Pumpkin Carvin'

As soon as we got home from Poppell's Sunday night, the boys set to work decorating our small pumpkins. We got these Potato Head like pieces from Wal Mart this year and the boys had been impatiently waiting to use them for nearly a month! They were so easy to use and the boys had a blast designing and decorating their monsters.

My little monsters with their little monsters...

The boys were impatient about waiting all week, but finally on Thursday night we carved our big pumpkin. The boys picked out the Witch's Brew pattern and presented it to Daddy for carving. I think that this is the sixth year that Phil has carved a pumpkin or pumpkins for our boys and he is becoming quite the expert. This year's pumpkin turned out wonderfully and it didn't take him nearly as long to do it as we thought it would.

Cleaning out the pumpkin guts...

Carvin' Time...

and the finished product...

You are the light of the world. ...
Let your light shine before men,

that they may see your good deeds and praise your

Father in heaven.

Matthew 5:14-16

It's the Great Pumpkin

Part of our annual Poppell's Farm tradition is picking out the perfect pumpkin to bring home and carve. Well, Daddy does the carving, but Trey and Jesse pick out the pumpkin, pick out the design, and do some of the pumpkin guts cleaning out. This year they picked out a huge pumpkin and they were so very disappointed that we made them wait until Thursday night to carve it! But that's part of the cost of living in hot and humid South Georgia...our carved pumpkins just don't last very long!

The Perfect Pumpkin

We also always take the hay ride over to the pumpkin patch and everyone gets a smaller pumpkin. Every year we say that we're going to make pumpkin pie with them, but somehow we never do.

Happy Pumpkin Day!

Flashback Friday: Jesse's First Halloween

Trey, 4 years & Jesse, 6 months

Our Visit to Poppell's Pumpkin Patch

We made our annual trip to Poppell's Pumpkin Patch on Sunday afternoon. In my opinion, we have the best pumpkin patch around and it gets better every year! We had a great time and I took lots and lots of pictures so I'm going to have to break them into several posts.

My Handsome Boys

This years new addition was the Crop Hopper, a huge bouncy thing. The boys LOVED it and spent most of their time at the patch playing on it!

The Cow Train
Jesse rode Petunia and Trey rode on Moo-Linda


The Duck Races

Daddy getting in on the fun!

Feeding the Goats

Back to the Crop Hopper!

Singing on the Hay Ride

Daddy showing the boys how to lasso a steer

The BIG Slide

Lost in the Corn Maze

Wordless Wednesday

Tissues Ready

Today marks three years since my infant niece went into Jesus' arms. It is a sad day to say the least. However, for me, the anniversary that I remember most was actually yesterday. Yesterday was the anniversary of the day that I got that call from Phil. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was on my way to pick Trey up from school when the call came. Phil told me that Janie was getting to hold Lila Rae. For a brief moment, I felt happiness and hope. I thought, for that brief moment, that the news meant that Lila Rae was getting stronger, and that they had finally been able to close her little chest. Phil's silence on the other end told me I was wrong and my hope was shattered. Last month, Janie came and talked to the women's group at my church. She spoke about when they told her that it was time to hold Lila Rae. I had never heard her story of what took place that day and I'm glad that I finally got to hear it. If you'd like to read Janie's story of Lila Rae's Heavenly Birthday, please go here. I warn you to have your tissues ready, but it is well worth the read.

Yesterday was also the anniversary of the day that we told Trey that Lila Rae was going to heaven. It was one of the hardest things that I have ever had to do and I will never forget Trey's reaction as long as I live. He threw himself in the floor and cried, "but I never got to see her." We've taught him that while he (and me) never got to see Lila Rae here on Earth, that we will get to see her in Heaven, and that not seeing her doesn't lessen our love for her. She will be in our hearts forever.

If you missed my blog on Lila Rae's Earthly birthday, please go here. My life was changed by Lila Rae and it's a story that I want to share. Also, you can read all about Lila Rae's life here. It is a story that is worth reading, over and over.

Donut anyone???

The donut game was the best game and the best time of the whole party!!! Our hostess would dangle a mini powdered donut from a string just above the kids heads and the kids had to stand with their hands behind their back and try to eat the donut. IT. WAS. HILARIOUS! I must apologize for the blurry pictures, but Phil and I were laughing so hard that we could hardly hold the camera! I really wish that we had thought to get it on video!