Trick or Treat

Happy Halloween! This year we found Campbell's costume at the summer dog days sale. She chose a bumblebee outfit complete with a matching costume for her "American Girl" doll. Cooper, on the otherhand, had more difficulty choosing a costume. She is past the "little" girls costumes and she is just about "too old" to want to dress up anymore; even though she really wants the candy. In the end she realized she could be anything for Halloween. Whether fit for a boy/girl, old/young, expensive/cheap. She was happy with her choice, a mummy.


Our cute little bumblebee.


Look out for the scary mummy.


Campbell took her "AG" doll out Trick or Treating too.

Snacks for Girl Scouts

I wanted to make something "spooky" for Halloween snacks for Cooper's Girl Scout Meeting. I found this recipe online and gave it a try. Cut off the top of a small orange. Scrape out all the orange inside. Using a knife carve out a face on the orange. Cut a slit in the top of the orange to insert the straw. Fill the orange with chopped up grapes and strawberries. Enjoy!

Veterinarian

At preschool Campbell could dress up as a community helper for Halloween. Campbell chose to be a veterinarian. She loves animals, especially dogs. I think one day she just might be a great vet.

Autumn

The girls and I took the opportunity to visit my mom's house to see the new baby donkey, named Autumn. This is the third baby donkey from Sophie and Turbo. New baby donkeys are just too cute. Their fur is so fluffy and soft and their legs are still wobbly. The girls love to feed the donkeys treats. It was a quick visit but well worth the time spent. We also had to help Grandma finish decorating cookies.


Decorating cookies.


Autumn, the new donkey.


Giving treats to Autumn.

Orange hot cocoa

On our last visit to the Better Cheddar store in Kansas City, the girls purchased orange hot cocoa. They couldn't wait to give it a try once we got home. To our disappointment, it didn't taste as good as it looked. I guess hot cocoa should always be brown.


Orange hot cocoa


Cooper thought it would be great.


Campbell not too happy.

The Creation

Cooper and her friend Zach brainstormed an idea for a creation. They drew up plans, discussed ideas, gathered supplies, and made a date to work on it. After two work sessions the creation was complete. Some kind of hotel, parking garage, swimming pool, and much more.


The completed creation.

Pumpkin Patch

We ventured out to the Pumpkin Patch today with our friends, the Hitchings. The weather turned warmer and the girls enjoyed all the outdoor activities. Fall is approaching and what better way to spend an afternoon with friends. Happy Fall!


Cooper and Campbell at the Pumpkin Patch.


All the girls by the spider hay bale.


Campbell milking the cow.


Ride 'em cowgirls.


Campbell feeding the turkeys.


Cooper petting the calf.


Cooper showing off her pumpkin.


T and Campbell sliding down the sand slide.


Cooper trying the slide.


All the girls enjoying the wagon ride.

Jack-O-Lanterns

Chad and the girls took advantage of the warm weather to carve a jack-o-lantern. The girls really just like to bake the pumpkin seeds and eat them later, and will gladly carve up a cute face to get those seeds. I enjoy decorating the pumpkins with the already made faces, so I did my part and everything turned out great!


Getting the pumpkin ready.


Take out the seeds.


Helping mom get the faces on.


Mom's pumpkins.


Mom's pumpkins too.


The finished jack-o-lantern.

Cowboys

Family photo theme this year was Western Wear. Chad and I already had boots, but we needed to take a trip to Vanderbilt's and purchase the girls some real cowgirl boots. Cooper went for a more subtle style with brown and black. Campbell on the other hand was all flash. Purple boots of course. Now we are all officially cowboys.

Wilma

Halloween Bunco - The perfect place for Wilma.

Construction

In July the shopping center where Nespor's is located began construction. Not just a small construction project, but numerous large projects. First, a old building was torn down and removed to make way for a new Dillons store. Second, every remaining store front was remodeled and refaced to a newer look. Third, the parking lot was resurfaced and rerouted to include landscaping. Fourth, every remaining store was required to purchase a new marquee sign.

Needless to say it has not been easy. With chain link fences surrounding our store. A tunnel to enter our store. Reduced parking. Cones and equipment everywhere. Less customers going to the remaining Dillons. Roads torn up. Entrances blocked. Signs removed. Talk about a very unpleasant end to the summer, a discouraging football season, and rough start to the holiday season. We can't begin to tell you how awful all this construction has been.

March is the set date for the new Dillons to open. Let's hope this means the end is in sight. We could sure use a new start and a good year.


Nespor's new front.


What the construction looked like around remaining stores.


The evidence of the parking lot reconstruction.

April's Wedding

The Leuci family have been in our life since 2003. Ms. Dena was Cooper's first babysitter and lil' Chad was Cooper's first playmate. Lil' Chad's oldest sister, April, was 14 at the time. Little did we know that 8 years later we would be at April's wedding.

The girls were thrilled, not only for the wedding, but to be able to see Ms. Dena, lil' Chad, and Nicole again. It was a great visit, a beautiful wedding, and a happy time to get together with a great family. Congrats April & Leif!


Cooper, Campbell, Nicole, and lil' Chad


Cooper, Nicole, and Campbell


Ms. Dena and Cooper (Campbell was tired of pictures by this time.)

Halloween Decorations

Holiday decorations are an important tradition for our house. The girls and I made sure to get the house ready for Halloween in plenty of time. It doesn't take much to make the house spooky. I did pick up a couple new things this year at the Hillsboro Craft Show and I was excited to display them.


Candy Basket


The new witch hat and boots.


Witches and pumpkins are out.


The jack-o-lantern jar.


Table set for a spooky time.

Fun at the Park

The weather was pleasantly warm today, so Campbell and I went to the park to play. Cooper was at school, so Campbell and I could enjoy some alone time. Campbell was showing off her climbing skills. She loved to show me how brave she was. It was a great afternoon at the park.


Campbell loves her tank tops, even in October.


Walking across the bridge.


Look mom! I can climb to the top.


Great times at the park.


What a beautiful smile.

Sponsorship

Our neighbors have a son who plays on a junior football team. Before the season started they asked us if they could use Colgin's logo on the team banner as a sponsor for the team. We were honored they thought of Colgin. We enjoyed a morning out on the K-state football field to watch the team play.