Unca Ryan and Aunt Shannon come to visit

We had another wonderful set of visitors recently. My brother, Ryan, and his wonderful wife, Shannon, came all the way from Chicago to see us. We filled the weekend with LOTS of events, but truth be told, I think we could have filled it with just the boys.

Friday: Their flight came in about 10, so all of us loaded up in the van to make the trip to XNA. The boys entertained themselves while waiting by acting like monsters crashing a toy house in the baggage area. What can I say? Boys will be boys. We came back to the Fort and had a nice lunch at Chedders. I think Shannon was appalled at Ryan's choice of Chicken Fried Steak, but she tried it like a good sport. Once we made it to the house the boys were relentless in their pursuit of playing with our guests. I think it is safe to say that everyone was WORN OUT by early afternoon. Justin had to scout a game (we had a bye week), and the weather was nice, so we decided to grill some tasties. The boys were happy to share their new movie, Toy Story 3, with Aunt Shannon.

Saturday: The boys and I woke up fairly early. Wilson complained of a stomach ache and claimed the only remedy was cinnamon rolls. He waited patiently for them to finish cooking and devoured 3 on his own. Once everyone else woke up, I fixed another round of cinnamon rolls and promptly banned the younger people from eating them all. (They must be going through a growth spurt!!) Ryan, Shannon, Wilson , and I made a quick run to Academy Sports for Hog gear. Of course, while we were there, Wilson found a Rebel colored football that he just HAD to have. Uncle Ryan was very nice to buy it for him (even if it was for us to take to the game later). Ms. Macy made it to the house to hang out with the boys while the adults made another trek up the hill for the Hog game. We had a blast tailgating at Pratt Farm, and the Hogs won in honor of Shannon. Once we made it back home, we all got out our competitive belts for a quick game of Cranium. Do you even need to ask who won? THE GIRLS!!

Sunday: We decided to take Ryan and Shannon to a really nice breakfast at our favorite stomping grounds--IHOP. I think the funniest comment of the weekend was Ryan saying, "Man, it is hard to take kids to breakfast. I am used to getting a paper and not saying anything to anyone." Yep, big bro, kids put a kink in those plans. Sunday was pretty much lounging, laundry, playing with the kids, and napping. We had to leave about 2:30 to make one last trip up the hill to the airport. After we saw Uncle Ryan and Aunt Shannon off safely, me and the boys drove safely back to our quiet home to enjoy the rest of our evening.

It was such a wonderful weekend (even if it was terribly short). The boys can't wait for the next time they see their "best buddies". Russell claims every time he gets mad at me that he is going to get on a plane and go live with Ryan and Shannon in Chicago. My typical response is "You would never make it in that cold. "

Spooktacular Day

Unlike most towns around, Fort Smith kept the Halloween Festivities on actual Halloween this year. It kinda put a kink in our fun-filed day as the coaches work for most of the day. However, Jeff was kind enough to let the coaches have 5:30-7:30 with their candy crazed children. THANKS!!
Russell, Wilson, and I started our afternoon with the Fimples at FUMC for their carnival. It was held in the FLC and consisted of games, bouncy houses, candy, candy and more candy. It was a really great way to warm up to the idea of people in costumes. In case you aren't aware, Wilson has a huge fear of strange people wearing strange outfits. He did really well, considering there were some seriously scary costumes there.





After we won all the games, took all the candy, and feasted on all the popcorn and soda we could, we headed to SHS to pick up the daddies. Sonic was running a special on corn dogs, so we swung by and picked up dinner to eat before Trick-or-Treating. We met the Fimples (+Keith) at a park in a local neighborhood, and we all ate some really healthy food. To maximize the short time we had we preplanned where we would visit. One of the neighborhoods is known for giving out full sized candy bars, and we had hunted this area last year. Let's just say the kids really racked up on loot!! A fun time was had by everyone involved. Now if I can just keep myself out of the bag of goodies.

Papa T's Halloween Extravaganza

This past weekend was the party to end all other parties. If you haven't had the pleasure of meeting "Papa T" then I feel so sorry for you. This man (who is the dad of a coach) puts on a great show for all of the kids. I am talking about HUGE blowup houses and slides. He requires costumes, but he provides great prizes for them. He thinks of the most inventive games to play, and the party always ends with the kids filling up their pumpkin baskets with TONS of candy. This year The Stewarts and The Keys went with the group theme of "Grease". We thought it was fitting--the boys could all be "tough T-Birds", and Leslie and I could be sassy Pink Ladies. Leslie is a very talented seamstress, and she took on the job of making our sexy poodle skirts. We won "Best Over All 3rd place", but I think we could have stolen the show if Tadd hadn't messed up "The Hand Jive" during judging. Leslie was Frenchie (duh--she sprayed her hair pink), and I was Rizzo (you can't see the hickey I drew on my neck). Needless to say we had a great time despite the torrential down pour. We are already planning next year's costumes. Any ideas?

In case you didn't hear

Just in case you missed the news. . .

I mean this is really big news. . .

It really changed the way we saw things at our house. . .

It will probably change the way we see things for a while. . .

Our house was pretty crazy for a while after we "found out". . .

Can you guess what it is?


No , probably not.

I really don't know why you are even trying!

Okay, I will put you out of your misery.

We. . . are. . . going. . .

TO THE PLAYOFFS! AGAIN!!

