a birthday party

how is it possible for our little jack to be turning 8 next week??? i remember when he was little, i would see other people with their 8 year old getting baptized and it felt like that stage of my life was so. far. away. because i mean seriously, when your oldest looks like this....

.... you think the only things in your future are diaper changes, feedings and spit-ups. not their baptism and 8th birthday. 

well, life hit fast forward and we are fast approaching that time. so naturally a celebration is in order!

jack wanted to go with his papa and jenna to a razorback football game for his birthday, so call in the hogs they did!

they braved the cold and the rain and thoroughly enjoyed the arkansas/alabama game last weekend.

jack said his favorite things about the game were that jenna bought him cotton candy and that they had a great view.

this was their view... all the way at the top...

afterwards they hit up denny's because it was late and they were out on a special outing without their younger siblings and why not? chris said they had a major case of the giggles while there.

wooooooo pig sooie!

wooooooo pig sooie!

wooooooo pig sooie!

 RAZORBACKS!

and in other jack news:
he received this on monday

poor girl... he circled no.

he told her friend (the one that delivered the envelope), that he isn't supposed to "like" girls yet. chris told him the only girl he can like right now is his mama. 

a few fall festivities

fall is trying to decide whether or not it wants to stay here in arkansas- with some cool days that tease us into thinking it has arrived and then a few hot days just to keep us on our toes. but we aren't letting the warm days keep us from celebrating this time of year.

we've been enjoying pumpkin! pumpkin cookies, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin oatmeal. you name it, we've been enjoying it. we picked up pumpkins at sams club. they grow 'em big here!

there's no way in hades we are going to be carving these big boys.

our dear friends, the gibson's, invited us to their neighborhood fall festival a few weekends ago. we had such a wonderful time! a little lady in their neighborhood puts on a dinner and a little homemade carnival. there was even a raffle and i won twice!!! I've never won anything before, it was fantastic.

the kids got to launch pumpkins

and play the oh-so-sanitary game of bobbing for apples. 

raise your hand if bobbing for apples at a public event gives you the heebie jeebies too... 

ellie bobbed against a boy from her school class and decided that bobbing for apples just doesn't work if you are missing so many teeth :)

jack challenged Asher and he accepted with enthusiasm! 

it was great fun to watch!

the boys requested mustaches at the face painting booth. i think the girl painting had never seen a mustache before.

charlie spent most of his time hoarding the fish pond

and riding the "roller coaster"

there was even a maze and it was amazin'.

we've also been preparing for our halloween costumes by making wands. its going to be a very harry potter-ish year!!

any guesses on which is charlie's wand?

jack and ellie are quite pleased with their wands and believe even harry and hermione might think they are the real deal.

we've also tried on a few masks here and there,

and made a few of our own too

we are hoping to go to a local orchard and pick apples sometime this weekend. 

life is good.