Mimi texted about getting the girls for a spend the night party so mommy and daddy got a date night. We ended up on a double date with Mark and Stacy. We laughed a lot and got to have some great conversation. Not sure if we enjoyed our night or the kids and Mimi enjoyed theirs more? Mimi kept the girls busy. Piecing together everything it sounds like they went to Wald Park right after she picked them up then stopped for yogurt at TCBY and RiteAid for gloves but everyone picked out a toy since the were on sale for half price before getting back to the house. She made chicken casserole and tacos for dinner so everyone could eat what they wanted before they sprayed their hair, carved pumpkins, baked cupcakes, decorated cupcakes when they cooled, and  topped off the night watching “Hocus Pocus” before bed.

Double date night fun! We all laughed a lot :).
Thank you Mimi for keeping the girls but next time we will get a sitter so you can be with us

The girls had a blast with Mimi! She kept them busy. 
The girlies got to help with cleaning out the pumpkins. Mimi said Ivy and Katie cleaned them out with little to no help. Leia and Sara requested help to clean them out before they started carving. 
 
Carving time fun
 
These girlies worked hard on their pumpkins and did a great job on them
 
Ivy showing off her pumpkin
 
A special bond between Mimi and her grand-girls
    
Baking and decorating cupcakes is always a favorite 
  

Saturday morning no one slept in after all the excitement from the night before and was up by 6:30 (maybe earlier). Mimi made her breakfast buffet then they were off to the races again, playing, watching tv, and having fun. Sweet Ivy’s energy level was low so she snuggled with Mimi and fell back asleep for a hour or so. Lisa headed out early to check on her and was thankful when she woke she was feeling better. The four little artists painted a halloween picture then moved over to freestyle on paper for almost a hour before sneaking back up stairs to their little world. Chris, Mark and Stacy showed up with lunch not long after they went upstairs so we called Al from the basement and all the adults got to eat lunch together then the girlies came as they got hungry. That afternoon the Rhoads and Comfort girls both had a birthday parties to go to at 3:30 but dfferent areas of town so we all left early to get to the party. Chris took Leia and Ivy to Let’s Play for the party while Lisa stayed home and got some stuff done. That evening was a low key one with dinner and movie in mommy and daddy’s bed since our energy level was low and Lisa said all 3 girls in the house needed to be in bed early.

Sweet Ivy and Mimi when Lisa arrived. Mommy started praying that when she woke she would feel better. Thankful God heard my prayers 

When Ivy woke she showed mommy the pumpkins

We called all the girlies to the kitchen for a little painting fun

   

Party fun at Let’s Play

Sunday morning, Lisa was up early with the early bed time while the rest of the house slept. In the stillness and quiet with a cup of coffee watching the flames of the fire there was a spirit of thankfulness and praising God for his grace and mercy he shows us all. Sweet Leia got up about a hour and a half later and we got some time to sit by the fire sip coffee/hot chocolate and just spend some one on one, mommy/daughter time. Daddy texted about 30 minutes later that the girls could come wake him but precious Ivy did not get up till about 30 minutes after daddy so just Leia went in to get him up. We did not make it to church since Ivy did not get up till after it started but she needed rest after not feeling good on Saturday. It was a cold morning so we all snuggled by the fire until the girls asked Chris to pick up donuts and pumpkins. Our sweet daddy went out in the cold 30 degree weather to get them for us. After breakfast Lisa and Ivy started to clean out the pumpkins since Leia said she does not touch pumpkin guts. However, we did not have gloves so Ivy did not want to touch it either and Lisa ended up cleaning out both the pumpkins. Chris spray painted Leia’s while Lisa finished cleaning out Ivy’s. Lisa and the girls headed to Mimi’s for lunch before Zoe’s 1st birthday party. Chris could not go since he was leaving for  a business trip in Atlanta mid afternoon. The girls had fun playing with Sara and Katie at Mimi’s. We took ginger bread haunted houses over for kids to do so that entertained them a little bit. Zoe’s party was sweet party. She is a tough baby girl with 3 surgeries under her belt in her first year of life. We headed from there home to finish our pumpkins but before we could do that the girls wanted to cook breakfast. Leia did most the cooking and mastered eggs and pancakes from start to finish (she already knew how to do bacon). After dinner we finished the pumpkins. They took longer than we had planned but both turned out awesome! What a great way to end the fabulous weekend.  

Sweet time for Mommy/Leia while the rest of the house sleeps. Lisa LOVES getting to spend some one on one time with the girlies. 

Thankful our sweet daddy was willing to go to the store to go buy pumpkins so we could carve them. Lisa actually ended up cleaning out both the pumpkins since we did not have gloves for Ivy and Leia said she does not touch pumpkin guts with or without gloves. Daddy spray painted Leia’s white for us before he left for his work trip to let it dry while we ran to have lunch with Mimi and to Zoe’s first birthday party.  

The girls made haunted houses at Mimi’s that we’d brought over. They looked cute to be haunted houses though. 
  
Love this sweet girl! She has such a fun spirit that spreads joy and laughter wherever she goes. So thankful we get to call her our baby girl! 

She abandoned Sara and started reading to the toads one their house

Happy 1st birthday baby Zoe! You are a strong, brave, and a tough baby girl.  God has big things in store for you!  

 The girlies wanted to cook dinner when we got home. Ivy mixed up the pancakes then got tired of cooking but Leia cooked the pancakes and eggs on the stove, and bacon in the microwave all by herself. Pretty soon mommy can just send her to the kitchen herself.  
  
Finished our pumpkin carving after dinner 
  
Both the pumpkins looked amazing! 
 

Thankful for a loving husband/wife, thankful we get to be a daddy/mommy, thankful for beautiful, healthy children, thankful we get to live close to family and have them part of our daily lives,  Lisa thought about how blessed we are to have a warm home