*hysterical laughter from Hillary*
Oh, I am sorry, did you think I was about to say something else?
Seriously though, we beat Har-ber, who were undefeated and ranked in the nation. I am so proud of the Rebels!! Our of our 6 seasons in Fort Smith this will be our 4th time to go to the playoffs!! My heart swells with pride!

Great times with Grandparents

Grandpa Ralph and Nana came to visit in early October. It was such a wonderful visit for everyone. Unfortunately, Wilson was running a temperature the whole weekend, but that didn't stop him from getting some good G-rent love. They arrived on Thursday afternoon and stayed till we left for work on Monday morning. We didn't really do anything spectacular (hint--fever), but we had really special time here at the house chatting. I was only able to catch a few pics of the whole weekend. Some are cute and some are silly (but still cute). We really don't get to see them often enough.

The Pumpkin Patch

Today we decided to have a family adventure to the Wild Things Farm and Pumpkin Patch. We were joined by the Stewart family as well. I heard about this wonderful place through our Kindergarten teachers. They take the whole all of the Kindergarten students each year. I wasn't sure what to expect, but when I looked at the website it looked pretty cool. We made the executive decision NOT to do the corn maze (thank goodness for me and my claustrophobia!).

As soon as we arrived we were surprised by goats, pigs, and roosters! Someone had invented a very awesome way to feed the goats (they like to climb up these ladders like things). Of course we had to try it out!

Then we found a cow milking simulator. It was a wooden cut-out of a cow that had the "instruments" you could pull on to milk. It was actually hooked up to a water hose, but the boys thought it was hilarious!!

There were also little games the kids could play like duck races (with real water pumps) and pig races. You had to turn the pigs tail to get the numbered pigs to race. Wilson was not pleased that he couldn't figure out how to work the game. He also hadn't had a nap before we left, so EVERYTHING was a battle. Just check out the mean face he is making!

Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of the corn shooter. It was a neat contraption that they stuffed corn down, and you could shoot the corn cobs at targets in a field. I think the grown boys had more fun with this game than the younger ones!

Next up was picking pumpkins. I wanted the boys to each get a small pumpkin that we could paint, one large pumpkin for carving (closer to Halloween), and I wanted some fall decorative items for the front porch. I would say were were successful.

Russell picked the Jack-o-lantern pumpkin, and he did a fine job. I think we can turn it into something extremely spooky.

Wilson found the largest pumpkin out there and declared "This is mine". He was sorely disappointed when I told him it was only for display, and there was no way in the world we were taking it home.

The boys found a "fort" to storm, and they were quite hilarious acting like they had conquered the world.

We were also able to take a good fall family picture while were there. And a funny one with Russell as a farmer on a tractor.

I'm Lovin' It!

No, this entry isn't going to be all about Mc Donald's! However, it is going to be about a few of the things I am really digging at the moment.

1. I love fundraisers at restaurants. This week we attended a Booster Club fundraiser at Varsity Grill and a fundraiser at Chick-Fil-A for my school. I love that it gives me an excuse not to cook, but that by eating out, we are actually helping fund two really great programs. By the looks of the crowds at both, the fundraisers were great successes!

2. Crisp nights/mornings--I am really loving that in the mornings it is just cool enough to wake me up, and in the evenings, it is just right to sit outside. I am also loving the fact that the mosquitoes are finally at bay. When I am enjoying the back porch (after the kids are in bed), I catch the faintest whiff of a fire someone has built. Now, me personally, it is a little early to enjoy the roaring blaze but to each their own.

3. Scrubs for work!! We decided as a staff that this year we would all order scrubs. May sound strange to some people, but it really isn't that uncommon in the school world. It was great to wake up this morning and not have to worry about what to wear and if it was ironed. The scrubs are a wonderful, vibrant, royal blue with the cutest embroidery of a school house and children while saying "Euper Lane. . . Working Together" which is part of our new mission statement. It was also quite humorous to see the reaction of the students when the entire staff was dressed alike!!

4. the Little Penguin Merlot--'nuff said!

5. How much Russell is learning. It is almost as if I can see his brain expanding. He comes home every day with a new story, poem, vocabulary word, or concept. I love that his teacher actually enjoys her job, and that she is such a genuinely nice person who smiles SOOOO much!! Russell absolutely loves school, and I know it is because of the fantastic environment E.L.E. provides.

6. Baby toes (what did I say)? No really, I have always loved Wilson's baby toes. It seems like his little feet are just stuck in that perfect stage of freaking cute. I would kiss them if they weren't so stinky!! I know that they won't be baby toes for much longer (technically they aren't baby toes now), and I want to cherish the sweetness of them while I still can.

7. My family!! My parents will be visiting us next week, and I am looking forward to a good time. We don't have the opportunity to see my parents as much as I would like, and we really try to live it up when we get together. I am excited for Nana and Grandpa Ralph to see how much the boys have changed, take them to a Rebel game, and maybe even introduce them to a few new friends. My brother and SIL, Ryan and Shannon, are also going to visit us soon. They will come in for a short weekend trip, but we will fill it to the brim with activities!! I look forward to their visit for many different reasons than my parents' trip. Obviously, I want R and S to hang out with the boys, but I am being selfish, and I am really looking forward to getting away to F-ville for the Hog game. Tailgating, chilling, watching good football, and quality time with two of my favorite people--who could want more?

What can I say? Life is good right now. I think my positive outlook has helped me this fall to get over the little things that usually bring me down! I am loving life--even the hiccups along the way!