Fun @ Trunk or Treat!

Our church hosted a Trunk-or-treat event that we just got home from. There were tons of booths and several bouncehouses. And, of course, the kids came home LOADED with treats. My favorite part of the event was the hayride, even though the tractor and hay trailer never even left the parking lot, they just made a big huge slow circle. The kids had a fun time. I am glad there are Halloween alternatives even though this one in particular still seemed a lot like Halloween. I think our kids were the only ones not wearing costumes. Oh well...




Now its movie time! We stopped at Blockbuster on the way home and got some movies, one for us and one for the munchkins! Ben doesn't have to work much tomorrow since it is his day off, but he does have a funeral in the morning to go to, so I better sign off for now and get our movie started!

Beautiful Fall Saturday!

Today was the nicest Saturday I have had in a while. We slept in late until 11ish, despite the kids in the other room about to tear down the walls with their morning ventures--at least that is how it sounded as we tried to sleep thru it all. We finally got up, gobbled a donut and hopped in the car to go to a Moving Sale I had heard about. The sale proved to be a huge blessing as I found some great deals on kids clothes and books, a homeschooling mom's dream! We headed home for some egg salad sandwiches and playing in the yard.


Kayla really likes to pretend She is MULAN (practicing for war)!!!! I love it!


The girls really played hard and their clothes showed it the end of the day, they were covered in dirt. I am always glad that they find ways to amuse themselves outside...even if it means they end up all grubby.

The baby, Cami, played in her jumper for the second time....I can tell she is getting tired of laying down so much but she didnt know what to think about that!!!
Ben worked on his car that he is restoring, of course, while I watched the kids out the window, played with the baby, and did some chores and reading. It was just a great day, I left the windows open and enjoyed the fall air... so pleasant!

Now as I write this we have just finished eating the yummy steaks Ben grilled while I was bathing the kids, and now they are having a tickle-fight/dogpile on the living room floor. They have no idea how LOUD they are. I mean, don't even attempt a phone conversation with THAT in the background. At least they are having fun!! After an ice cream treat for the family, it's bed time for the little hulagins and (hopefully) some winding down time for me...maybe I can catch and episode of CSI or read for a bit before I fall into bed....and crash. Then we can do it all over again....This is my life, it's a busy one, but I thank God for it !!!

Summer Berry Picking!

Thinking back to warmer times...hehe. I was looking through some pics on my computer here and these were too good to not share, even though it was from earlier this year in the summer.



The weather was hot and humid and I was huge-pregnant as we headed out to the Conley's (aka my folks) to pick the blackberries we had discovered on their land.




We all helped pick the berries so it was really a family effort. We ended up with so many I had plenty to share with friends and neighbors even after making my cobbler. And, I think I still have a big batch in the freezer for my next pie!!!

And afterwards.......of course. You gotta wash off all that berry juice in Nena and Pop's pool. That is the best excuse for swimming ever, right?


Although it was really hot and sticky, we really had a fun time together as a family that day, working hard and playing hard too...these are the kind of days you hope your kids will remember from their childhood...just being a family.

Children's Opera!

Today we went on a "field trip" to Kilgore College, where the college along with Opera East Texas presented the opera "Sid the Serpent who wanted to Sing". Along with my mom, who we picked up along the way (stole her away from work--lunch hour), we headed to the theatre. When I walked in too see a small auditorium full of older school age kids (maybe third grade and up), I began to wonder if this was really the best idea for mine who are mostly younger. My fears were laid to rest as soon as the show started....they were glued to the action.




The opera was a little cheesy for me and mom, and not the best overall talent-of course they are all college students. I mentioned to Mom that they looked like babies, not college students... she remarked "That's how you know when you're getting old!!" Ha ha! so true. Miranda said about the show "Everyone had a part to sing." So I went on to explain a little more about Opera, as opposed to the other theatre experiences that they have had. Well, at least what I knew about opera anyway...it isn't really my favorite genre. But, I want the kids to have a variety of experiences growing up so they can decide for themselves which they like best. We then talked about our favorite parts of it, and our favorite characters. Eveyone had a different idea...what else is new.
Camryn seemed to enjoy the music as well.
Afterwards, we strolled outside at a pretty little garden on campus there.


Now, while I type all this in the little girls are napping, while the older girls finish the day up with Math, Spelling, and Reading. I promised Painting tommorrow if they get it all done before we have to go to choir tonite!! They are trying their best.

Park Day Fun!

The Watson girls had a Blast today at the park with some of the local Co-op group families...


It was a cool and beautiful afternoon of fun and friend-making. As a homeschooling mom I have realized lately the importance of letting the kids be around other kids that they have things in common with. This is why we have recently joined the local Co-op... here in our town!
Everyone played so hard, they were soo tired by the time we got home late this afternoon....One fell asleep before that!





I wish I could sleep like that--------->