Mommy's Birthday & Pre-Halloween Fun!

Mommy turned 31 on Wednesday. Not a very exciting birthday, but a day well-spent with family. Gabriella and Adriana woke me up in the morning with lots of kisses, hugs and surprises!

Receiving birthday snuggles.

My two little princesses woke me up with birthday gifts! I was surprised with a pair of TOMS and a light for my Kindle. I was pretty excited! 

After I was taken out to a yummy dinner, I was serenaded "Happy Birthday!" and served yummy cake! 

Making my birthday wish!

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On Friday we started our 3-day Pre-Halloween celebrations. The girls' school had its annual Trunk or Treat and the girls loved it! For those who aren't familiar with the concept, it's when families decorate their trunks with some theme for Halloween and then distribute candy to the children. It was a chilly night - perfect for the occasion.  

Strawberry Shortcake and Alice in Wonderland! They were so cute! 

Gabby is the perfect Alice. Her skirt has LED lights which make the costume even more fun!

So pretty! Love her smile and spirit! 

We think she makes the best Strawberry - hands down! Seriously, the cutest and most adorable thing in that pink wig!

She loves the freckles and we do, too! Precious!

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On Saturday, Daddy and the girls carved and decorated pumpkins. They love doing this, especially cleaning the seeds.

Final projects - Ta Da!

After cleaning and baking the pumpkin seeds, we had a yummy snack.

The girls decorated our front porch. 

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Sunday was another fun day. After church and brunch, we spent the afternoon trick-or-treating in Brookside. It was a really beautiful fall afternoon. In the evening we went to the Aquarium's Hallowmarine. More pics of Alice and Strawberry!

Bouncing on the big pirate ship at the Aquarium. 

The mermaid and pirate in the giant fish tank. Really cool!
The girls really enjoy this special event. Gabby wanted her picture with them but Adriana passed on it.

The highlight of the visit was getting their picture with the giant pirate. Last year Adriana was scared of him but she has been promising us for months she was going to take a picture with him this year and she did! We are so proud of her! 

Stay tuned for more pictures of Halloween fun! The girls have plenty of things going on at school and of course on Halloween night!

Scarecrows and Frontier City!

I forgot to post photos from Scarecrow Day at Gabby's school from a few weeks ago. The kindergartners did a unit on Fall and two of the fun activities in the unit were Scarecrow Day and a visit to a Pumpkin Patch. Each child decorated their own vest as part of their scarecrow costume. The kindergarten teachers painted their faces and the kids brought a bandana and hat. So cute!

Filing out of the school to the fence to wave to everyone.

The sign facing the road that the children stood near. So many honking horns and people waving and cheering from the road. Really cute!

Our sweet Gabriella. 

Love her!

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Yesterday we spent the day in Oklahoma City at Frontier City. It was Employee Appreciation Day for UMB so we were treated to a fun day at the amusement park and lunch. The girls had a great time despite the warmer temperatures. It was sunny and in the 80s! Hot for late October!

Riding the teacups with Daddy. You can see their hair bows. David said they had a good time but had a few moments when they weren't too sure of it. 

That was fun!

Riding the Dragons. They look like such big girls. 

They both loved it. They rode this twice.

Up in the air now. Weee!!

Gabriella on the swings. Adriana wasn't quite tall enough for this one so she had to sit it out. She was only heartbroken for a minute and then she found something new to enjoy.

Cuties in the playhouse.

She loved playing in this structure. She kept going back to it. 

The park had really neat Halloween decorations everywhere. A little Harry Potter flavor to add to the mix. 

The girls and me on the merry-go-round. They love this ride no matter where we find it...a mall, a store, Disney's Magic Kingdom or Frontier City! :)

Gabby paddled a canoe in a stream. 

Shooting foam ball across the way. They played in this large play structure for a while. 

Gabby fetching balls and walking along a tree trunk beam to get to where she and Adriana were shooting them across the way. 

Concentrating before she aimed. 

The girls love this Charlie Brown special so it was only fitting we take their picture in front of it. 

Adriana's Cupcake Birthday Party!

We celebrated Adriana's birthday with a party on Saturday. Our friends and Gabriella's Godfather, Pat, and his wife, Jen and daughter, Sloan, visited us this weekend. We had a great time and really appreciate them visiting us. Saturday morning Daddy and Pat participated in the Tulsa Zoo 10k Run. Despite the cold and rainy conditions, the girls and I enjoyed the Zoo while the guys ran. We got to see the new Sea Lion Exhibit and some zoo favorites. In the late afternoon, some of our local friends came over to party with us.

Birthday girl after her nap. So excited to see the bounce house in our backyard!

Jumping in her cupcake party outfit before her friends arrived.  Despite the chilly fall temperatures, the bounce house was a big hit!

So much fun!

Jumping is fun! (Check out Gabby's socks. She did it on purpose. Such a creative mind!)

Funny girl!

Pat and pretty girl Sloan. 

Food table before the party. 

Jumping with friends! 

Painting pumpkins. They made great creations!

Concentration is key. 

Pizza time! 

Yummy Hello Kitty cupcakes.

Singing to the sweet Birthday Girl.

So good! What's better than pink icing?

Gift time. Pat, Jen and Sloan got Adriana her first Cabbage Patch Doll. (She plays with Mommy's Cabbage Patch Doll from a long time ago but this is her very own.) What a special gift. 

After the party, Daddy joined the girls for more bouncing. What a fun time!

We love you, Adriana!

Family photo. 

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Sunday morning the girls had fun hanging out with our guests before they headed back to KC. 

Such sweet girls! 

Chatting it up!

Peek-A-Book with Sloan. She loved when Gabby played this game. Sloan laughed so hard - it was adorable!

This is fun!

Having a good laugh together. 

Sunday afternoon Daddy and the girls enjoyed some time outside. Daddy cut up some wood from a small tree that fell down in our front yard this summer. (A powerful gust of wind got a hold of it.) 

Daddy burned the wood in our chiminea and the girls enjoyed watching while they stayed warm on a cool fall day. 

We had a wonderdul weekend and thank Pat, Jen and Sloan for visiting and celebrating Adriana's birthday with us. We also appreciate all of our local friends who took part in Adriana's birthday celebration! We had a great time!