to hold him.  He is getting so big now and is doing so many new things, and I am very proud of him. He was acting so shy because everyone was singing to him Everybody checking out his presents Carlie and Ellie Kate going for a stroll All six of the grand kids...check out Eli's face!  He was super excited about his new Lightning McQueen bicycle :) My mom and dad with the grand kids.  I think they would agree that six is plenty! My grandparents, Grammy and Papa with the great-grand kids. I've said this before, but I want to say it again, I feel truly blessed that my kids are able to have their great-grandparents be such an active part of their liv