this year, we celebrated thanksgiving a little differently with a family cruise to the bahamas on the disney dream.  was it ever a dream!  i strongly urge all of you to seriously consider saving your pennies and taking this trip.  it was fabulous!  there aren't many days that evie doesn't tell me that she wants to go back on the ship.  we are so thankful to my parents for making it happen and to my sweet sis, dana - the greatest travel planner ever.  being with family is one of the things i am so incredibly thankful for and to be able to be together in such a beautiful, warm, place was the greatest.  here are a few pics from our trip...

 all packed and ready to go!

 ready to fly

 3 sweet girls - excited for the ship

 the closet in the kid's club was full of princess dresses - so fun!

 good ole, mike

 made a pit stop at the "pink" bar

 view from the veranda

 Thanksgiving day - Atlantis Beach

 in front of the ship

 fancy night out

 dad and denice in front of the "pink" bar

 big conversation with sleeping beauty

 pirate night

 the elephant in the room

papa woo-woo and evie

such a great trip with such wonderful, special people.  when is it we are planning for the next one?

she makes me laugh!

October - in a nut shell...

October has proved to be a busy month for some reason.  So here are some of the happenings complete with pumpkin carving and halloween fun.

evie had her parent's observation day at gymnastics and wouldn't you know it, my camera WAS NOT cooperating!  so here are just a couple pics that were okay.  she loves every minute of her time there every tuesday.  and especially loves her coach, mr. jerry.

 evie and mr. jerry

and then there was picture day at school.  evie wanted me to take a quick pic of her and murph before heading out.

my cousin, curtis, was married a few weekends ago, so we headed to Kansas City for the big event.  it was so great being with family and evie especially loved spending some time with her cousin, sallie

 lots of hugs!

sallie and her papa 

 all ready for bed but not quite ready to sleep

 we spent most of our shopping day in the disney store...how cute is she?

and then, we FINALLY carved one of our pumpkins.  evie couldn't wait to get into the 

"ooey-gooey stuff"

 "my dad is so strong!"

 "all finished!"

 the cutest pink flamingo, ready to trick-or-treat

 hansel and gretel dressed and ready for the party...

me and my friend, zoe, dressed as richard simmons...they throw a great halloween party every year and we always have a great time!

so that's about it, in a nut shell!  hopefully i'll be better about updating throughout november.  

happy fall everyone!

Medicine Lodge Peace Treaty

we headed southwest for a weekend in "the lodge" to celebrate the peace treaty.  for those of you who aren't sure what the peace treaty is, Trevor would be happy to explain it to you.  i can tell you, though, it is a HUGE celebration (one that only happens every 3 years) - complete with a parade Friday, Saturday AND Sunday morning, horses, covered wagons, native americans, guns galore, pony rides, street dances, and so much more.  it also is a time that many people who have ties to Medicine Lodge come back to see old friends.  here are a few pics from the weekend...  

 a little picnic lunch with cousins, reese and davis

 trevor with dear friend JB and his boys Spencer and Griffin - 

they came all the way from Arizona!

 evie and murphy enjoying the parade from inside

 parade getting started

 the "pageant" a complete reenactment of the treaty - thousands of people were there

 evie riding Golden Boy

playing with their new light sabers

sleep-over!

it's been awhile ago, now - (finally getting around to posting about it) but Evie had her first sleepover with her dear friend, Lucy. these 2 are so fun to watch together and listen to! the things they say are priceless! anyway, the girls did really well - slept all night, played lots in the morning and then it was out to meet Lucy's mom. here are a few pics of the fun -

first day of pre-k

aw...seriously, how can she be in pre-k already?!? i get a little sad every time i think about it and secretly wish she would be little forever. i just want to soak up every single thing and never forget the precious ways about her, the things she says, her innocence, and her love for life. she had her first big day and i am so excited for her! she has THE BEST teachers...Mrs. Patti, Mrs. Laura and Mrs. Gretchen - these women love what they do and it shows. the love they have for these children is such a wonderful thing to see!

we kicked her first day off with a fun morning at home, the lunch of her choice (chicken nuggets, strawberries and a pickle) and headed off to school sporting her new sparkly tennies. i did get a few, "aw, mom!" whines as i asked her to pose for just one more pic.

ready to go!

"i can do this, mom"

evie and mrs. patti

and, just because i like to look back at the years before, here's a pic from her very first day of kid's day in christ...

happy 1st day of pre-k my sweet girl! i am so proud of you and wish you a wonderful year of learning, making new friends and becoming the girl that God created you to be. i am so blessed to be your mom and watch you grow!

(now i need to run and grab a tissue!)