Under Construction!

Happy Halloween 2007!

This Halloween Owen and Clay both dressed up as "worker men", per Owen's request. I decided to go all out with the construction theme when it came to decorating our trunk at our church's Trunk-or-treat. It is our third year to decorate our trunk, we have been doing it since becoming members at Westgate. In Abilene not many people go door to door trick-or-treating anymore. Mostly due to the fact that everyone who would be at home passing out candy is at their church's Trunk-or-treat, I guess. It is different than what we grew up doing, but definitely safer with small children. We always have a great time at Trunk-or-treat. Between the trunking and the carnival games...the kids have a blast! This was the first year that our kids walked around the circle and collected candy of their own. "Bud" and "Honey" accompanied us to our church this year and it was nice to have someone to trade off taking the boys around to play games and collect candy at each festive trunk. The boys also enjoyed hanging out at our trunk to hand out candy and do live construction demos (a.k.a. play with their toys/props).


Owen came down with a stomach bug earlier in the day, but by Trunk-or-treat time he was empty and ready to go (poor thing)! We did manage to talk him out of consuming anything until the following day.

Amazing how quickly they pick up on the trick-or-treating/getting candy concept...or maybe it is the "I look cute/I get candy" concept, either way, Owen has a strong grasp on it and Clay at only 17 months is already an aficionado. The first photo posted in this entry is a favorite treat for the aforementioned consumers.

A pumpkin as sweet as "Honey"

About a week ago I took the boys to the new "Paint Your Own" pottery studio in town and let them paint a pumpkin for "Honey's" pumpkin collection. I chose two colors of orange and two colors of brown, then allowed the boys to create their one-of-a-kind masterpiece. The only instruction I gave them was that there could be no white left when they were finished.




They took to pottery painting immediately and surprisingly, they were both very tidy when all was said and done. When they were finished, I wrote their initials and the date on the bottom. We left it there to be glazed and fired (cooked in the big oven).




The pumpkin creation was ready to be presented to "Honey" just in time for Halloween, and to join the others in her collection for the remainder of the fall season. We wrapped it up and delivered it to her work. Upon presentation, Owen proudly announced "Happy Birthday"! (so much for rehearsing "Happy Halloween" in the car!)


"Honey" loved her new pumpkin! The pumpkin was crafted with such talent (and of course, I'm not biased at all) that she didn't recognize it as a handmade creation until the fact (and initialing) was pointed out. This indeed made the gift much more of a treasure.

Duck, Duck...Goose!

Within the last couple of years A.C.U. has done many projects to improve the usability and aesthetics of their campus. Two of our favorites are the extra wide walking track that circles the outer rim of campus and the "tank" (it is too large to be called a pond, therefore I submit that it falls under the Texans definition of "tank"). This tank has attracted many forms of wildlife including 2 ducks and 1 goose. I plot our walks around A.C.U. to include a
"Duck, Duck...Goose"
feeding at the tank about halfway through the exercise. The boys enjoy the feeding while this very pregnant mommy enjoys a quick rest before conquering the other half of the trail.

4 weeks 'til Sweet Bun...

Our third occasion to present Bud & Honey with grand-baby replenishment.

This week:


Snacks & Sippy cups

Halloween Celebration Dinner

Monday night (Oct.29) we were invited to celebrate Halloween by dining at "Bud" & "Honey's" house.






"Honey" prepared a delicious meal which was followed by cupcakes (complete with fall inspired sprinkles) for dessert.






As you can tell from the pictures, the cupcakes were a very enjoyable treat and quite the source of after diner entertainment.

I'm not sure who had more fun with the cupcake consumption...Owen & Clay or "Bud" & "Honey"!

Following dinner Owen & Clay were "treated" to a Knight family holiday tradition: Treat Sacks! The treat sacks are always filled with holiday themed goodies to play with, read and sometimes a few to snack on as well. These are, as I am sure you could guess, an eagerly anticipated acquirement.















