Weekly Happenings - 10/21 - 10/27

This weekend was a busy one but we had a great time!  Lots of pics but I had a hard time even narrowing down to these ~20.  Enjoy!

1.  On Thursday night, we joined lots of Chad's family for a rehearsal dinner for his cousin Kelli's wedding.  Peyton was a flower girl (with her cousin Whitney) and Garrison was a ring bearer (with his cousin Morgan) - Wyatt was one of the candle lighters.  Peyton did great with practice and we all enjoyed a nice dinner afterwards.  The kiddos ran so hard at the rehearsal that they were passed out almost as soon as their heads hit their pillows!

2.  Early on Saturday morning, we met Aunt April & Whitney at the hotel to get the girls' hair done.  Peyton was super pumped!  They did a great job and before long it was time to move to the church for pictures and the wedding!  Although Garrison wasn't to walk down the aisle, he did pose for the wedding party pictures which was fantastic.  The girls were in awe of Kelli the entire day and we had a hard time separating them from her so she could have some pictures by herself!  The wedding was beautiful and I was so proud of Peyton and how well she did walking down the aisle.  Both kids did great during the ceremony which was a bonus!

After the ceremony, the wedding party went to Kauffman Stadium to take pictures - it was amazing!  Peyton told everyone who would listen, "I've been waiting for this my WHOLE life!"  Adorable.  She held her own, dancing to the music on the bus and chatting with Kelli & Whitney pretty much the whole time.  I'm just glad she let me tag along to capture a few of the moments! ;)

Then it was time to move on to the reception.  The party was so fun - the kids danced, we had the chance to take photo booth pictures (we have about 10 strips!) dinner was tasty and everyone had a great time!  The hardest part?  Reminding Peyton that there were some things Kelli had to do without her - you know, her first dance with her groom, her dance with her Dad - I know, shocking, right?  Well, that was hard but so was leaving.  Both kids amazingly stayed awake on the way home but passed out quickly when we got them into bed around 9.  Fun was had by all!

3.  On Sunday we decided to take the plunge - that's right, we went shopping for Garrison's big boy bed!  He will be the proud owner on Thursday of twin bunk beds.  Look-out, he will be able to get up on his own.  Here's to hoping he likes to stay in bed!

4.  Peyton has always been very considerate and caring for others.  This was demostrated when her cousin Whitney was telling her about how her Grandpa was very sick and may die.  Peyton reminded her that if he dies, he will go to heaven and will be one of her angels. (side note - wow, they really do listen!)  There was a little comedy in this exchange, however - as Peyton was talking about her Grandpa Mintun being one of her angels she was then quickly distracted by "BIG TRUCK!"  Yep, a big truck drove by and she had to recognize it.  Maybe you had to be there but it was hilarious!

5.  We wrapped-up the weekend with family pictures and ice cream for dinner.  Can't beat that, right?  Ok, so when is my weekend from the weekend?!!!

Weekly Happenings - 10/14 - 10/20

Ok, folks, this one is a LONG one!  We had a super busy week with lots of chances for pictures so stick with me!

1.  Wednesday was Daddy's birthday!  On Tuesday evening, we baked Daddy his favorite, cherry coffee cake and we all enjoyed a piece for his birthday in the morning.  Yes, this picture has Garrison with his mouth wide open full of pancakes but hey, it was the best of the 8 I took!  Happy Birthday Daddy!!

2.  On Thursday, I had the chance to go with Peyton on her field trip to the cider mill & pumpkin patch!  It is great to see her with her friends and exploring with them.  We got to see how cider is made, how they make cider donuts, visit the pumpkin patch and play fun games in the play area.  It was a blast!!

3.  On Thursday night, the kids had their third swimming lesson of the season.  Peyton did great last week but Garrison still had a rough time.  This week, however, Garrison made it through his lesson tear free!!  What a big boy!  And Peyton is learning some new strokes now, including the back stroke - chicken, airplane, soldier!

4.  Friday turned cold and rainy around here so what better way to spend a Friday night than with a movie in our PJs!  We watched The Croods and the kids thought it was great fun to watch a movie and enjoy POPCORN!  Garrison ate what we thought was all of his then asked Daddy to share.  Of course he did.  But then, about 30 minutes later, Garrison tapped into his stockpile he had been hiding, that little stinker!!

5.  On Saturday, Daddy played in a golf tournament out of town and Peyton had a soccer game so Grammy & Grandpa and Grandma Mintun came up to visit and spend the day with us!  The kids started with some Halloween treats and fun balloon games before it was time to go to the soccer game (our last one!).  Peyotn didn't want to practice this week but did play each and every time it was her turn - I was very proud of her!  Grandma Mintun was quite amazed at all of the kids playing soccer at the same time - it is quite the complex!  Since Peyton played well, she got to pick where we went for lunch so Blue Moose it was!  After lunch, it was nap time for Garrison (and Grandpa!) so the girls ran a few errands before it was time to set-up for the Halloween Party!

6.  This year, I was drafted to help set-up the Halloween party for our subdivision.  With some help from one of my boot camp friends, we put on quite the shin dig (if I do say so myself!).  We had a bounce house, lots of Halloween themed carnival games, hot dogs, chips, snacks, a cupcake walk, crafts and tons of candy & prizes.  Since I coordinated the event, Grammy & Grandpa brought the kids to join in the fun - I think everyone had a great time!  Grammy even kicked-in and helped run the craft table for part of the night.  Toward the end of the evening, one of our next door neighbors made it to the party and Peyton & Avery were connected at the hip - it was so cute!  They jumped in the bounce house together and played games.  They also helped Garrison and her little sister check-out the bounce house - great big sis'!  Overall, it was a great event with over 100 attendees!

7.  On Sunday morning, we were just hanging around the house before going to Deanna Rose so I sat down to play the piano for a little bit.  Since the kids decided to join me part of the time, Daddy was able to catch some of these moments - priceless!  

8.  Since it is almost time for Deanna Rose to shut-down for the season, we made a trip to the farm!  The kids had a blast (and we did it without a stroller!).  We saw the chickens, cows, calves, goats, ponies (Garrison was less than thrilled he couldn't ride - next year buddy, next year!) and even got to have a dance party on the stage (Peyton tried to get Garrison to dance like the "Dancing with the Stars" dancers - hilarious!)!  After a trip to the playground it was time to head home - what a great morning!!

9.  After nap time, Grandma & Grandpa Todd came up to go out to eat for Daddy's birthday.  When we told Peyton they were coming, she responded with - "I thought we said Daddy's birthday celebrations were done!"  One more, baby girl, one more!  Of course, her tune changed when it came time for dessert after dinner - she was ready to say Happy Birthday again! :)