Caramel Apples!

Last night after dinner, the three of us made caramel apples, and they were so yummy! I don't know why we've never done this before, but this will surely become something we make each fall now!

Sarah went first...choosing the biggest apple of course! She dipped hers in peanuts, sprinkles, and M&M's.

While we were eating, Sarah told daddy that he is a "Citizen Hero" because he works so hard as a doctor. The smile on his face was huge! It was such a sweet compliment that came out of nowhere. (Sarah got that term from Social Studies, where they talk about people in our community who our Citizen Heroes.)

Date Day!

Yesterday, Bryan was off, so after we dropped Sarah off at school, we had a date-day. (I love those!) We rearranged the living room furniture (fun!), went to go see a movie, and then once we picked Sarah up, we all went to Freebirds for dinner. That evening, Sarah went to a "Boo Party" at her Little Gym. While she was there, Bryan and I did a little bit of Christmas shopping, talked at Starbucks over hot chocolate, then watched one of our favorite shows before picking her up. It was a great day!

Sarah in her cowgirl costume.

Once Sarah was dressed, she kept saying, "I reckon" and "Yeehaw"! It was too cute!

I didn't do her hair or anything since she was going to be tumbling and playing while at the Gym. I can't wait until she gets to be completely dressed up for Halloween!

Sarah took this one of me and Bryan. (Boy, my legs are pale!)

Parent Teacher Conference

I just got back from a parent teacher conference. Her teacher, Ms. Zarate, (whom I adore!), said that Sarah was doing exceptionally well. She also said that Sarah is a fabulous writer, very determined, task focused, and genuinely kind. Yesterday, Sarah was moved up to the highest reading level in class, and she was beside herself as she was telling us about it on the way home from school! Ms. Zarate described it more today and said that this level is where Sarah should be by the 4th nine weeks of first grade. And we're just now ending the 1st nine weeks! We are so proud of her!

Carnival Fun!

Today, we went to Sarah's school carnival. Sarah had a ball!! She played lots of games and spent a good 10 minutes in the bounce house--after a corny dog and a cherry snow cone!

This pinwheel was Sarah's first prize, after knocking down 3 milk bottles with a ball! At the fishing pond! Needle in a haystack.

Sarah golfing. I golf in pearls too!

Look at that concentration! Haha!

Bryan took this one of his girls!

A Pizza for Reading!

This month, Sarah's school started the Pizza Hut Reading Program. If you read one book for each day of the month, you receive a certificate for a free personal sized pizza. They started the program on October 1st, and Sarah turned in her sheet on October 7th. She was so excited about the program, she couldn't help herself! Some of the books she read were difficult, others were simple board books that we read to her when she was a baby. Either way, she read 31 of them, and Bryan and I are so proud of her! So, tonight we went out to get her free pizza.

Her completed chart! Her certificate! Waiting for the pizza was so hard! Yum!!

Pumpkin Patch!

Fall is our family's favorite season! We love the crisp air outside, pumpkin spice lattes, the leaves changing colors, baking apple crisps, and pumpkin patches! We have visited a pumpkin patch each year since before Sarah could even walk. This year, however, was the best! It was a huge pumpkin patch in a small town miles down a country road, and it was so much fun!

The first thing Sarah did was paint a pumpkin! Then she was a scarecrow, and a pumpkin. Too cute!

Me and Papa Bear!

Sarah in the gazebo.

Aren't we cute? Blurry, but cute! : )

Sarah's favorite part was making her way through this maze o' hay!

Stopping to pose for a picture!

Sarah and me winding our way through.

I love this picture! She looks like she's about to climb the mountain of pumpkins!

Sarah filling her sand art container. I forgot to take a picture of it when she finished!

Brushing Mr. Horse

Daddy and Sarah petting him.

Sarah just adored the horses.

Swingin' away!

We loved the crosses. They were to build scarecrows, but we thought they were so simple and pretty.

This is the scarecrow Sarah and Daddy made. Sarah named her Lilly!

Me and Sarah Bear.

On our way home, we ate lunch at a hole in the wall BBQ joint, then stopped for ice cream at a soda fountain inside a General Store. It was lovely!

Here are some of the pumpkins we brought home. As it gets closer to Halloween, we'll carve the big one. (I moved the mums in between our rocking chairs!)

