Halloween 2014!

Happy Halloween! We soaked up the holiday with a visit to the Aquarium's HallowMarine, class parties, costume parades and a Halloween party with friends that included trick-or-treating on Halloween Night!

Posing with the Pirate at the Aquarium.

The coolest part -- when the Pirate & Mermaid take a dive in the tank.

Our keepsake from the night at HallowMarine.
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We had a busy day on Halloween. It started with Adriana's Pre-school's costume parade and party.

They parade through the "Big School" across the street so Gabby got to see all of us pass through. So fun!

Decorating and eating a sugar cookie.

Our pumpkin decorating submission - "A Caramel & Chocolate Apple" Pumpkin!

Next stop was Christina's Pre-School's costume parade. As soon as she saw me she ran up to me so I only got a few pictures. Still so cute.

In the late afternoon I attended Gabby's class' Halloween party where they played Halloween Bingo and ate treats. She is growing up so fast.

Catwoman on Halloween Night!

A Beautiful Peacock on Halloween Night!

A Cute Piggy on Halloween Night!

Trick-or-Treating!

We hope you had a safe and fun Halloween!

Adriana's Oxley Nature Center Field Trip

Today Adriana's class went to Oxley Nature Center. I attended as a parent volunteer and it was fun. I went with Gabby on this same field trip 3 years ago and it was just as interesting on my second visit.  Adriana's class has been studying habitats, insects, animals and all related things this first quarter of the school year. The children love learning about predators and prey and living things. Part of the curriculum is collecting bugs for your "bug block" which gets the kids really interested in nature. We walked on the paths for about 2 hours this morning.

The children watching their teacher point out a decomposing log. 

Lots of walking.

Taking a little break while. (No injury -- see the box in her hand.)

My Birthday!

Well, I'm 33. Not old but certainly not young. I am finally beginning to appreciate my 30s for what they are -- a time to finally live life with a little wisdom, the ability to take a few risks with confidence, learning to get out of my comfort zone and knowing that I am capable of many things I never thought I could ever do. So, here's to another great year in my 4th decade! :)

Woke up to these 3 pretty ladies in my bed with kisses and gifts.

The night of my birthday was Trunk or Treat at the girls' school. So much fun to watch our Catwoman, Peacock and Pig walk around with friends and enjoy a fun evening. 

We came home afterward and had cake. (Notice Christina's sucker stained face.) Love when these 3 sing to me.

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Today David and I ran in the Tulsa Run 15k (9.3 miles) again. The course was much more challenging with steady inclines and several hills throughout the course. To make matters even more difficult, it was a very warm morning (it reached nearly 90 degrees by the early afternoon). However, we both beat our times from last year. I beat mine by a little more than 5 minutes. Although I did not meet the goal I had for myself, I am still very proud of this accomplishment. I finished in the top 1/3 in my division which is much better than where I was last year. So, all in all, I am happy and hope that next year I can do even better.

As I said earlier, I have surprised myself in recent years with what I am actually capable of. I have never been a "runner" and still do not consider myself one. But, running 2 miles was a big deal to me about 5 years ago. Since then, I have participated in a couple 5ks, 10ks and now two 15ks. Eventually, I would like to participate in a half-marathon but I just don't have the time right now to continue to train. I do pretty much all of my running in the early mornings with a friend, but I hope to accomplish this goal in the near future.

Our Finish Line Smiles!

Pumpkin Fun!

On Saturday we did one of our favorite fall family activities...we went to Carmichael's Pumpkin Patch & Farm. The girls had a great time again this year! Christina is really into pumpkins, Halloween and animals so it was so fun for everyone!

Interacting and feeding the animals. 

Christina taking a good look at the goats. 

Our pumpkins among the pumpkins! It's hard to get a good photo of all of them together these days because Christina is on the move. 

Giving the big pumpkin a hug! Christina loves to give hugs and kisses.

Picking out pumpkins, gourds and squash to take home. 

Bunny rabbits are fun to watch. 

Hugs and kisses.

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On Sunday, Daddy carved the pumpkin and the girls and I cleaned the seeds and baked them.

Christina thought Daddy did a really good job. 

Our pumpkins (and jack-o-lantern)!

Adriana's 5th Birthday Pizza Party!

Today we celebrated Adriana's 5th Birthday with a pizza party at Joe Momma's. Joe Momma's is a really cool pizza place in downtown Tulsa. The kids had a blast decorating aprons, playing with dough and of course eating pizza and cupcakes!

The birthday girl in her party outfit. She was so excited to celebrate!

A cupcake creation. We were so impressed with the way this turned out.

The room decorated and ready before guests arrived.  

The cake table. I love the vintage decor of this place. So fun and inviting. 

We even had football on the (huge) TVs for the adults (and kids) to enjoy. 

I love this photo.

I am always so pleased when I remember to get a picture with the birthday girl. 

Adriana with her Big Sis and Little Sis.

Decorating their aprons before playing with pizza dough. 

Ha! They were a hit!

Playing with dough and coloring. 

Pizza time!

Singing Happy Birthday!

This captures her personality so well. I truly love this photo. 

Thank you to all of our friends who were able to celebrate with us today. Adriana is lucky to be surrounded by so many great friends and families. Happy Birthday, Adriana! You "wear" your Italian well! BELLA! TI AMO! 

Tulsa County Fair & Cyclones Football Game

The Tulsa County Fair has been in town the last week. Other than attending Disney on Ice a couple years ago, we have not experienced the fair yet. We brought the girls Friday evening and they loved it! They ate the food, enjoyed rides and won "overpriced" stuff animals. Good family fun. David and I enjoyed the rides, too. We both rode the Ferris wheel and the swings with one of the big girls (the picture of Adriana and me is from the Ferris wheel). Good times!

On Saturday, we headed to Stillwater, which is about an hour from our home, to watch Iowa State play OSU. The Cyclones came up short, but we still enjoyed seeing G-Pa and Uncle Tommy before the game. It was a complete surprise that our seats would be so close to the field and their tunnel. We were able to see them walk out for warm ups and we called G-Pa's name and they came over to say a quick hello. After the game, we waited afterward to talk and visit with them before they headed back to Ames. Below is a collage of our Saturday afternoon.