Practice make perfect

Since Reagan did such a marvelous job of being a flower girl in September, she got to try out her skills again! Ryan's cousin Abby was married this past Saturday, and Reagan was honored to be the flower girl for them. Unfortunately, our camera batteries were dead and I didn't realize it until we were at the church, so I didn't get very many pictures. Here a couple of cute ones though. Congratulations, again, Abby and Sam!

The crunch of fall

The last of our leaves finally fell from the trees and and thus began the huge undertaking of raking them all up! Ryan took the afternoon off work and we finished right before the sun went down. I think he ended up with at least 10 large piles for the kids to jump in. We have a good system down though. He rakes...and I watch.:) Not really. I hold the large piece of plastic and then we haul them into the corner of the yard where we dump them into a fenced off area. We're too dutch to pay someone to haul them away.:) The kids had a great time jumping in all the piles, although a few of them (namely Drew) almost got raked up themselves a few times!

I think she was momentarily distracted by a plane overhead.

Is it more effiecient to rake as you sit in the pile?:)

Trick or Treat

What do you get when you cross Spaghetti & Meatballs, a lion, a Care Bear, Darth Vader, Bob the Builder, Super Jacen, and Spiderman? If it's any night other than Halloween, lots of strange looks, but on this particular night, lots of smiles and candy!
This was Drew & Lauren's first time Trick or Treating and the quickly caught on!

We ended up trick or treating in Orange City this year. It was a last minute decision and the costumes added to our luggage load, but it was well worth it. The kids had a blast and it was a beautiful evening. There were lots of family members who were excited to see the kids in their costumes. We even got to take a picture with some of Ryan's cousin's kids (see pic above). Reagan's costume was pretty much falling apart by the end of the night from taking it on and off so much to get in the van, but most people knew what she was and were impressed.:) They're loving all the candy..and so am I (ha!)

Just horsing around

We've got to spend time in Mike & Renee's new house for our past few visits and one of the highlights is Dewey the horse. He belongs to their neighbors, but he practically lives in their backyard. He provided hours of entertainment for the kids. They were frequently watching out the back door for him and the big two got some fun rides on him. Grandpa Mike couldn't wait to get them out there and walk them around. They've only each been on a horse one other time, so this was a treat for them. Drew & Lauren didn't ride him this time, but maybe next summer I'll trust them a little more.:)

Drew took some time to relax in the busyness of the weekend. He propped a pillow behind him and put his feet up. Ahhh...the good life!

Our little cowgirl

Luke's turn

They even rode together...with no fighting!