Sunday, October 31, 2010

Annabeth in Wonderland and Shark Boy

What a busy and great weekend! Our babysitter, Sara, went away to college this year but she was home for a long weekend. We begged and pleaded with her (really, we just asked) to hang out with the kids on Friday night and she said yes. Curtis and I went to dinner at Ouisie's Table and ate on the patio. It was such a nice evening and we were actually a bit chilly out there even with our sweaters on. Praise the Lord and amen. We were pretty stuffed but didn't want our date to end, so we had dessert at Crescent City Beignets. Yum!

Late Saturday afternoon our church hosted a fall festival, AKA First Fest. We have traditionally had this on Halloween night, but we have a Sunday night service so things got shuffled around this year. Here are the kids before we left for the church. Annabeth was Alice in Wonderland and Jackson was a shark. Annabeth adores her big brother, as you can see.



The preschool choir had their first performance at First Fest. The kids were hilarious singing in their costumes. It was a lot of fun to watch.

Jackson seemed a little distressed when he sat down on the risers.



Annabeth was SO GOOD! Lately we have spent a lot of time banished in the car while big brother and daddy do their thing, but not this weekend. I did not bring her a snack but when we opened up the stroller there was a bag of Cheerios. I really think the Lord put those there for us because they got her through the choir extravaganza.



This is Avonlea Smith, AKA Little Red Riding Hood, who was born just 2 weeks after Annabeth. I had to get a picture of Red and Alice looking cute in their strollers.







This is my dear friend, Christine, and her little girl Preslee. Many of you bought t-shirts that helped Christine and her hubby raise money for Preslee's adoption. Isn't she the cutest thing ever? Thank you for blessing this wonderful family. They are in the process of starting a non-profit to help other families who are adopting. Isn't that awesome? This is the first picture we have together with our girls.



Annabeth did not let her big dress stop her from having fun in a bounce house.



This is Amber, one our preschool staff members, and Joey dressed as Pastor Gregg and Kelly. So stinking funny.



Family portrait. We left shortly after and headed to Chickfila. I hadn't eaten there in at least two weeks, which is unheard of. Late last night a bunch of us girls went to see a movie. I love having friends who will do random things at the last minute.



For tonight, our pastor encouraged everyone to "light the night" in their homes. So we did! We turned on all the lights in our house and got ready to love our neighbors.


I swept the porch and got rid of the topiary that has gotten old and gross.



I put out my little red table and it looked great. But I would really miss it inside so I moved it back in tonight.



These two are my loves.



As soon as we came inside from our photo session, AB poured a glass of water on herself. By the time we went out, she also had chocolate on her dress.


This pic of Abe makes me laugh. She looks like a very intense prairie woman. That Alice dress could be many things. I had her carry a rabbit so it would be more obvious.



Mom flew in from her conference in Spokane, WA, and came straight to our house. I had begged her to come over and do this with us. (We didn't trick-or-treat growing up.) She wasn't very comfortable with the idea at first, but once she heard our pastor asking us to light the night, she got on board. She and Annabeth manned our porch with the candy while we went along our street with Jackson. We met so many neighbors. After 2.5 years I'm very glad to know some more names.

Mom met a couple of ladies who did her Bible studies, so that's fun. Although I think she felt compelled to explain why she was doing this. Bless your heart, Mom! I love you so much!



By the way, Annabeth really enjoyed putting the candy in all the kids' bags. I think she may have helped unwrap a few things before dropping them in. Oops.

Some church friends in the neighborhood - Jenn, Nathan and Peyton - stopped by to say hello. It was fun hanging out on the porch with them. It was a nice evening even though I was burning up in that sweater (which is cuter in person!) and Jackson was sweating profusely in his fleece costume.


Shark boy and Davy Crockett.


We capped off the night with some Chinese food and then we watched a video of Jackson's choir performance. The best part of the whole weekend was watching Jackson watch himself. His whole body was shaking with excitement and he could not contain his glee. He giggled and laughed without restraint for the first five minutes. We actually tried to record that, thinking we could send it to AFV, but he stopped as soon as Curt got out the camera. Blast!

Curtis is asleep beside me and I'm sure he'd appreciate it if I'd stop typing. So goodnight! When we wake up it will be November.

46 comments:

Lindsey Nobles said...

So cute!

Jen said...

sounds like a great weekend.

Love the light the night idea and to love on the neighbors...maybe it I took that approach I would like Halloween a little more:)

Kelli said...

I LOVE them!

Annabeth is precious!

Jackson is ferociously sweet!

What a great way to do the night. We did the same thing with my mom and dad.

AND IS TOMORROW REALLY NOVEMBER?

Ashley said...

What a great night! Shark boy and "Alice" are adorable! :)

bethany said...

They look so cute in their costumes!! Wish we would have had the kind of weather! Hot in a sweater sounds heavenly-it's miserable here!

Heather said...

They look so precious in their outfits!

Marc and Charity said...

