Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from the West family to all. We started off the festivities with carving pumpkins. They look great if I say so myself. Then is was off to trick or treat. It was a gorgeous night for Trick or Treating. The kids didn't have to wear a jacket or carry an umbrella for the first time I can remember in a long time. As you can tell by the pictures the West family went as the characters from the Wizard of OZ. Josh was the tin man, Anne Mari was Dorthy, Jamee was Glenda the good witch, and daddy was the cowardly lion. I was supposed to be the wicked witch of the West but we couldn't find my costume in our Halloween stuff in time. Oh well. I sat and passed out candy to the little ones in the neighborhood. Although there were more big kids than small ones this year. James took the kids around the big block and I took them around the small block. I was surprised how many houses were not passing out candy. We have enough candy to last a year! Our favorite costumes of the night were the cousins, Lisa, Errol, and Casey. They went as the presidential candidates Hillary, John McCain, and Barack Obama. Casey went Trick or Treating with us and then they took Joshua and Anne Mari with them to a Trunk or Treat activity at their Church. Jamee was too pooped to go with. She is usually the first one to quit. All in all I think it was a great Halloween.

Anne Mari's Friends from School Birthday Party at County Line Orchard

Anne Mari celebrated her 10th birthday with her school friends at County Line Orchard. The kids enjoyed going through the giant corn maze, were treated to an exclusive hayride, and we roasted hot dogs over a campfire as well as made our own s'mores. Yummy! The kids had a blast. We couldn't of asked for better weather. It wasn't too cold, but a little windy. The kids had a great time and made a memory for Anne for a lifetime. Her friends said it was the best party of the year!

Joshua's Preschool Field Trip to the Apple Orchard

Josh's Preschool had their first field trip of the year to County Line Orchard. The kids got a tractor ride to the pumpkin patch, learned about the important jobs bees have at the orchard, how the apples are picked, cleaned, and processed. We had lunch and then they got to visit the kid's farm where Joshua fed a goat for the very first time. He was a little hesitant at first but after a little coaxing from me he finally did it. It was a big step for him with his sensory issues. I was proud of him for trying. He took the picture of me holding my pumpkin. We may have a natural photographer on our hands. I was glad I was able to make it to his first school field trip.

Happy 10th Birthday Anne Mari

Here is a picture of the Birthday girl and her cake. Our baby is 10! She blew out all those candles in one big breath. How time flies. It seemed like she was just born yesterday. We hosted a family birthday for her at our house. The menu included beef sandwiches and homemade chili. The food must have been good because there were no leftovers! The cake was from Stracks and was great as usual. The family showered her with hugs, kisses, and gifts. We are lucky she was born into such a great family. Happy 10th Birthday Anne Mari! She is officially in the double digits. Welcome to the tweenies (FYI: that is the stage between being a kid and a teenager.) God help us!

Apple Picking at County Line Orchard

We took the kids to the local apple orchard down the street where they picked apples for the very first time. We went to the kids petting zoo, apple orchard, and then they rode the moo-choo train. The weather was perfect and there were no crowds since we went when the kids had a half day of school. Except for the mosquitoes they had a great time. They loved picking suncrisp and fuji apples. The apples were delicious. It was a nice family outing.

Papa "Mustache" 's Birthday Party

Happy Birthday! Papa mustache turned 62 on Sept. 29th! Grammy had a surprise party for him and here is a picture of the grandkids helping their papa blow out his candles. The cake is chocolate pudding-one of his favorites. It was so good. The kids bought him new golf shirts. We had fun picking them out at Kohls. The kids actually knew what would look good on Papa. I was impressed. I think that papa liked the wrapping paper better.