Saying goodbye......

 Sooo....

the day came...today...that we had to take down the tree in the front yard! The last storm {Hurricane Zeta} finally made the tree really buckle and pull from the ground to where it was leaning really bad and could fall over at any moment. So...Tyler and I {with the BIG help from Lily...she is a rockstar!....Alexis didnt want to break a sweat....} took down the tree and hauled it to the road. BOY was it some work....and the tree was HUGE! I didnt realize exactly HOW big it was until we started cutting it down! Over 70 feet!

We are going to take down the other tree {when facing the house to the right} at another time because we were just tired. It got struck by lightning and a huge branch split from the last big storm so we cut down some big limbs from it today too but will do the rest later. Our front yard looks like a nightmare {I guess great timing as it is Halloween weekend :)} but Tyler will have it looking fabulous again soon...no doubt!

NO doubt we made the MOST of quarantine...Day 2! {Because we technically were in quarantine  {Day 1}and didnt know it because school was closed because of the storms!} Tyler took off at lunch to join the day with us! Little did I know....we would be working...hard...the rest of the afternoon! :)

I just cant get over how our yard looks without the tree!

Our home before the trees......

The tree is massage........and beautiful!

Didnt realize what we were getting into......until it alllll started coming down! ha!

Our little helper............and what's left of our beautiful tree!

Wow at the difference it is! The sun is in full view! We took three big limbs down on the left tree and that one will be gone next.

This cracked me up! As Tyler was trying to drag this huge and heavy piece..we were joking that he was wrangling a bull.....soooooo...Lily rode the bull!

 

Another 13th!

 On a FULL moon Friday night....Alexis had another 13th birthday party....Halloween style!

That is my kind of party! ha!

Alexis was so excited for Reese's birthday! She said they danced and ate pizza!...and yes, there were boys there! She came home telling us all about it and said she had a blast!

I just cant believe all of her friends are turning teenagers! It just isnt time for that!

Meet....Eeyore, Piglet, Tigger and Winnie the Pooh! They all looked so cute but I have to say...I loved Alexis'! She did her costume all by herself where the rest had onesies. She forgot her Piglet ears at Sydneys {because they got ready there} so we had to go grab them before I took them to the party.

Glad they have these sweet memories together!

I just dont understand the faces. Why is that cool...to make faces. I just dont get it! ha! :)

Meet Piglet!

Pumpkin carving!

 Our annual pumpkin carving is alllllways so much fun!

The girls drew how they wanted their pumpkins to be and Daddy helped make it happen! I just took pictures! ha!

Our fun night kind of got turned upside down...when I got a call from the school nurse telling us Lily has to quarantine for 14 days since her teacher tested positive for COVID. We had to take a brief pause and talk about what we were facing...and help Lily understand...and get over the shock of missing our Halloween tradition and school. She ended up being okay with only a small melt-down which was totally called for because a 9 year old just doesnt understand this whole craziness...that even her Mom doesnt either!

Sooo.....Halloween is going to look a little different this year.....and we wont have friends and family over like our past traditions...but that isnt going to stop us from making it the best we can!

Big prayers for Lily as we navigate quarantine and that she doesnt get it along with the rest of her classmates and that her teacher, Mrs. Real feels better fast!

Drawing and carving!

Lily could not wait to get her hands on the 'guts' of the pumpkin!

Digging it out! ha!

I would say...her picture looks just how the pumpkin turned out!

So does Alexis'!

The carved pumpkins fit riiight in!

Target Mommy!

 It is that time of year......when we see how much they have grown!

OH this day! Every single time....they both get SO worked up! ha! Lily just strives to be taller than Alexis and Alexis will just never want to come to terms that Lily could very well be taller than her! :)

Sooo....

drum roll...

who won!?!

Alexis this time!

Lily has been the winner but this time around Alexis hit a big growth spurt!

Thing about it too....

She is ONLY two inches away from being taller than me!

WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Sooo......

Tyler measured me.....and then put a 'target' on the wall beside the mark with the saying...TARGET MOMMY! bahahaha!

Alexis' target is to be taller than me....and it appears that by next measurement day...it might just happen! {WOW!!!}

They DO NOT even breath during this! Soooo intense...and such concentration!

Seeing hoooowww tall!

Standing tall and NOT moving a muscle! ha!

Cant really tell....but Alexis is 5'2 and Lily is 4'3 and 1/2! Alexis grew 2 inches in 6 months and Lily grew an inch and a half! We looked at what height Alexis was that Lily is now...and Lily is taller than Alexis at the same age!

I think it will happen that Lily is taller...........we shall see! :)

Bloody

 Well...ya know...Halloween 2020 is just like the way the rest of 2020 has been...just different!

