Shawn's train set

Shawn has recently developed an interest in trains and has slowly but surely begun to nurture that interest in his basement bedroom.  My mom asked for photos so here you are... remember he's just beginning so it isn't fully developed yet. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shawn isn't sure how far he wants to take this hobby but he does have some plans in store to jazz up what you see here.

The pumpkin patch

About a week before Halloween Dave, Amerah, and I began our search for the perfect pumpkins.  We didn't find perfection, but we did find amusement... which is far better in most cases! :-)

This was Amerah's first pick, mainly because she could lift it!  She changed her mind and chose something a little bigger.  Yes... I did have to bribe her not to stick out her tongue... and I STILL got a goofy face!  Then I spied a tall, funky pumpkin so we just HAD to get it...

 About this time Amerah spied a bouncy house and that was the end of the pumpkin picking.

 

 

So we left the pumpkin place with 2 pumpkins, a bounced out kid, and something to make the mama happy too...

(In a side note that has nothing really to do with Halloween or pumpkins...) In a planter in my front yard, I had planted what promised to be lovely wildflowers in varying shades of pink.  This is what I got...

Now it looks like this...

Woo Hoo!! :-)

Okay back to pumpkins...

The day before Halloween we set to work gutting them.

Eew!  Pumpkin guts!

It's almost inevitable that, during the gutting process, somebody will pretend that the pumpkin guts are boogers...

My grandmother (Nanny) stopped by to visit during the pumpkin gutting.  I love these photos of her! :-)  Especially under my sign haha.

 

 

She didn't stay for the carving though, and I was glad when I saw that little miss Amerah was not at all happy that we were going to carve them the old fashioned way (i.e. make up our own faces rather than use a pattern).  Last year the patterns were too complex for her and she quit less than a third of the way through.. I thought this would be easier for her.  She pouted and stomped off to her room.  Dave and I continued on as if she hadn't left at all and eventually she regained her composure and rejoined us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh... did I mention that, while they were getting their hands all gooey and slimy, I was making homemade hot cocoa in my crock pot? Mmmmmmm!

And last but not least... a few random pics of OUR pumpkin...

 

ahh the faces this kid can make!

One autumn day...

One day in mid-October Amerah decided that enough leaves had drifted into our yard to require her raking services. 

 We don't have trees on our property but our neighbor's tree had obligingly shed about 30 or so colorful leaves onto our otherwise green lawn.  The poor kid thought that she was going to be able to jump in them.  I almost called our neighbors who live in the woods across the street and begged them to let Amerah and her rake go for a visit.

So Amerah donned her winter attire... this might be a good place to add that it was nearly 60 degrees outside.  Regardless of my protests, my headstrong daughter insisted that she needed to wear every warm article of clothing she owned.  I drew the line at her fleece pajama bottoms and her snuggie. 

Lily does not remember winter... perhaps it was too early in her puppyhood... or perhaps she was just more temperature savvy than your average ten year old.  Whatever her canine reasoning, it became Lily's mission to rid Amerah of her extra layers of clothing...

Later in the day... when she had returned from her disappointing outdoor adventure... Amerah and I made cookies.  The pre-cut, already decorated, take them out of the package and toss them on a cookie sheet kind.  Yep, I am THAT mom.  Here we go with the tongue out again... I'm looking forward to the end of this phase...

 

Lily has not yet discovered that cookies are edible so she did not try to help.  She is, however, convinced that socks, plastic bottles, and rocks are edible.  Dumb dog.

After a hard day of raking, playing, and baking... Amerah and Lily cuddled on the couch and the day ended on a very nice note indeed.

 

 

Happy autumn :-)