Pumpkin Time

Last year, Monica had the help of Uncle Matt and Aunt Elisha for carving her pumpkin. 

This year, she asked if she could paint her pumpkin that she picked at the pumpkin patch. 

We thought that was a great idea, so we covered the table and floor and brought out the brushes and paint and the girls went to town on their pumpkins!

 Monica said she was painting a garden on her pumpkin.

 I'm not sure Leah really had a theme.

 Ryan wasn't about to miss the chance to bake fresh pumpkin seeds. 

He carved his pumpkin.

 See the garden coming to life now?

 I thought Leah made some good color choices.

 Painters usually work with two brushes at a time, right?

 One very pleased artist.

 After we painted pumpkins, Mary Scrivner joined us for dinner.

She was our first regular babysitter when we moved to Albuquerque and we love her!

So imagine our happiness that she was also down here in Las Cruces, going to school!

 Ryan's finished product. 

Leah doesn't like the pumpkin without the candle in it. 

She whimpers and whines if it's looking at her, 

so poor Jack faces the corner until he gets a candle at night.

 I painted a haunted house on my pumpkin, per Monica's request.

BOO!

Trick or Treat, Paint My Feet

Before we carved and painted pumpkins this year, the girls and I got into the fun of Halloween by painting our toenails orange and black. For some reason, Ryan didn't want to join in *that* fun. So he took a few pictures for us. After doing the girls' toes, I grunted, held my breath, stretched and managed to get mine done too. It may be time to stop painting my own toenails. But it was worth the smiles on Monica and Leah's faces as they got their pedicures!

 Leah was especially stoked about the feet soaking massager.

 So excited for their pedicures!

 Monica's turn! She kept saying, "Wow, Mom! I never knew we had a feet soaker. This is cool!"

 Leah's toes.

 Monica's turn!

 Monica's toes.

Our matching toesies!

Unidas Park

We took the girls to the Unidas Park for a well deserved play time. It also gave me a chance to pull out the camera and get in some more practice. I'm not sure what it is about parks that make the perfect photo ops, but I love it! Here are my favorites.

Mesilla Valley Pumpkin Patch 2010

It's a small world, after all.
It's a small world after all.
It's a small world after all,
It's a small, small world.

It's an even smaller world in the military. When we first made the decision to check out NMSU, we were so focused on Ryan's career goal that it took a few days to realize one major perk of moving down here. But once realized, it helped me keep my motivation to get the house in ABQ cleaned and packed. And that is that just 45 minutes away, stationed at Ft. Bliss in El Paso, TX are three families we met while stationed in Baumholder, Germany! Lesa and I did everything together. Jeaneice was our friend and confidante who shared her wisdom, optimism, and love of Polish pottery with us. And Cristine we got to know through our mutual friend Monica McBride. She had her daughter Anya about 6 weeks before I had Monica, and about 6 weeks later, Monica had Alexis. Our second babies are all lined up pretty nicely too!

So what are all these ladies to do within such a short distance of each other? Why, meet up at the pumpkin patch, of course! It was a great little reunion and so fun to see all the kiddos playing together. It was also really fun for Ryan and I to see Ryan and Ciana. Ryan Horton was one of Ryan's young men when he was YM President and Ciana Horton was one of my beehives when I was the YW President. So to hang out with them again was a real treat!

 There were these cool, 15-20 foot slides that you could ride down on burlap sacks.

Monica slipped and fell and I didn't realize til later when Lesa pointed it out, that I caught her mid-fall! 

 Cristine, Eric and Anya

 Ciana, Ryan, Michael, Marah, Jeaneice, and James

Doug, Ashlynne, Lesa, Isaac, and Chase