Texan Invasion

Kim and I can't go very long without getting together, so she came this October to have some Maryland fun! We hit the best haunted house in, possibly, the WORLD with the boys, and then took Luke and Tom to what may be the lamest haunted trail in the WORLD! LOL! We made the best of it and laughed it up anyways - we always do!

We made it to Edgar Allen Poe's grave this year, and didn't even get towed! We got great rubbings and the whole cemetary was ancient and interesting. It was really great to leave there and not have to walk 15 miles through the ghetto to get the car like we did last year! We took an afternoon to go to what may be my favorite place in Baltimore, the Cylburn Arboretum, and had a great time! The kids ran around and had a blast as always! Kim had to look up to these Dahlias! They were soooo tall!This is Kim's classic "pine-cone pose"... There aren't many pines in Texas!And at the end of our visit we always get planning the next one and angry that the country we live in isn't the size of say, Cuba...we'd be closer then! 'Till the next visit Soul-Sister!

The Renn Fest '08

Izaak and I had been dying to get to the Renaissance Festival this year, so we took our opportunity on the last day it was running! It was nice to have some one on one time together! I love that Izaak is always up for any adventures I may have in mind!
Here is Izaak partaking in a game of "Goose" which is the oldest game known to mankind. It's found in different versions dating back to pre-Viking times! Can you believe we found Merlin in Crownsville, MD?! This guy was the real deal!Izaak took a great interest in the glass blowing presentation and I wish I could get a pair of these leather shorts! Hot to trot, right? The artisan products at this festival are amazing and so unique! There's everything from leather to wood carving, silver to glass, and we cannot forget the food! Utensils are out, so you'll find anything you can imagine...on a stick! Izaak and I couldn't resist the cheesecake, which tastes just as great on a stick! Although almost 13, Izaak is still a sport for posing in or near the strangest things I can find! This was a huge carved tree-man and when you step inside his mouth he starts talking to you and laughing! It was a great day and I was lucky to get to spend it with a great kid!

Pumpkin Carving '08

The weekend that Luke's birthday falls on seems to be great for many reasons every year...for one it's Luke's birthday! It's always a good weekend for a visit from the Grandparents, and it seems to be gorgeous weather every year! So we made this our pumpkin carving weekend and had a blast!

Pop was helpful with giving Aliza guidance and also with having scary face competitions with the boys! Who knew Dave could be so Spooky?

This was Aliza's first year wielding the knife! Last year she had a "Potato Head Pumpkin" and we didn't have to worry about her slicing digits then! Needless to say she was well supervised during her carving adventures! She did great and didn't get too frustrated either...good girl!Izaak was able to fashion a pumpkin to look just like "Jack the Pumpkin King" from Nightmare Before Christmas, it's a really cool design! Kaleb took Grandma's lead and ended up painting his pumpkin too! He had it all covered in blue to highlight his detailed carving! Very creative!Although we weren't able to find the white pumpkins this year, Eema partook in the festivities and was able to come up with quite the jock-o-lantern! She was quick to provide paint and lend a hand to knives stuck in thick pumpkin flesh too!

Barb had inspiration of the Martha Stewart persuasion and made this really great creative pumpkin! Some little sticks, black paint, and a little elbow grease and she had the prize winner of the year!

Narleeville Gardens '08 - 5

The weather has cooled a bit in Narleeville, as it surely has for everyone else also! And with that comes a change in the bloomage around here. First of all the morning glories are finally in full swing and are covering the front gate in a really pretty way!

On the right ride of the fence I have two Moonflower plants and they only bloom at night! Kind of the alter ego of the Morning Glories! Pretty though!In the back yard I had to tie string up the rain spout so the vines could climb and I was definitely rewarded!And finally, it's a good thing we haven't had much company trying to sit on the deck this year!!The vines grew up the deck and climbed the table, then the umbrella and up through the top venting in the umbrella and over the top! It's quite a jungle!

The veggie patch is on the downswing and we are being inundated with green tomatoes - which my mother has several recipes for of course! We've had two versions of Green Tomatoe Cake, delicious Green Tomatoe Jam, and of course good ol' fashioned Fried Green Tomatoes! Now we are beginning to harvest our peppers, and the Swiss Chard is still comin'!

Yeah for Gardens!

A feline in Narleeville???

After hearing a friends cat was having kittens we couldn't help but sign up for one. The kids have been asking for a cat, and Tilda too...so allergies aside and here we go!

The kitten is yet to be named and we would love suggestions! It's a sweet kitty - loves the kids and best of all Matilda, as she possesses the magic cat toy....TAIL! As Matilda wags the kitten goes nuts on her tial and we crack up!

Izaak has bonded pretty strongly with the kitty and is a great help when it needs to be fed 15 times a day! Kaleb is still in awe over how it can sleep anywhere in the house...like the computer desk!

Of course Ali just loves having a soft little kitty to snuggle and sit on her lap!

Welcome little Catty!

PolkaDot Girls!

While shopping for school clothesI found this adorable polka dotted shirt for Aliza Jane. When Eema saw it she commented that she had a polka dotted shirt too, and she and Aliza quickly teamed up to wear their shirts on the same day!

Although alittle bit different, they looked adorable in them together! Of course Aliza needed a tickle to get her "real" smiley face on!Two peas in a crazy pod!