Apple Picking with Grandma

My mom was able to come out here in October. We always have a great time! I miss being so far away from my family. This year we drove up to North Carolina to see the gorgeous fall colors and go apple picking. It was beautiful!

Happy Halloween!

Fun with Pumpkins

Tuesday night we did carved our pumpkins. We had a great time! The girls were very reluctant to stick their hands in the gooey pumpkin but once they started they loved it!

Gobble Gobble

Speaking of backyard friends...here's some of the wild turkeys that live in our woods and visit our yard on occassion. We should start fattening them up for Thanksgiving :) (these guys were hanging out down the street)

Backyard friends

Our house borders some protected woodlands and we have all sorts of citters living back there. Squirrels are what we see most often. We occassionally see wild turkeys--there were 7 of them out there the other day (and I forgot to take a picture). Several times a week we are visited by a family of deer. They're so pretty but they eat our plants. There's a whole forest full of trees and bushes but they like what we have planted, apparently. This is why I don't have a vegetable garden :)

Where did the summer go?

I can't believe it's the middle of September and I haven't updated my blog since June! It was a fun, busy summer. Here are a few highlights...

In June the girls and I flew cross country to spend time with my family in California. It's always a great time! It's so nice to go back home and just relax. The hardest thing about living in South Carolina is being so far away my family. I'm thankful for air travel (and for kids that pretty much behave on the plane :)

My parents braved LegoLand with us and of course the girls wanted to only ride with Grandma and Grandpa.




We were able to spend time with my Nana. She's my only grandparent left and anytime we get to spend with her is special.



We had a great time with my parents and Julie and her gang. Holly especially like playing the Wii with Grandpa. Kati wasn't able to make it down :( (we missed you Kati!)




In July Holly started second grade. She's growing up so fast! I think second grade is much harder than first--at least for me!



AND Holly lost her two front teeth! Hope she gets them for Christmas :) (a funny story--Cassie found a tooth that we thought the tooth fairy had taken away. Guess she must have dropped it in the house. Holly got paid twice for that tooth!)



Finally in September Cassie started pre-k. Not much different than what she was already doing but now she takes a backpack and has to wear a uniform. What a big girl!



Now that the summer is over I am excited for Fall--although it doesn't cool down much here until November. I'm looking forward to less tourists, less rain, and the upcoming holidays. And hopefully life will get a little less busy!

Deep Sleeper

Holly has always been a Deep sleeper. That girl can sleep through anything (I was just like her once upon a time--before kids!). She even slept through a fire alarm and evacuation at a hotel once when she was 3--we stood outside for 30 minutes and she hardly stirred. We found her the other night sleeping like this and had to get a picture :)