These treat sacks contained yo-yos, a velcro ball game, flashlights, bubbles and snacks. Owen's had a card to inform him that he would be receiving a subscription to My Big Backyard magazine. Clay also got a magazine subscription, he will be receiving Wild Animal Baby magazine (Owen received a subscription to that last year in his treat sack. They are printed on heavy paper, so we are able to save them on a special shelf in the boys bathroom for many months of continued enjoyment!). Once the boys had emptied the contents of their bags and were happily playing with their new goodies, Mommy and Daddy were treated to a fall surprise: A restaurant gift card (Which means a date night! Yippee!) and a picture frame in which to place our family Halloween picture of 2007.
Thanks "Bud" & "Honey"!

Special "Aly" time...

While visiting Ashley and David (aka Aly & Dayday, aka Zach's little sister and her husband) Owen and Clay were treated to some special "Aly" time...


Owen's favrite "Aly" activity was reading books before bedtime.

Mansfield, TX.- Fall Festival

We attended a fall festival in Mansfield, TX. this weekend while visiting Ashley and David (a.k.a. Aly & Dayday, a.k.a. Zach's little sister and her husband).




Mansfield is located southeast of Fort Worth, TX. Though it is close to the metro-plex, it has a very small town feel. The fall festival we attended took place at a city park which was just a few blocks from Ashley and David's house.

So, we dressed Owen and Clay in their halloween costumes and walked down for an evening of fun at the Mansfield fall festival which was a fund raiser for their police department.

They had a variety of activities, many of which were free, including several different bean bag tosses that the boys could not get enough of! We left with balloons and a stash of candy...what more could a child want?!

Mansfield, TX.- Pumpkin Patch

We visited Mansfield, Tx. this past weekend. It is the home of Zach's sister Ashley and her husband David. On Saturday morning (Oct. 27) Ashley and I took the boys to a pumpkin patch down the street from she and David's house.


The boys had fun strolling each aisle of the patch in search of the perfect pumpkin for Aunt "Aly's" porch.















Per standard pumpkin picking rules, each pumpkin apparently must be rolled, climbed on, picked up and yes...tasted.




The perfect pumpkin was indeed found and Aunt "Aly" was surely left wondering how she would have decided which one met regulations had the gourd specialists not accompanied her on this outing.




There was also a bit of "horsing" around while the boys had quite a "hay day" at the pumpkin patch!

5 weeks 'til Sweet Bun...

This is the second installment of goods for Bud and Honey's house. They are well on their way to total Sweet Bun preparation.

This week:


Two Little Critter Books!

A new baby
&
Just me and my brother

(Owen has fallen in love with Little Critter books. He comes by it honestly, Little Critter was loved by both his daddy and mommy when they were his age.)

ACU Homecoming parade

We are not ACU alumni (Zach attended for one year), nor do we claim to have exceptional ACU
loyalty or spirit, but we do attend the ACU homecoming parade every year because, honestly, parades are free fun and entertainment, especially for kids. And when the parade is happening within walking distance of your home...you might as well go and have a front row seat for the band and the fire truck. This years parade theme seemed to have something to do with the circus, I think. The weather was beautiful! Owen and Clay enjoyed the parade "circus" with Mommy, Daddy and Honey. Here are a few of the most enjoyable moments:

The ACU band always kicks things off, so the start of the parade is eagerly anticipated!

Owen clapped for a good portion of the parade. He loves music and has excellent rhythm, so the ACU rhythmic group called "STEPS" was cause for much excitement and awe!

A surge of adrenaline and excitement always surrounds the fire engine, especially when it sounds it's sirens!

To top it all off, the ACU Wildcat actually waved at Owen! Following the wave, the Wildcat had to help out a stalled car in front of him.
Such excitement!

6 weeks 'til Sweet Bun...

Since the boys spend so much time over at Bud and Honey's (a.k.a. Zach's parents) house, we are taking this opportunity to replenish and restock their home with a few necessary and/or fun items before the arrival of Sweet Bun. Hence...the Sweet bun countdown. Starting now, at the "6 weeks 'til Sweet Bun" mark, we will give Bud and Honey a small gift to help prepare their house for yet another grandson.

This week:

Diapers, Wipes &
Diaper rash cream!

(Bud & Honey are such good sports to recognize these items as precious commodities!)

Slap your brains out!