They are so cute in their costumes! I wish our kids knew what a fall festival was, but we did carve a cute pumpkin. :)

Amber C said...

Hahaha I'm glad my wig looks halfway decent in your picture. In the rest I look like I have a mullet. Poor Kelly I promised her she didn't really look like that.

Jackson's shark costume was the BEST. I'm loving Darth Vader on the risers behind him though. I'm glad Annabeth behaved! For the record, she's always perfect at church!

Sarah said...

They're so precious in their costumes. :) Love it.

From the Bumpy Road said...

Love that Davy Crockett is trick or treating with a Starbucks bag :)

Erin Ward said...

I like that AB is clutching a monster truck in that first picture. It really goes nicely with her costume. Hehe.
And that picture of Jackson on the risers? So unbelievably sweet.

Unknown said...

The kids are so incredibly adorable in their costumes! I LOVE Annabeth's! How original!
& too funny that your mom had to explain her part in the trick or treating. That's just precious.

Anonymous said...

What a fun weekend! I love the kiddos costumes! And your hair looks SO pretty in these pictures! Yall are such a sweet family!

Marla Taviano said...

Hooray for your pastor--and your family. I'm not sure where we got the idea that turning off our lights and boycotting trick-or-treat is the loving, Christian thing to do. :( I've learned over the past few years that Halloween is the absolute BEST time to obey God by loving our neighbors.

You guys are soooooooo cute!!

Jamie Kubeczka said...

Love their costumes!

Angela said...

Oh my word! How cute they looked. What a fun weekend. And thanks for the movie. It was nice to get out!

Have a great week! ;-)

Lauren said...

Soooooooooo cute!!!!! ADORABLE!!! :)

Dionna said...

I love your pastor's encouragement to "Light up the night." Halloween isn't my favorite holiday - but I like to remember "what Satan meant for harm, God can use for good." :)

Nelson's Mama said...

I love Halloween - it's really my favorite holiday and I think the reason is the sense of community that you experienced that last night!

Halloween is like one big block party in our small town, everyone turns on their lights, golf carts are decorated, the police and fire departments come out to patrol and make sure all is well...it's a good thing.

Becky Kiser said...

Amanda your kids are just the cutest things ever! Sad we missed y'all at First Fest.

Grumpy Pants said...

What a great weekend! We love Ouisie's. And the kids looked so cute, I love the shark.

Beth Herring said...

so cute! my littlest granddaughter, Mercie, was little red riding hood and had that same costume in your pictures!

I love your mom and her preicous heart - she is just like me! We do things for our grandbabies that we wouldn't do otherwise! ha!

stacikristine said...

Your kids are SO cute! I'm glad you had such a great Halloween. :)

Ashia said...

loved hearing how your mom doesn't like to celebrate halloween. i was never allowed to trick-or-treat growing up, either, but i feel like there isn't anything wrong with dressing my sweetie up as a princess (or whatever cute and NOT scary) and getting candy. i don't feel like i'm worshipping the devil! but my hubby and mom are uncomfortable with it, so we will see what happens in the next few years! ha!

Shan and the J's said...

So sad I missed her in Spokane(about an hour from me). When I was trying to work out going I discovered our town was doing activities on Friday & Sat instead of Sunday. My 2 year old said she was scared to go trick or treating and would I please hold her hand....couldn't go after that...I pray she is back next year and it falls on another weekend!! :) You all 3 (you, your mom, & sis) each speak to different parts of my life and I love that you are in this ministry together. Love you all!!! So wish I knew how to send you a picture of my Jackson as Luke Skywalker, my Jessalyn as Princess Leia, and our pug as Yoda!! :)

Alison said...

Sounds like a fun weekend!! They look precious in their costumes! And I laughed at your chickfila comment...I am the same way! If we don't eat there at least weekly, we start having withdrawals! :)

Ashley McWhorter said...

They look adorable! Oh, and I wasn't allowed to trick-or-treat, either, while growing up. Glad to see I wasn't the only one. My friends look at me and gasp! :)

Deidre said...

Amanda, they both look so cute! We were encouraged to 'light the night' as well and just the thought relieved our anxiety :) So glad you all had a great weekend. And even more glad you and Annabeth weren't banished to the car!

Erica said...

Girl...we were on the exact same page. I prayed and prayed about what to do, and we came to the same conclusion. It's funny b/c your mom's Bible study years ago, influenced my mom greatly in this area as well. So sweet that she joined you and your family to love on your neighbors!

Lisa said...

Cute pictures!

Amen to your pastor's idea to Light the Night. I struggled with whether or not to celebrate Halloween for a few years but now I feel that it's such a great opportunity to get to know our neighbors and build relationships with them. I think Jesus would rather have us outside being salt and light for him than sitting behind closed doors in a dark house.

Have a great November!

Fran said...

Thanks for the pix Amanda! Your babies are just so adorable! Glad y'all had a fabulous weekend.

((hugs)) from TN!
Fran

Anonymous said...

