Pumpkin Patch with Friends

Happy Halloween!  I can't wait for tonight.  Molly Anne is going to have an absolute blast!  And I'm definitely going to let her stay up a little past her bedtime!  This season is magical for her so I want to let her enjoy an extra special treat!  We have our big candy bin filled to the max and we are excited!

Every year since Molly Anne was born, we've been to Hunter Farm with our friends to visit the pumpkin patch!  Here is this years trip...

Camille, Molly Anne, Emme, Gigi, Mary Scott

Silly girlies

The boys!  Grady and Lock.  They were probably thinking 'whatttttt' as they watched all of the girls haha!

I think this one is too cute with them both doing the same thing!

Zero personality

This picture was in 2015.  Molly Anne was 3 months old.  Camille and Gigi were a little over a year old!  


And now look at these cuties. 

Love them.

2015

2016

2017

2018

We missed our Charlotte SO much and send her lots of hugs and kisses!  

Halloween Parties

Sunday was a day full of Halloween parties!

First up was our neighborhood party!  They had a parade, a DJ that did fun things with the children, pumpkin decorating and some arts and crafts.  Molly Anne had a blast!

See that really really tall guy to the right of the light?  He's 7'2".  Basketball player, because duh.  Kevin is to the right of him holding Grady (all the way in the back).  

Molly Anne got both cheeks and both hands painted by the middle school girls. 

Decorating pumpkins

She's so into skeletons this year.  It's funny.  She touched this one several times to show me that she isn't scared of them!

Waiting for the costume contest winners to be revealed.  Spoiler, she didn't win.  But she won cutest ghost in my book! ;)

Then we headed over to our club mainly to eat dinner but also because they were having a big Halloween party too!  The girls had a blast playing all of the games and bouncing in the jump house!

Yes, Molly Anne fell asleep instantly last night!  It was a great family day with all the Halloween fun!  Can't wait until tomorrow! 

Box from Nannie and Poppa, Soccer and Out

Friday was super rainy here in Charlotte so after work and I grabbed the children, we had taco salads at home and called it a night!  Millsy had the right idea!  He is part human I swear. 

He is precious.  He sleeps so well. 

On Friday we had gotten a big box from my parents but she received so many treats at school that day, I saved the box for the next morning.  Molly Anne had a field day opening everything.  It was seriously like Christmas morning to her.  My Mom is too much and loves getting all of these fun things for she and Grady.  Kevin said while Molly Anne was opening everything - "you're going to do this same thing just like your Mom!"  Yes, he's right.  I bet spoiling grandchildren is the absolute best!  

Getting Grady up from his morning nap!  Routine routine routine is what has made this boy like a creature of habit already!  He's soooo happy!

I took them both to soccer while Kevin worked Saturday morning and Molly Anne did really well.  She listened to Coach Katie and they pretended their cones and soccer balls were ice cream cones.  It was cute!  She even scored two goals during the scrimmage.  And I felt like for the first time, she understood playing defense and which goal to score in!  

After soccer, I took Grady home to Kevin and Molly Anne and I went to pick out a pumpkin to carve!  Grady took his afternoon nap and I let Molly Anne stay up as a special treat. 

We do this every year together and she loves it.  She wouldn't put her hands in the pumpkin and get messy!  She was SO proud of her Jack-o-lantern as she calls it.  I let her draw it and I cut it!

Saturday night we had plans with our next door neighbors.  I fixed Hilary and I a little cocktail that my friend Ashley told me about.  Tequila + a lemon lime sparkling water + a squeeze of lime!  A low calorie delicious beverage! 

We put the children to bed and met them at Porters House for some appetizers and drinks.  This apple drink was so amazing but the kind of drink that will catch up to you!

Good times!  Hard to find couple friends that the guys both like each other and the girls like each other.  Am I right?  We are thankful for Hilary and Drew!

I'll be back tomorrow with our Sunday Halloween festivities!

Five on Friday - Dinner Out, Grady's Food Making

ONE:
Sometimes we go out for dinner in the middle of the week to kind of break up the work week a little bit!  Molly is still very big into being "twinsies" as she calls it!  Here we are in our Lilly dresses! ;) 

Hers in a different pattern // Mine in a different pattern

TWO:
Becky had to be off spur of the moment on Monday so Christine saved the day and came over to hang out with this sweet boy.  They went on long walks and Grady had so much fun he fell asleep on his playmat!  


THREE:
Mills has been warming up to hanging out with Grady these days.  Maybe it's because Grady is starting to acknowledge him more and Mills knows that Grady has two hands that will pet him! 

FOUR:
I can't even.  How will I ever discipline this child.  I think he will be Kevin's job to enforce the rules!

FIVE:
Been loving these little brie bites that I got at Teeter.  A good morning or afternoon snack. 

SIX:
I'm officially back on the train with baby food making.  I made all of Molly Anne's food (see post here) and I am doing the same for Grady.  It really takes no time at all and is easy to whip up.  I use this Baby Blender (I made the mistake of using my regular blender one time and it didn't work because there wasn't enough food to get out of the bottom!) and freeze each veggie in this tray.  And let me tell you how I do each veggie - 

Carrots - buy this can in the below picture, use a little of the juice and blend.
Sweet potato - buy the sweet potato at the grocery store in the plastic wrap.  Microwave.  Take the skin off.  Add some water and blend.  
Butternut squash - buy the frozen pack of cubed butternut squash. Steam.  Blend.
Green beans - buy the fresh green beans that are microwaveable.  Frozen would work too.  Cook then blend. 
Peas - buy the fresh peas that are frozen, steam in the microwave then blend.  

See, it's nothing fancy but I know exactly what Grady is eating with no added anything.  For fruits, I use the Dole fruits that come in 4 packs and just blend them right up.  One pack usually lasts for three meals.  I also give him the Gogo Applesauce pouches and feed him those with a spoon. 

I get a stash of the cubed pureed veggies and keep them in the freezer so when it's time to feed him in the most chaotic time of day, I just zap a cube in the microwave for 45 seconds and done.