Festival 31 and Trick or Treating

Festival 31 is our church's version of a fall festival. It used to be the weekend before Halloween, but we will now have it every year on the 31st. SO - on the 31st, we were all dressed up and ready to have a great time at church. As you can see, Zack was dressed up as a fire fighter, and as you will soon see, Noah was a Dalmatian! Zack saw the firetruck and of course had to stop and see it. One of the fire fighters was kind enough to give Zack his own badge - so here he is receiving his official fire fighter badge!!

And we had to get a picture in front of the fire truck!

The cute little dalmation!

Too much walking in those heavy boots!

We met up with Connor and his family, and as little boys do, they immediately found the dirt!

After the fun at Festival 31, we headed home to trick or treat. I really tried to get a picture of both boys together, but this was the best I could get!

LOVE this picture! He looks like he should be in the magazine modeling this costume!

Ready to get some candy!

Since he couldn't get any candy, Noah went for the cute girl in the wagon next to him, A.K.A., baby Hannah! Look at her checking him out!

Our gang!

One of Zack's friends brought his cousin to trick or treat with us. Let's just say that Zack really liked her! They walked the entire time just like this. We better watch it - both boys spent their night holding hands with girls!!!

Our favorite stop - Ms. Gina. Gina is our next door neighbor and always spoils us with yummy treats. This year she had cookies for the boys and special candy just for them. We just love having her as our neighbor!

The best part - checking out the loot! I remember doing this as a child and had so many memories as I was watching them.

These are some decorations I made from some old jars. I thought they were cute and just wanted to share! Until next year...

We went to the WORLD SERIES!!!!

So, one of the reasons our weekend was so busy was because Kris and I, along with our good friends Kristie and Shaun, went to Game 3 of the World Series on Saturday. WHAT AN EXPERIENCE!!! We had so much fun and were very honored to be part of history for the Texas Rangers. Sadly, they did not win the World Series, and it ended up that the only game they won was the one we attended. Regardless, they did a great job.

The stadium with the sign: "It's Time"

Kris and I are more of Astros fans, but we were proud to support our fellow Texas team - and of course we had to get all decked out in our Rangers apparel!

In the stadium from our seats - GREAT seats I might add!

We were 4 rows behind the bull pen, so throughout the game we were able to watch the pitchers warm up. Here is Lewis before the game warming up. He ended up pitching most of the game and did a great job!

Before the game - all the pitchers and coaches in their huddle. One could only hope that they were praying! I thought this was a really cool picture, even though it is a little blurry.

Me and Kristie! Our husbands were nice enough to drag (trust me, they didn't have to drag very hard!!) us along for the is once in a lifetime opportunity!

The closing pitcher, Feliz, warming up.

Feliz was amazing! I love this picture because it tells a lot. First off - look at the right of the sign. It tells his pitching speed - 99 MPH. WOW!! Then if you look closer, it shows that there are 2 balls, 2 strikes and 2 outs in the 9th inning. We are SO CLOSE to winning this game!

And he did it!!!!! He struck that Giant out - WE WON! What an amazing energy in that stadium. I can only imagine what the players were feeling, because we were pretty darn excited!

What a fun and amazing night! Great job Rangers!

Fun food and pumpkin carving

The weekend of Halloween was very, very busy - so we took some time out as a family on Friday night to spend together. Here is what we came up with...

Eating our mummy hotdogs and worms!!

I cleaned out and "carved" some oranges and then refilled them with a fruit salad. Very yummy and festive - and of course, healthy!

Noah got to enjoy some of the fruit salad as well. This was his frist time to eat blueberries and I'm pretty sure he really like them!!

Next on the agenda.. Carving our pumpkin. As you can see from the picture, Zack did not really like the cleaning out part.

Next year you can help out Noah. This year he just sat there and looked cute!

Carving out the pumpkin. When Zack saw Daddy cutting the pumpkin, he ran and got his saw. Pretty good thinking!!

Our finished product. (Looks like someone needs to pull some weeds - LOL)

We had a great family night - finished with going to get pumpkin icecream! You can get iceream in Texas in late October - because it is still HOT!!

Firehouse Fun

The talk around the Thornton house lately has been all about dump trucks, excavators, bulldozers, cement mixers, garbage trucks and of course FIRE TRUCKS!! I myself have learned so much about these different types of trucks, and I can honestly say that I get just as excited when we see a cement truck on the road, or an excavator scooping up dirt, as Zack does.

Today we got to visit one of the Longview Fire stations. Our friend Josh (Parker's dad) is a fire fighter and was nice enough to show Zack around. Zack was so excited, and it was definitely perfect timing since he is dressing up like a fire fighter for halloween (those cute pictures to come in a few days!!) We had a great time, and as usual, I enjoyed our visit just as much as Zack did!

Josh let them spray the hoses as well.

Poor Noah - doesn't make it in many pictures these days, but he was there - and had a great time too!!

This pumpkin was in their kitchen - pretty cool!

Another great day of adventures with my boys!

October in East Texas

October is always a busy month for us, but we really have enjoyed it. These are a few of our favorite fall activities... football and the pumpkin patch! We were lucky enough to attend a football game for both schools that Kris played football for: Winnsboro High School and McMurry University. The boys really enjoyed themselves at both games. Here they are in their red supporting the Winnsboro Red Raiders!

Friday Night Lights!

And of course... Pappy's Pumpkin Patch. We went last year with our friends the Whytes, and I guess we have officially made it an annual trip. This year Zack and his friend Connor enjoyed it a whole lot more and we had a great time!

He makes such a cute scarecrow!!

Taking a ride in the barrel train and waiving hello to Mom and Dad.

Such a cute little pumpkin!

Our sweet boys

Zack picked out this pumpkin and knew exactly which one he wanted!

Zack, Connor, Noah and Hannah

He never stands up straight for this picture! Our little man is getting so tall.

ENOUGH PICTURES MOM!!!!

We had a great time at the Bell Family Farm and can't wait to visit again next year. We hope everyone is having a blessed and happy fall!