Fall Photo Shoot

Luke and I have an agreement that every other year we do family pictures. We did the last one in 2011, which means that this year is the year to do them. But since I am a *nice* wife, I told him we could skip this year because I really want a family picture next year with Baby included. I could have done them two years in a row, I suppose. But we're quickly running out of time for me to not feel like huge uncomfortable mess, so I'm okay with skipping this year.

I still wanted a nice picture of the kids together for our Christmas cards, and I wanted to get a couple pictures of Raegan and I featuring my baby bump. I didn't get any nice pictures of myself when I was pregnant with Raegan, and I still kick myself over that. I think I only have one or two pictures during my pregnancy  that someone else took of me and aren't just me taking my own picture. :(

And because we are in Super High Gear Money Saving Mode right now, I borrowed my friend Christina's super fancy camera and Luke and I took pictures ourselves on the campus of the local college. I feel like we got so many great ones that I just can't decide which to use. And which to blow up and frame in our house. I do know that I'm going to go the do-it-yourself photography route more often from now on. And try to figure out how in the world to pinch even more pennies so I can get my own fancy camera.

Here's the results....

We are bad parents for taking this picture and laughing about it....

Pumpkin Carving

One of the activities we did in my classroom the week before Halloween was cut open a pumpkin to see and feel what was inside. I'm one of those boring teachers that wants almost everything to be a learning experience, so we didn't carve the pumpkin in class. Seriously, what does a group of 3 year olds get out of watching me carve a face on a pumpkin? Nothing. But I digress....

 

So I brought the pumpkin home that evening and Raegan helped me clean it out and carve a face on it. She was a little grossed out by touching the guts (she wouldn't really do it at all last year, so this year was a big improvement) but she was really into getting to use the small knife to help carve the face. :)

 

I love the mouth open face she has when she is really concentrating on something!

Pumpkin PaZooLa

Today we went to Pumpkin PaZooLa at Rolling Hills with my mother in law. It was busy, but the beauty of a zoo is it's so spread out you don't really notice the crowds. With the event there were some games and bouncy houses, and Raegan got to pick a free pumpkin to take home with her. It was a gorgeous afternoon too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pumpkin Patch 2012

I wasn't sure if we were going to make it out to the Pumpkin Patch this year, because October was a veeeerrrrry busy month for us. We made it out the last weekend before Halloween, which actually wasn't so bad because it meant hardly anyone was there. It was kind of a cooler cloudy day, but we had a lot of fun.

Raegan was so brave about the huge slide on the hill. She just plowed right up the stairs.

A little nervous her first time down, but later on we ended going down it at least a dozen times more.

Going to look for a little pumpkin.

Come on Mama, let's go!

We found the perfect pumpkin!

Me and my best girl!

Raegan sang "Deep and Wide" the whole way home. She was tired, but so happy!

Raking leaves

Our yard waste cart was getting kind of full when Zane was helping me with the yard the other day, so he had the idea to put Raegan in the cart to have her stomp down the leaves a little bit. She had a blast! (Other than the little bits of leaves going down her diaper - that she didn't like so much!)

She's being a really big "help" here!

Cuties