My friend Kim has made huge strides toward becoming a true "Susie Homemaker" since she became a stay-at-home mom almost two years ago. She calls me with questions and I conger up the best answer I can think of (always prefaced with a disclaimer like:"this is what I would try"). Recently her and her family joined us for dinner and (after giving her forewarning) Kim was called upon to make the biscuits from scratch. The recipe was one that is perfect for beginners. It was my mom's "Slap your brains out" biscuit recipe, few ingredients, easy to follow instructions. She handled herself like a pro! Susie Homemaker, eat your heart out! I snapped a picture as proof of her conquered endeavor.

Sunday October 7th

Home again, home again...

We arrived home today. What a wonderful adventure we have had! It was just long enough. It feels good to be home, looking forward to sleeping in our own beds. How blessed we have been to enjoy such an incredible vacation! Now the work of settling back in begins.
Well worth it, of course...

Saturday October 6th

A warm greeting was awaiting us upon our arrival at Pa-G & G-G's (a.k.a. Meg's parent's) house. We had planned to spend Friday night there, just relaxing and enjoying some family time. G-G always has toys waiting to be played with, their backyard is fully fenced and contains the most lush (sticker-free) grass and the "puppies" (Chester & Kiwi) are ready to pounce, making Pa-G & G-G's house a little boys fantasy land.


Owen and Clay had such a good time playing with Pa-G, G-G, Uncle Toby (Meg's younger brother, pictured below w/ Owen and Chester) and the "puppies" on Friday night that we decided to stay Saturday night as well. We enjoyed visiting the brand new Gander Mountain that just opened in Lubbock as well as the new Babies-R-Us. A few items were purchased for Sweet Bun's room, while the luxury of a baby store was at our fingertips. And. of course, we enjoyed a few restaurants that Abilene does not offer.

Friday October 5th

We spent the morning packing up camp, in preparation of the journey home to Texas. Packing up is always bitter sweet. We enjoy our camping trips so much that we joke about how we could never return home, just continue to live as vagrants, shifting from campsite to campsite. Unfortunately, gas prices are soaring, we have a baby on the way and we own our own business, making our vagrancy an impossible dream...

While mommy and daddy tucked everything into it's place for the drive home, Owen and Clay enjoyed their last moments of outdoor freedom.

Clay was reminded (for the millionth time) why we don't eat dirt, it's just plain gross.


And Owen built a few more of the "ant homes" he had been thoughtfully designing all week for the ants of New Mexico to enjoy this winter (He was very concerned about the ants staying warm, dry and comfortable this winter. Though we did not see any ants around our campsite, he insisted that they are "berry sneeky".).


Once we were packed, we said good-bye to the MacDonald family and started the trip home. We planned to stop at Pa-G & G-G's (a.k.a. Meg's parent's) home in Lubbock to break up the long drive to Abilene.

Thursday October 4th

This was a very important day during our family vacation. October 4th was Reese MacDonald's 3rd birthday! Zach cooked sweet potatoes pancakes and maple sausage links to start our day.


We had decided to take the day off from our exploring endeavors and just hung around the town of Chama, NM. We strolled and shopped the main strip in town, enjoying the weather and each other's company.




Kelly and I REALLY enjoyed getting to go into some of the shops alone (sans children!). Zach and Jim allowed the kids to play in a downtown park, where they got to ride an elk, pet puppies, watch the train yards and enjoy being outside.




Hot Dogs were served for lunch at our campsite, followed by Reese's birthday cake (that Kelly baked and decorated in short order fashion while camping! It was delicious!) and party (complete with gifts of course!).




Owen had chosen Reese's gift while we were at Sam's shopping one day. The boys and I were walking down the toy aisle and I had turned to look at something, when I felt our cart being jostled. I turned around to find Owen trying his best to place a large box filled with a princess Aurora costume into our cart. Filled with confusion at the thought of this being the one toy my eldest son would choose from an aisle packed with toys, I collected myself and calmly asked him: "Owen, what are you doing?". He looked up at me with starry resolve in his eyes and said in a dreamy voice: "Dis be for Reese. She be so pretty princess. Look momma, shoes even!". So, how could I resist?! Especially since Reese does parade around her house saying: "I'm Aurora. I'm Sweeping Booty!". We were going to get her a gift and my sweet thoughtful son had taken care of the decision for me. Needless to say, he had been looking forward to presenting Reese with the gift he had chosen specially for her.


Following the party we all just enjoyed relaxing and hanging out around camp. For dinner we had spaghetti at Reese's royal request.