Trunk or Treat

Last night our church hosted Trunk or Treat. I hear they have done this in the past, but it was a first for us.

Wesley was skeptical about whether or not it would be any fun.

The first order of business was to find an acceptably cool costume for him - this is always a challenge because we won't let him be anything evil or overly scary. I usually sum this up by telling him he can't be a "bad guy"

After perusing the Spirit Store, he found something he thought he liked: a gangster.

After adding a fedora from wal-mart, we both thought he looks dapper :)

After modelling for these pictures, a couple hours passed and Wesley finally asked what a gangster was. Ha! I explained as best I could and he seemed ok with it because he finally said, a little in awe of himself, "So, I'm like a bad guy?"  yes. You are like a bad guy. This satisfied him.

Oh. and gangsters rarely smile:

Next up, I wanted Brad and I to wear matching costumes.
I approached the topic somewhat hesitantly because I just knew Brad would be far too serious to ever dress up.

So, I was utterly surprised when he agreed to dress up AND then chose his own costume!

I merely dressed to match.

At the Trunk or Treat, I told everyone he was out on good behavior and was serving 4 years into a life sentence :)

When it came to our trunk, Wesley was all too happy to decorate. I wanted to stick with things that would be ok for the church grounds so we opted for a spider theme (sorry, dad)

We stocked up on fake web and streamers, etc. Then I just turned Wesley loose:

It's hard to see, but check out that 5 o'clock shadow!

With a little help from adults, Wesley whipped our trunk into shape just before it got dark.

Didn't it turn out wonderfully?

Wesley used a snowflake technique to make those spider webs out of paper.

If you're really nice, he might teach you how next time you see him :)

I took a few pictures before the kids arrived ...

Here's our Youth Pastor as Linus and his wife as Sally from Peanuts.

Our Associate Pastor as ... well, basically himself plus a mask.

He already owned all the components to his costume except for the cape.

And, last but not least, our Pastor and his wife as Tacky Tourists!!

They handed out hot cocoa at their trunk and became a very popular stop once the sun set!

It was a great evening and a great opportunity to meet people from the community.

We had a huge turn out and are already looking forward to next year!

Green Woods Field Day 2010

This weekend, we headed back to the Smiths' house for a fun-filled weekend! And for the first time, Baylor was along for the trip. He was an EXCELLENT dog and didn't get into much trouble... There was one incident where he glimpsed freedom and ran after it... Luckily, Wesley was there to save the day!

 Saturday morning, we had a Green Woods Field Day.  Many of the Oziers and Smiths were able to attend this informative meeting / tour.

There was also time to take in the scenery and enjoy each other's company...

Terry even took Wesley on a four-wheeler ride which, I'm sure, earned him massive cool points!

The scenery was gorgeous and so peaceful and the weather was perfect!

I'd say everyone had a wonderful time! Doug, Jenn, Sam, David, Brian and Steph C were all greatly missed!

I enjoyed getting to spend some time with this side of my family and to see a glimpse of Brad's grandparents through the woods they cared for and the legacy they left behind...

Some of us had a little too much fun!

Happy Halloween

It's that time again! Halloween time! aka Wesley's favorite holiday :)

In keeping with a Smith tradition, Brad's parents joined us for a fun-filled, jam-packed day!

The first stop was the Fall Festival at church! (You know, home of the free bulbs!!)

I only have a handful of other photos so I thought I'd do a top 5 list from the day.

(Unfortunately, I managed to NOT get any pictures of mom and dad smith!)

#5

I love this picture because it really shows how much Wes has grown lately!! He's gaining on me!!

2010

2009

#4

Wesley was really good at all the games - I think we were most impressed when he played putt putt because he scored a hole in one on the first try!! Naturally, I didn't have a camera ready for that shot... SO, here is a photo of another game he played.

#3

Wesley dressed as a vampire this year. My favorite part of the whole outfit is his shoe selection...

Really completes the look, don't you think??

 

#2

I really do love this picture because it is Wesley completely in his element. He was more excited about setting up the lights and fog machine than he was about trick or treating. I snapped this picture because I think it will be one of his favorite halloween memories :)

 #1

This is MY favorite halloween memory :)

After the lights were unplugged and the candy was all given out... Brad and Wes sorted through the loot together and had a great time giggling at the weird ones ("Who gives out PRETZELS on Halloween??") and splitting up the "good" from the "bad" (Wesley still doesn't like Snickers??)