I am laughing as I type this, because we were not allowed to trick or treat growing up either! We did not even believe in Santa Claus! Usually when I tell people that, their mouth drops wide open. Your mama is so funny!! Cute pictures!
Becky

Gran Jan said...

Amanda - Your Mom and I are cut from the same cloth (from the same year too)! My boys didn't trick or treat either and I was a wee bit nervous about my youngest son and his wife "handing out candy," but after reading about your pastor encouraging y'all to "light the night" I feel better too. I love that!!! Isn't it wild? I love that you said she felt the need to explain - in fact I laughed out loud. That is so me. Love your pictures and your sweet babies and your heart.

Mrs. Jan (Gran Jan)

Kristen said...

the kids are adorable and you look beautiful

Kylie said...

My sister got married at Ousie's Table last May. Lovely little place!

Now my 4 year old is refusing to go to sleep and is looking on with me. He says he likes Jackson the Shark but Alice in Wonderland is scary. Go figure. Your kids are so cute and I love the light the night idea! (We didn't trick or treat growing up either!)

Lindsee Lou said...

They look ridiculously cute in their get up! If we wouldn't have had an impromptu costume party I would have so been on your front porch with you helping you light the night. That's why we no longer do our Fall Fest on Halloween. For the past 3 years they've encouraged us to be among our neighbors and love on them the best way we can!

Suz said...

Wow! Your kiddos have grown! I've been terrible at reading and commenting lately!

But they are of course as precious as ever! And you all look great!

And I started a bible study with some girlfriends over your mom's book so long insecurity.. And I am totally not with the program because it took me FOREVER to realize it was your mom! Hahah! Thought it was fun that I was a follower of a celeb's blog! :)

katiegfromtennessee said...

Halloween costumes and breakfast taquitos posts, loved them!:) I think a breakfast burrito sounds mighty tasty, you have given me ideas;) My baby girl was Tinker bell, complete with a tiny plush wand that she actually held for a while. We went to Boo at the Zoo, it's kind of like a trick or treat fest at the local zoo. We were there with friends who also have little ones. We got to see a Macaw, very cool, I love how God thought to put together vivid blue, yellow, and red feathers on this type of bird. Zebras were stinky, but cool to look at too:)

Blessings,

katiegfromtennessee

melinda said...

Okay these are precious :)

I wonder if you'd indulge a completely lame technical question. I'm usually pretty keen on computer stuff but Blogger wants to kill me.

How do you put in photos with text in between like you did in this post? When I upload multiple pix it just stacks them with no room for a caption or text in between...let alone deciding in what order they'll appear.

How are you so cleverly doing it? If it requires a ton of code or more time than you can spare to explain...not to worry. I'm just not getting it and would love a tiplet...

I'm sure just what you were hoping for was a chance to be a Technical Advisor right from your very own home :)

Thanks!

Susy said...

OMGoodness, I dressed Eli up like Alice too! Their dresses look very similar, did you have hers made? Eli helped give candy out too, she loved the idea of giving and receiving candy!

Deirdre said...

May I just say that i am jealous of ABs hair! she has so much. My Ginny's hair is stil very thin, and she is atleast a half year older than AB. oh well.

and the alice in wonderland outfit is wonderful!!!! (no pun) I love it.

Deirdre said...

oh and for some silly reason the first photo of "shark boy" reminds me of Travis. i have no idea why.....

Anonymous said...

I love their costumes! You probably get this a lot but Annabeth looks just like you and your mom! So cute.

Sonya said...

I'm so glad we weren't the only ones who bought those bright green chairs! Looks like you had a fun weekend!

Shellie Paparazzo said...

You know I gave in to peer pressure when my kids got into elementary school. I never let my kids trick or treat before that. I've read too much about how it relates to the occult and I've just never been okay with it. This year I didn't take them trick-or-treating at all. There were some time constraints because of going to LPL in Spokane (thank you for giving her up for a couple of days. She blessed me so!) But then my heart was so full and I was working some things out (through writing. That's what I do.) Ended up writing your mom an insanely long letter! I hope she gets to read it and by the time we got out to go to the church here that does the Harvest Party thing, it was too late to do trick-or-treating too. Plus my husband took my car, forgetting that I'd be going out (he works on Sunday nights) and I'm not real good at driving his car, so wasn't comfortable with taking them to the places we normally take them where I'd have to turn aound in tight places and things. He made me call him as soon as I arrived at the Naz (Moscow Church of the Nazarene) and then again when we got home to make sure we'd taken care of his baby as it was!

Shellie Paparazzo said...

In case you couldn't tell I'm a little behind on my blogging. I've been working on writing a devotional book. I sure hope it's good. I really want to be a writer! Like in the worst way! It's been a dream of mine since I was a little girl and figured it would never come true because my Mom made sure I understood I was worthless and nobody wanted to hear a word from me anyway. Then, I met Jesus in college and had so much more reason to write and encourage others like me who have believed a lot of lies about themselves due to childhood abuse.