Pumpkin Patch field trips and much more

I loved going to Carter's pumpkin patch field trip. It was a really great way to spend special time with him, learn who all his friends are, and see him in his element with all his buddies.I hope I can make all of my kiddos field trips. 

Cooper and Henry....his best buds.

His sweet, sweet teachers. I am so thankful for these two ladies. When I went in for my parent/teacher conference, Francis opened our time up in prayer and prayed for Carter in very specific ways and for our family and thanked God for the opportunity to invest in his life. Wow. So thankful for her.

My little E

Had a couple of dental cleanings...cavity free!

The Hulk :) Coop has taken a big interest in drawing lately. Carter draws for HOURS a day, and lately Coop has jumped in on the action and is drawing all sorts of superheroes, lava, hot smoke?, star wars space ships, and the list goes on! Love their imaginations and how they come out on paper. 

Dump out the toy basket and everyone is entertained for hours.

Next it was time for Coop's field trip. His consisted of simply walking across the street to the local pumpkin patch, but it was still fun seeing him with his buddies and helping him pick out the perfect pumpkin. 

Love this little guy.

Joel and I celebrated our seventh anniversary. We went to Memphis and ate at Flight, shopped, and went to a Drew and Ellie concert. So fun. Love a getaway with my main squeeze. Wish we could do it more! But that season will come. Right now we are buried in bottles and superhero figurines, and  we're doing good to getaway a couple times a year. Makes it more fun when we do get away though :)

This poor cat. Loved and loved and loved.

Emerson discovered the pantry. All my kids loved the pantry. Just so much stuff to take off the shelves and fun new things to shake and throw. Loads of fun in that little space.

And after our Christmas card pics, we had indoor smores. Bribery at it's finest. It worked. Our pictures are awesome!

10 Months!

Emerson is 10 months old!! I actually forgot to take her picture a few days ago, so I am little late. Time is flying! She is crawling EVERYWHERE, loving her big brothers, had her first lollipop today, and is eating all table foods now! Love my little E! Happy 10 months, sweet sweet baby girl!

Tid Bit Tuesday

I have shared this before, but I just love it, so I am sharing it again as my tid bit today. A few years back, I heard a speaker at our previous church, Second Pres in Memphis, say, "What are you trusting God to do, so that when he does it, only He can get the glory?" 

When I heard this, I was trusting God to help Carter overcome some speech obstacles which had led to some pretty severe anxiety in him. It was a hard season for me watching him struggle to commuicate and struggle to feel safe and secure as he was overwhelmed with hearing well for the first time after having ear tubes to remove fluid. 

Anyway, only God can get the glory for what He did for Carter. He is now talking clear as can be, his hearing is 100%, he is thriving in school and church and socially too! 

So very thankful for what God did for my baby and therefore did for me! 

To God be the glory!

Tid Bit Tuesday

Need a good read? This is it! My friend Kimberley Graham has written a great Christian fiction novel set in the deep south in Helen Keller's home town of Tuscumbia. I just finished it, and I recommend it to you.

Download the Kindle app (it's free), and download this book (it's free too!). It will say it's only downloading the sample, but it because it's free right now, it will download the entire book! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pics

We had our annual pumpkin photo shoot Saturday morning at St. Peter's. I love our sweet little Oxford pumpkin patch right off the square. 

Emerson started crawling yesterday! She's been army crawling and getting all over the place for several weeks now, but yesterday she got up on all fours and took off! My baby sure is growing up fast.

Tid Bit Tuesday

Want a veggie your kids will eat? Here it is! 

All you do is put a can of green beans undrained in a pot on the stove and add about about a tablespoon of beef bouillon granules. Bring it to a boil and then let it simmer for about 20 minutes. You can adjust the amount of bouillon to your preferred saltiness. 

Every time I serve these green beans to guests, they ask, "How did you make these green beans so flavorful?" 

And my kids eat them up too! Gotta love a crowd pleasing, super easy side.

Mom confession: My kids dip them in ketchup like french fries as well as every other veggie I serve them. Hey, they eat their veggies, so there you go.

Growing up, pumpkins, and a sweet friend

One of the most fun parts of being a mom is watching your kids explore their little world and discover new things, tastes, smells,  objects, and emotions. Some things Emerson is loving  are dripping water, digging in baskets of toys, leaves, grass, remote controls, and mama's jewelry. It's so sweet to watch her little brow furrow in concentration as she tries to figure out a new object and what it does and how it feels. Having just as much fun watching her grow as I did my boys. So blessed to have been able to watch THREE babies grow. It's a gift I do not take for granted. 

Speaking of growing, Carter performed in Chapel a Regents a few weeks ago! So proud of him! They said three pledges, sang a few songs, and recited two scriptures. Precious. He has flourished since starting at Regents. It's the sweetest school. I am so thankful he loves it and runs in happily every single day and comes home smiling. What a blessing!

When I mentioned going to Taylor swift a couple weeks ago, I didn't mention that I got to spend a night and a day with my bestie! We had a ball! We talked, ate, shopped...you know, all the things you do with your bestie. Thankful for this jewel in my life.

Yes, we bought the same sweater and dress from Banana Republic. It's the ONLY perk of not living in the same city.

It's football season!!! So Joel had to take the boys to run off some steam on the new turf while I was out of town.

Might be my favorite pictures of her EVER.

And she's on to table food. Let the messes begin!

One of our weekly stops at the candy store. It's a Friday night tradition.

We are ready for Halloween over here. Well except for Emerson, gotta find her a cute costume. But the boys are set! 

My life...boys fighting, and Emerson playing in the background. Pretty soon, she'll be joining in the chaos!

Can you tell I am having too much fun dressing her? My real life baby doll! I am just loving it!

And this started today....pull things off the shelf phase of life. Coop never really graduated from this phase! 

And here's my big little boy. He dresses big boy, but he's still my cheesing, squeezable little boy. XOXO!!!!