So, in the past, I made my 'famous' bloody eyeballs and brains spaghetti on Halloween night for everyone who came over to enjoy. Well.....with COVID...we are not doing our normal Halloween so I wont be cooking but it didnt mean we werent going to keep out fun tradition of eating bloody brains and eyeballs!

So, last night we had a fun Halloween family dinner! It was even better this year because I actually included the 'eye' piece to make the meatballs look more real! Instead of 'green brains'....Lily requested blue and red brains....so that is what we did!

It was delish!

We played Pandora's Halloween party radio while we ate and enjoyed our spooky meal!

Just love!

So today we ended up having an impromptu day off due to hurricane Zeta that came through the state of Alabama last night (around 3:30am!) Whew..those winds were rough but thankfully we didnt have any damage and still have power as I am typing this today. I have not heard of any casualties so that is a blessing too! But with alot of people without power...us girls have found ourselves relaxing at home today! I will take it! 

Creeeepy...but yuummmyy! ha!

They loved the candy eyeball touch and the Halloween music this time! Those items will be added to our tradition from now on! That is one thing that hasnt been so bad about 2020....is the fact that things have had to change but because of the changes....we have discovered how things can actually change...for the better!

Since we were home....we worked on some Halloween fun for the trick or treaters that come. The goal is for them to follow these 'rules'....

We shall see how it goes to them only taking two pieces because I plan on just having the candy bucket out for them to pick what they want!

Alexis did the writing....and Lily did the hand prints!

A haunted trail night!

 We had the best night last night!

Because of COVID, the Community Center scratched all their original plans and did a 'Haunted Trail Trek!'

It was sooooo good!

 I told the Community Center Director that it needs to become one of the traditions that they do because it was so well managed and the 'trek' on the trail just was a perfect set-up for Halloween fun!

We hope it is done next year!

We met the Jarvis' for dinner before going and just had so much fun catching up and having a fun night!

Fun with the girls!

I cant wait to watch Elyn and Lily playing soccer as teammates when they reach high school! They will be a force!

Getting ready to start the trek!

This witch looked so real. Lily had so much fun! Alexis invited Sydney to come. Well during Baja...Sydney's parents ended up eating there.....so they ditched me and went to 'hang out' with each other at Sydney's house. Alexis missed out on allll the fun!

They worked so hard on this and it was such a great job! Lily came home with her bag FULL to the top with candy!

Cant wait to do it next year! Fingers crossed!

 

Wordless Wednesday!

 If this isnt something!

Allll of this in one week! ha!

BOO!

 Oh I love traditions and last night we did our 'You got booed' night and it was so much fun!

The girls LOVE doing this each year and it is something I look forward to each Halloween!

The girls pick who they want to 'BOO!' (it has to be someone for Lily and someone for Alexis...in our neighborhood only. No others, outside our neighborhood allowed!) :)

So, Alexis chose the Sorianos' (Sydney, Pearson and Ford)

and Lily chose the Bush's (Maddie and Bryce)

Them running to the doors.....nervous...cracks me up! ha!

 We always love to go to McDonalds and get a fun treat after! Its such a fun memory! :)

 Ready to go!

 Not sure whyyyyy Alexis' picture will not turn the proper position...but I had to still include it!

 Alexis running up to the house! When she first got out of the car...she just causally started walking up...then she realized...oh!...I am not supposed to be seen! That girl!

Lily took off like a bolt of lightning! ha!

Fun times! Heading to BOO and then to get our treats! (Dont worry...we brought Daddy home some treats even though he was a party pooper and didnt want to go!) :)

Never dull!

 We had a nice and relaxing weekend! Caught up on cleaning, loads...and loads of laundry, sheets, nick nack 'to do's' that needed to be done....ya know...allllll the little things that you just put off during the week.....

It rained most Saturday so we stayed in our pjs most of the day and enjoyed being at home. Though we didnt have much going on.........there is nevvvverrrr a dull moment.

Let me explain!.........................

So, I was on my third load of laundry when our dryer popped up saying AF. Let me explain our dryer. So during 'quarantine' we had a long list of just things that went wrong, broke, etc that we had to work on, fix or replace. Well, our dryer was one of those. So....despite Tyler having dryer parts at every turn....there was just no fixing our old dryer so we had to get a new one. Well our new one is fannnnncy. It tells you anything that is wrong with it. So, it popped up AF and cut off. Well, AF stands for 'air flow' which then is supposed to tell us that the lent area needs to be cleaned out. Well...it didnt need to be cleaned out. It was clear. 

So....next thing I know...

Tyler has the dryer pulled out from its spot and is telling me to come here and where to stand.

So....I do as I am told and the next thing I know...

Tyler is bringing in his huge gas powered blower (with it running) and shoves it down the air vent and tells me to hold it and to press the accelerator while he goes and checks something. YOU DONT understand the picture of what is going on! I am in the most awkward position....holding his HUGE blower that is literally shaking my arm off as I am trying to press the switch down to 'make it accelerate' all while it is SO loud and the gas fumes are just taking over the laundry room and our house.

