Promised Costume Pics

We're back from Texas and settled back in. Halloween was awesome. Heidi, Meredith and I took the girls downtown for "Merchant Trick-or-Treat" in the afternoon. The girls did great and quickly picked up on how to best fill your bucket! Then it was the boys' turn to herd the kiddos and Chris met up with Corey and Jim to take the kids around the neighborhood. They were awesome! We had expected an hour or so but it was more than two hours before Chris and the girls got back. We had lots of kids come by the house and Ella came back with a bucket full of candy. Ella was a skunk; Mia a jalapeno pepper.





Try and see how full the buckets are in this picture!!!

As soon as Chris got back for good with Ella we put the girls in comfies, and loaded them up in the car. We got on the road at about 8 and made it to Joplin, MO before 2 am. We had a smooth transition to sleep in the hotel and were up and on the road again on Thursday before 10. We made it to Texas at about 3:30. We made a quick stop at the clinic to say hey to our good friend (and hostess for the weekend). Upon her removal from her car seat we discovered Mia had crapped ALL OVER herself. It was her first real blow out. Good timing Miss Mia. After we spent a little while with Jill at the clinic we took the car (yes the new car) to the Chrysler Dealership cause the freaking cruise didn't work. You try and drive from Iowa to Texas w/o cruise control and NOT get a ticket. Let me assure you it was not the easiest thing I've ever done. Chris and I sat through an ENTIRE adult league soccer game Thursday night with the girls. After that it was mostly hanging at the Breeze ranch for me and the girls, and fishing for Chris. Highlights of the trip included Chris dropping Shane's truck key in the lake, and my discovering Mia had an ear infection. Aye aye aye. Tragedies aside we both had a great time.

The ranch is such a great place for the girls. Mia doesn't know it yet, but Ella does. There are horses, a goose (two geese now actually...we were a part of acquiring a pal for squeaky), lots of dogs, and we even got to watch the tractor cut down the hay. Good times. We caught an art festival on Saturday and got to go to Church on Sunday. I love that Church. It's a breath of fresh air to be in a church where there are all kinds of people, and each one of them knows they are loved exactly as they are. No one is asking them to change...they just want them to know that since Jesus loves them as they are, then we will too.

Ella caught a small stomach bug upon our return to Iowa, but that's all cleared up now and we're moving on full steam ahead. Mom and dad are coming up to visit at some point this week/weekend and some combination of the six of us will be at Nikie's wedding. I can't wait!

On a more somber note, we have good friends - Cory and Meredith Bargfrede (Lainey's parents) who are going through some family adversity. Corey's grandfather suffered a massive stroke recently and is struggling to recover. If you have room in your prayer list please consider them. And if you don't have room in your prayer list may I pass on a bit of wisdom Linsey shared with me: Never be too busy to sit at the feet of Jesus.