It's no trick, seeing my two guys getting along and being buddies is quite a treat for this Mom :) 

Just Plane Fun

This weekend was gorgeous with plenty of sunshine and lovely breezes. Just perfect for a flight on Smith Airways!!

Saturday, we were picked up in Philadelphia and we winged our way to Evergreen, AL for a fly-in! ( http://www.serfi.org/ )

As if that wasn't fun enough - It was also my first time to fly with Cheryl! Clearly, she was as excited as I was!

But we weren't there just to admire the scenery and bask in the sunshine....

We were on a mission!

Now that Smith Airways is up and running, it's high time for Brad to learn to fly.

We needed to track down an economical plane that was roomy enough for him AND his legs to fit in :)

There were plenty of options to check out...

Of course, Cheryl spotted a Stearman and we all know that's the plane SHE would choose...

And even *I* found one that I liked....

All in all, it was a beautiful day and I'd say a good time was had by all.

After it was all said and done, Herb informed me that as fly-ins go, this one was small potatoes... So I guess there will be more trips to come. All I know is, with this family, the sky's the limit :)

Mystery Plant #2

This new plant / vine appeared inteh front flower bed... Two characteristics worth noting:

1 - Heart-shaped leaves


2 - Tiny, white flowers

The floor is now open to guesses :) No prizes are available at this time... Except braggin rights ;)

Magic Painting Elves

After two very long painting days this weekend, our project is 99.9% completed!!

It looks gorgeous and I will post the results as soon as the art is back on the walls :)

We Could NOT have had such an awesome final product if it weren't for the help of our two magical painting elves who came for a vist :) Thank ya'll both, for all your hard work!

Passion for Purple Plants

I recently inherited three new plants that are right up my alley!

I've always loved Wandering Jew and now I have some!

And... some of this stuff:


And one of these :)

The back porch looks so happy whenever I go out to visit these guys :)

The new trouble I'm having is that last year's purple mums are struggling. Could it be that they're getting too much sun? heat? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Pumpkin Updates

As you can see, the pumpkin is spreading its vines and taking over the garden!

Not only that...

It's producing Pumpkins!




And what do we have here?

Camping at Roosevelt State Park

In case you haven't heard, we went camping this weekend! And what a picture perfect weekend it was! Brad, Wes and I camped in one tent. Kim camped in Connor's tent (without Connor though) and her new friend, Chad brought his tent. Everything was so perfect: the site, the food, the weather...

Ok, I'll admit, at times, it was too cold for my taste! For example, the first night there... We shivered and froze and prayed the warm sun would rise! Saturday morning, Kim, Chad and I climbed out of our tents to the sound of owls hooting! Yep, we were up THAT early!! Luckily, the morning-time views made us forget the cold!





I packed the fun hats that Cheryl had knit and I am SO thankful I did. I think Wes and I were completely cozy in our coats and hats - and I'll even go so far as to say we looked pretty darn cute, too!

Throughout the weekend, we really were surrounded by beautiful views and I think we all took several photos of the lake alone! The fall colors and Saturday's sunset made it fairly irresistable!




Another site I enjoyed was something fairly special to see... Brad and Wes often snuck off to read together several times. I think if you look reaaalllly closely in this photo you can see it - a special bond is forming.



Saturday we took an extended walk on a few nature trails. Unfortunately, this was BEFORE we got to see a map of the trails... It's ok though, we lived to tell the tale!


As you can see, Wes kept up with the grown-ups and sometimes even outpaced us!

Along the way, we got up close and personal with nature... When it was lovely scenery we didn't mind, but when it was a spider web attacking the lead walker it wasn't so well received!!

Once we found our way to the end of the trail, we had to document our success!

We all had a wonderful time, at some wonderful food, and saw wonderful things. Sunday morning came too quickly, but I think we all packed up quickly once we envisioned turning on our heaters and climbing into our beds! We will all be looking forward to another camping trip soon... But next time we'll pack more blankets!!!

I'd say it was a picture perfect weekend! What do you think?