I was dying. I had tears coming down my face from sheer stress of the whole having to hold it and what was happening.

So Tyler comes back...has to jerk it out of the vent...and cuts it off. Meanwhile...I am a frazzled mess and I cant feel my arm/hand and it smells sooooooooo bad in our house that we decide to open alllll the doors and let it air out.

 

So...THANK GOODNESS...we have Aubie and Soccer locked in the playroom with Lily while this is happening... so....we are sitting in the living room trying to watch football and recoup...when a CHIPMUNK just comes bebopping in our HOUSE through the back porch door!

YEP!

Takes OFF running throughout our house! I wish I could have gotten this whooooollle thing on camera from beginning to end! After about 15 minutes of pure chaos ....Tyler and I successfully got the thing out! It was touch and go...............up until the end! OH ME! I was spent and DONE after alll of that! :)

We worked on Halloween costumes since this week will be full of Halloween fun!

Daddy helped Lily get started! It is a surprise as to what they are going to be! Cant wait to show pictures of the final costumes! :)

Lily worked hard on hers!

 Alexis...still in her pjs...working on hers! Both costumes are so creative and they worked so hard on them!

Then...Daddy saw where some of his baseball cars could be worth around $1,000!!! Soo...he pulled them out and they all enjoyed looking through them! Then he FOUND one...but didnt realize it was ones that are flawed that are the most expensive. His isnt flawed! Bummer but they had fun looking!

The thousand dollar card.......until he realized his didnt have the 'flaw' :)

 Sunday...she looked soooo cute for Church! And..she dressed her giraffe up in its Halloween costume too!

 

Soccer , surprises and pjs!

 This week has been full of soccer....soccer...and soccer....and pjs!

Lily has been getting her energy out with this soccer season! She has never played as many games as she has in years past but she is loving it! I felt so sad for her as she hurt her hand during the last game on Thursday so we left it early. She is fine but sore so she has been resting it and letting it get better.

Her team has been playing so well and getting better each game! I have really enjoyed watching her and her team this year!

Tuesday night lights! ha!

Thursday night lights too!

Get it girl!

GO TEAM!

This girl is a rock star!

We enjoyed surprising Tamara and her becoming a grandmother.....and $5.00 pizza too! :)

AND...today!.......PJ day! These two were pumped this morning! HAPPY Friday and here's to the weekend!

Deserves a post of its own!

 There are really no words. This picture means a thousand of them.

Alexis had such a tough year in 3rd grade. 

She cried everyday.

I cried everyday.

Her teacher was just not caring and supportive and just not loving and happy to be teaching.

It makes a huge difference as a child is dependent upon the teacher's attitude and spirit. 

It just does and when Alexis' had what she did...every single day....it was so hard.

Now, yes, Alexis' teacher prepared her for 4th grade. Alexis was ready. No doubt about that.

Yes, Alexis was and is a social butterfly who likes to talk to her friends any chance she can get....and even chances she isnt supposed to have.

I know that. She knows that. The teachers know that.

But....

still...

there is a difference. A BIG difference in how you love the students you have.

Alexis did not have that.

Alexis' only year {thus far that I can vouch for} that she did not have a kind and caring and loving teacher. It was a tough year and I was sooooo thankful that we both survived 3rd grade. I was also so thankful that 4th grade came and every single one of those teachers {because Alexis' switched classes with almost all of them} helped us restore our 'good' feelings about school and teachers and everything in between. I can NOT imagine having Alexis' teacher for Lily especially during the pandemic and how it all has been crazy with it too. OH my...there are just no words, it would have been worse with how she is, no doubt!

So, fast forward to Lily coming up to 3rd.

I dreaded it from the time Alexis was in 3rd until Lily was in that grade. I knew I would literally be sick to my stomach if Lily had the same teacher that Alexis did.

The day we got the teacher letters............

my heart..throat.....body was in knots until I saw that Lily had Mrs. Real.

I didnt {at the time} know Mrs. Real. I had heard that she was a good teacher. That she was firm when she needed to be but loving and caring and devoted to helping and teaching her kids.

Let me tell you. This lady is an answered prayer!

I am so beyond thankful Lily has her. She has been the best Lily has had {and she has had great past teachers} but she has just been wonderful during a time I was dreading. Physically and mentally dreading for years now.

Thank you Mrs. Real for being the light that we needed and my Momma heart feels sooooo good to know Lily is loved, learning, happy and being taken care of!

Lily talked non-stop for a week leading up to her game...that Mrs. Real was coming to watch her! She was SOOO excited she came and just loves her teacher!

Wordless Wednesday!

 

This made me laugh!