Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from Dorothy (Emma), Olivia the cowgirl, and Grace the bee!!!

Halloween Preparations

It seems like it's getting harder and harder to find the time to carve pumpkins. It's been so warm here that we didn't want to carve them too early and Dan and the girls were going to Morehead over the weekend, so we needed to get them done before they left. Friday night when the girls came home from school, it was a beautiful evening, so we headed out on the deck to clean them out. Daddy did some fancy carving for us as usual. Check out the finished products in our Halloween pictures to come!!!

Meet Daisy

Meet the newest additon to the Hamilton family-Daisy!!! She is a 3 year old Shi-Poo. The first day has been heaven!!! She doesn't shed, she's housebroken, and the girls are just thrilled with her. She is a real girly dog, and even came with clothes! When we picked her up, she had pink bows in her hair, and this little shirt on that says, "The Princess has Arrived." I thought Dan was going to die. She really is the sweetest thing, and we are so happy to add her to our family. FYI-the shirt came off as soon as the girls went to bed!

Enjoying a Beautiful Day

This afternoon Olivia said, "Mom, I'm going to take my new book and go out side and read." I found her on a blanket in the front yard. Too cute! She loves to read and loves to be outside! Later in the afternoon she was helping rake and pick up the acorns in the front yard. She said, "Yeah, they made it kind of uncomfortable on that blanket. We should have done this first and then I should have read." It's amazing how many acorns one tree can produce! I think we got 3 huge bags full!!!

90 Degrees in October?

Last weekend we were at Shaw Farms with winter coats, hats, and mittens, and freezing. This weekend it was in the 80's and close to 90 on Sunday!!! Grace had a soccer tournament this weekend. They couldn't have asked for better weather!

Right after she threw the ball in.

I know this picture is blurry, but the game was moving very fast at this point, and I was very excited and just couldn't hold the camera still, I guess. Too bad, because it would have been a great picture with the ball and everything!

A big kick for the goal.

Shaw Farms

It was another chilly trip to Shaw Farms this year, but still fun. It has been really dry here this summer, so at least it wasn't a mud pit like it was last year. We did all the traditional Shaw Farm favorites- the hay ride, the picture in the big pumpkin, playing around on all activities for the kids, and seeing the animals. There was also a new feature this year-a very bumpy ride through the pumpkin field for the kids in barrels pulled by a little tractor. Needless to say, it was a real hit!!

Olivia looks pretty comfortable on the tractor for a city girl.

The popular barrel ride. (Look right over the back of the tractor and you will see Olivia's head)

Emma by the Dorthy display in honor of her Halloween costume this year.

Punt, Pass, Kick Girl

Olivia came home from school on Friday and said, "I have big news", but she was calm and collected in her Olivia sort of way. When I asked her what her big news was, she pulled a red ribbon out of her book bag. She had gotten 2nd place in the NFL's Punt, Pass, Kick Contest at her school!!! 2nd place out of all the 8 and 9 year olds--- Way to go Olivia!!!

Grace was so proud of Olivia!!

A Weekend in Michigan

Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of going to Michigan alone. It was a big weekend for my niece Norah. She was being baptized!! I really wish my whole family could have been there to see it, but Grace was on a Confirmation retreat and Olivia had AAU basketball tryouts. While I missed them, it was nice to have a quiet weekend alone and spend some time with Mom and Dad. I also had the pleasure of babysitting for all 3 of my nieces Friday night. Audrey and Lilly are a hoot, and Norah is the sweetest little baby. It was a great weekend!!

We got to celebrate Mom's birthday while I was home. Something I never get to do!

Proud parents

Beautiful Norah in her baptisimal gown.

Dancing Queen

Watch out Broadway, Emma has started dancing!!! To say she absolutley loves it is an understatement!! When Monday rolls around, she says, "Today I'm a walker, I have swimming, and then I have DANCE!!!" Monday is her favorite day of the week because she has DANCE!!!!! (Get the picture?) All I can say is, TOO CUTE!!!!