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.