A Recipe by Sarah

One of our favorite shows to watch as a family is the Travel Channel's Man vs. Food. After watching one of the episodes last week, Sarah came up with a recipe of her own. So today, after Bryan got home from work, we made her special creation for lunch.

Sarah's recipe: Hot dogs topped with shredded cheddar cheese, queso, crushed chips, and sour cream.

Bryan and I both agreed--they were actually pretty good!

Sarah with her own masterpiece Her first bite...which she loved! It was so messy, we had to end up cutting it with a fork! .

So next time you can't think of anything to make for dinner, why not try a "Sarah Hot Dog"?!

These Are a Few of my Favorite Things!

Today was a Delightful with a capital "D" day! So, I thought I would share a few of my favorite things! 

Bryan is on call tonight, so he and I got up a little earlier than normal to have coffee and talk before he had to go to the hospital. Usually, I just put his coffee in a to-go cup for him, so this was really nice! 

It started raining pretty hard this morning before we left for school, so Sarah decided to wear her rain boots. One word: adorable!

Sarah had an early release day today, so we had some "girl time" once I picked her up from school.

We stopped at Lowe's to pick up a pot of mums. She's posing with her new scarf--that we got today from Old Navy--to show how chilly it was!

Our mums on the porch. I love their fall look, and for $6.00, you can't beat it!

Then, Sarah and I stopped at Starbucks for hot chocolate. This is her new "sophisticated" look.!

We bought a new Fancy Nancy book,

and the new Michael Buble CD. I love him! Don't worry, I've already told Bryan.

Next, we went to the library. Sarah and I heart the library! And yes, this evening, we read every book in the stack!

Finally, we baked a loaf of banana bread! Is there anything better?!

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Again, it was a Delightful day!

Mystery Reader

Earlier this afternoon, I had the pleasure of being a "Mystery Reader" in Sarah's class. It was so much fun!

I had a hard time picking out which book to take at first, especially with the plethora of Fancy Nancy and princess themed books that we have! But I finally decided on If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. It is a well-loved book at our house, so I thought it would be perfect! And boy was I right!! When I told the kiddos what I was going to read, they were all so excited! It was a nice break from my everyday routine to surprise Sarah and her class by reading one of my favorite stories to them, and the giggles they let out every few pages were priceless!

Cards

I love cards. And I really love giving cards for no reason at all, just to let someone know I'm thinking of them. (Bryan has two boxes completely full of cards I've bought and made him over the course of our relationship!) So last night after reading the Bible to Sarah and turning off her light, I decided to make a little card for both of them. Hopefully, it will bring a smile to their faces!

Sarah's card will be tucked into her lunch box today next to her sandwich and grapes. And Bryan's card will be waiting on his desk when he gets home this morning...next to his Heisman figure that Sarah painted for him a couple of years ago!

Date Day!

Bryan was off today, so we had a date day! It was wonderful! Usually, our dates consist of talking, TV, and Coke floats after we've tucked Sarah in, but today we had the opportunity to go out. We went to Panera Bread--our favorite breakfast spot!--and talked over bagels and coffee. Then, once we got home, we watched our Netflix movie. What a great date day!

All Curled Up!

This morning, we had two loud storms--one before 3:00 AM and the other before 6:30 AM. Due to that, and the fact that Bryan had to go in to the hospital today, all three of us were up early. After Sarah and I kissed Daddy goodbye, we played Pick-Up-Sticks and Monopoly Jr. Then we put in a movie while we ate breakfast.

After putting a load of laundry into the dryer, this is how I found Sarah curled up watching the end of the movie. Adorable!

Mandarin Oranges

Last night as one of the sides for dinner, I made a simple fruit salad. One of the fruits I added, (much to my own dismay), was Mandarin Oranges. Bryan and Sarah love them, and I cannot stand them. But, to be a good wife and mom, I buy them. Sarah kept asking me why I don't like them, and all I could say was, "I just think they taste yucky." So Sarah told me to try one, and I simply replied, "Nope." Then she went in for the kill and added, "But Mommy, you always make me try different foods!" What was I supposed to say to that?! She trapped me! I had no other choice but to eat one because I didn't want to get caught in the ol' do as I say, not as I do dilemma. Although the Mandarin Orange was still yucky to me, I was proud of myself! And I think Sarah was proud of me too! : )