guess who's coming to dinner?

I don't know and I don't care, but we'll be using my pretty new fiestaware Chris got me for my birthday! Just wanted to get a post in about how wonderful my hubby and daughter were on my birthday. I decided I wanted to go some place new and picked Redpin Bowling. I wasn't sure how it would go with a toddler (not to mention pregnant), but we had a blast! It's kind of pricey for bowling, but a really nice and fun place to go for special occasions. We ate at our lane, which worked really well to keep Elle entertained while we waited for our food and then when she had to wait her turn. The food's good too. I haven't been bowling in forever so maybe this isn't new, but they could raise the bumpers on her turn and lower them on ours. Then they had a ramp she could put her ball on and push down to get it down the lane. She was so excited!




Chris also made my favorite strawberry cake that my mom made from the time I was little, but is now his special duty. He also was so cute and made me a card.

halloween happenings

Tinkerbell was sighted all over OKC!
Trick-or-treating the dorms was just the beginning. Elle had a halloween parade and party at school. Then she and I went to Haunt the Harn with the OSSM students while Chris had dorm duty. It was fun except for the rain, which forced everyone into the event barn. Elle wanted to get her face painted like a kitty cat and did so well.



Then costumes at gymnastics, where she got candy at stamp time


Storybook Forest with friends from church



Then trunk-or-treat at church and we won most humorous (i think it was mops as captain hook, or it could've been that peter and wendy had a much more scandalous relationship than a kiss). sorry no pics, the camera battery died. Finally, trick-or-treating at the Whaley's.


For school on Monday we focused on candy corn. We read Julius' Candy Corn by Kevin Henkes and Candy Corn (about a candy corn cat and finding triangles all over Halloween) by Kelly Asbury. We ate candy corn and made our own button candy corn.


Let's just say I'll think twice about making another costume, but at least she used it a lot. Now it's going in the dress up case!

tt: acorns and leaves

The last two weeks we focused on acorns and fall leaves for school. We went outside and picked up acorns from under the oak trees by the school building. Then another day we dropped them in the water to see if they would sink or float. If they float they won't become trees, and if they sink they will (a little trivia from my nephew's Big Backyard magazine.) I found some little fall cookie cutters and Elle and her friend Keely played with them with the playdough.

we read a lot:
*That pup! by Lindsay Barrett George
Elle loves this book and will not let me turn it back into the library. We have to read it at least once everyday. It's got cute illustrations. For extra fun you can look for the acorns and the squirrel hiding somewhere in the pictures.
Earl the Squirrel by Don Freeman (author of the Corduroy books)
Going on a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger
Clifford's First Autumn by Norman Bridwell

and we ate a lot:
fall trees (pretzel sticks, peanut butter, and fall M&M's)


acorns (Nutter Butter bite, Hershey's kiss, chocolate chip "glued" together with peanut butter), which we shared at the Jr/Sr football game tailgate party

another acorn project (acorn cutout, oatmeal for the nut, chocolate chips for the cap, glue), and Elle loved eating the extra chocolate chips


other activities that we just didn't get to:
painting the acorns and hiding them in fake leaves, then raking them up
identifying all the animals that eat acorns:
squirrels, chipmunks, mice, rabbits, cattle, pigs, deer, chickadees, quail, wild turkey

trick-or-treat the dorms

I didn't want Elle to miss out of official trick-or-treating just because we live in an apartment. So I recruited the students to pass out candy Sunday night for Elle and the other faculty's kids. This was kind of a dress rehearsal for Elle's costume because it's still a work-in-progress. She had a blast though and I think the students had the most fun! Maybe if they're in disguise they won't mind me posting some of my favorite costumes.

She wouldn't knock or get too close, but she was willing to take the candy.




These were only some of the costumes, a lot of the guys had already changed for study time.

warning! baby belly nudity

Elle has been going to the baby doctor with me pretty regularly. She knows the drill now, and doesn't ever forget the part where I have to pee in a cup. The other night she found the measuring tape and insisted on measuring my belly just like the doctor. Then she spent some time talking to baby brother.

first family camp out and 30th birthday party

We survived! Elle slept in a tent...all night! We had a great time at Lake Thunderbird, even if we got to really understand what they mean by "primitive" campsite. Thanks to Daniel for camping with us and for the boy scouts doing all the tough work. The party was wonderful and we truly appreciate all those who came out to wish Chris a happy birthday.

it's not bug spray or a rash, it's a baby shower!

I've been complimented on my sneakiness in the past, and frankly I didn't think Chris had it in him. But, with a little help from 24 teenage girls he can pull it off. Tuesday the girls on our floor surprised me with a baby shower. There aren't really any pics except the diaper cake they made because I didn't know it was going to happen, which means no camera.

Chris called me Tuesday during the day to say they were going to spray for the ninja bugs in the girls' bathroom (if you want to know the full story about them I can tell you later) and Elle and I should probably avoid going in the lounge. I'm pregnant and Elle's little so I bought it.

Then at dinner that night one of our sweet girls comes into the great hall and talks to Chris in the fishbowl for a minute (he's on duty so this doesn't seem strange). Then he comes to the table and tells me she's got a woman problem and feels embarrassed and would rather talk to me. She says she doesn't want to show me here and I say let's go to the floor. Remember I'm pregnant = no brain = I've completely forgotten about the ninja bug spray. So off we go! She's telling me she's got a rash on the inside of her leg and then... Surprise!

The girls had decorated the lounge, had made onesies (some of which I still don't know what they mean because it's some inside something from Chris' class), gifts, games, and cute cupcakes. We hadn't told them his name yet so they all chose one and had a cute chocolate animal holding their name up on top of each of the cupcakes.

They put so much work into it and did such a great job! They are so sweet and clever and we feel so blessed to have them in our lives!