picture post

We have already had a lot going on in the month of November. It's only the 19th and we celebrated 4 birthdays, taken a road trip to Frisco, TX, purchased a new car, and so much more. If this is what we've tackled so far, I can't imagine how much more the upcoming holidays have in store for us!!

Cousins!!

Bundled up for some outdoor play.

Our first trip to our new pediatrician.

16 months

24 pounds (35%)

31.5 inches (50%)

Bubble baths in the big tub.

Mama's new car!!

falling in love

It finally feels like fall around here and fall in Arkansas means two things, beautiful colors as the trees change and LOTS of leaves. We haven't seen trees or leaves for 6 years now and the kids got equally excited about both. One of the first things Presley said when she saw the new house was, "look at all my trees!" The trees started changing color a few weeks ago. Let me tell you, if you never experienced this process before you are truly missing out. I am amazed by the range of hues one can see on a mountainside. It's almost as if no two trees turn exactly the same color. It's one of those moments in life when you absolutely know something greater than ourselves is choreographing our world. The saddest part of this beautiful process is that once those trees start changing, they drop their leaves EVERYWHERE! The leaves had already started piling up in our driveway so I shoveled, (yes, shoveled because we don't own a rake seeing as we haven't had to use one since we moved away) them into a big pile and let the kids dive in. It warmed my heart to see them pouncing and playing together in a pile of dry, crunchy leaves. Don't worry kids, there's plenty more where these came from and I somehow think your daddy has a different opinion of leaves after spending most of last Sunday afternoon raking and bagging them.  Happy fall y'all!

color my world

After the sloppy good time I had at the Mud Run (see November 1 post), I was more than game for a dryer, yet equally as fun run. My friend Sarah told me about "The Color Run" and we signed up right away. It's a non-timed run that includes 4 color stations along a 5K route. You are encouraged to wear white clothing so you can truly appreciate the effects of the color. The race starts and around the 3/4 mile mark you are hit with your first color. We had no idea what to expect of dyed cornstarch being thrown at us and some "color throwers" were more gentle than others (see "orange" below). At the end of the race, the finishers gather together and have a color throw that involves everyone throwing a packet of color into the air. It definitely lived up to it's claim as being the "Happiest 5K on the planet"!

So fresh and so clean...for now.

PINK

BLUE

YELLOW

Sarah opted to go in solo so I could get a few action shots...

Not the best idea. All the color throwers are aiming for the same target!

ORANGE

You've got a little color right there.

The group color throw.

The only bad part, other than temporarily suffocating in a cloud of corn starch, was that all the colors mixed together and everyone turned a weird blue/brown color.

under the sea halloween

After stressing out the last several years while making Halloween costumes, I was totally prepared to buy everything this year. Presley finally decided she wanted to be Ariel and I began my search for a decent mermaid costume. Everything I saw looked ratty and cheap and not very mermaid-ish so I found myself at the fabric store with my anxiety in tow. The kids were at school and my mom was picking them up so I had a few hours alone to get the ball rolling. I dove in taking a break for bed and baths and was back at it until close to 1:00am. My mom saved the day by putting the zipper in and doing all the finishing work and in less than 24 hours the mermaid was ready to go! Next was a crab costume for Mr. Landon. I ordered the hat and made some "legs" to sew on his shirt. Luckily that was all that was required to create a crab.

The kids got to go to two church carnivals and had a great time running around, playing games and raking in the candy.

Happy Halloween 2012!

 Our first horseback ride!

 The new three muskateers!

mud bath

One of my favorite races in Little Rock is the Mud Run. I haven't had the pleasure of participating in this race since 2005. I was always on the lookout for similar races while we lived in Texas & New Mexico but never found anything quite the same. Basically, it's a 5k race through open fields and cut paths with the last 50 yards of the race taking place in a mud pit. It's pure, dirty fun! On race morning, the temperature had dropped to below 50 degrees and we had seen lots of rain. Not exactly the conditions one desires for a normal race but perfect for a mud run. My running buddies Sarah and Muhammad geared up for an exciting adventure and were not disappointed. We slopped through the race course anxiously awaiting the pit. In honor of the 10th anniversary of the race, the coordinators built a large mud hill for participants to climb over. As I approached the pit, I ditched my shoes and entered barefoot. I dug my fingernails into the icy, slippery, muddy slope and crawled to the top. You can't help but smile when you are sinking in the ooyest, gooiest mud - on purpose! Until next year Mud Run...it will probably take me that long to get the mud out of my clothes!

The pit and the hill!

Freezing but proudly rocking our 80's workout gear!

Here comes the hill!

The sloppy ending (I had my camera in a plastic baggie so it wouldn't get ruined!).

A muddy mob.

Sarah's shoes went into the pit while I tried the barefoot method.