Halloween 2011

Wow, this Halloween was sooooo much better than last! Mike was not only home for this one, but he took the day off! We went out to an apple orchard/pumpkin patch in the Hill Country for most of the day. Hay rides, train rides, cider making, apple washing, puppet show, music show, petting zoo, orchard tour and the best apple ice cream I've ever had. We were wiped out. Ella even fell asleep on the way home (in the middle of the day, which those of you who know her is unheard of). Then we went trick or treating with our neighborhood friends, and ended the day with Ella handing out candy. By the time Ella and I finished our street, Mike had ran out of candy and she was so upset that she couldn't hand out candy, she gave up half of hers just so she could hand some out. What a sweetie! That thought never crossed my mind as a kid.

Oh and in case you can't tell what they are, Ella is a Boise State cheerleader (we've had that outfit for a long time, glad it finally fits) and Grant was "G" the Builder (if you look closely, it says "G" builders :) Ironically, our house in Boise just sold and we closed on Friday!

Praises

It has just occurred to me in the past few weeks that we are approaching some big milestones: Mike being home for Halloween, Mike being home for Thanksgiving, Mike being home for Christmas, and Mike being home for Ella's birthday. I have nothing but praises for all that we have gone through. We are stronger as a family, couple and especially in our faith. Having been ministered to all that time, we are finally stepping out and ministering to others. Wish we would have stepped out of the sidelines earlier.

As we went to the "Boo Zoo" tonight, I was excited to spend this time together as a family. However, when we got to the zoo, the line was at a minimum an hour long. So we made the best of it and went to get ice cream, with a family trip to the neighborhood park to follow. As we drove by a church on our way home, we saw Matthew West was playing there. (Now, if you're not familiar with Christian radio, he is a pretty big deal). So we thought we'd stop in. After the first song, Ella was whispering into my ear, "Momma, I LOVE that song!" Then the next one, "Momma, that is my favorite!" And on it went. So many of her favorites she hears on KLOVE. As we were walking, out she said, "I wanna do this EVERY night! Can we, can we?? I just know that God loves it when we praise Him!" And this serendipitous moment had been forever stamped into my memory. So glad the Boo Zoo didn't work out. This was so much better. And to end with an Ella quote, as we drove home in the car Ella asks, "Momma, were those guys rock stars?"

Flowers for Dinner

Earlier in the day, Ella had been picking up all the Crepe Myrtle blooms that fell on the ground. That evening, we went to a friend's house for dinner. As we walked into the house, Ella started digging into her tiny pocket on her skirt. She pulled out a handful of tiny, crushed flowers and reached out her hand. She said to our friend, "I brought you and your wife some flowers." It was soooooo cute! We never coached her to do so and I can't remember the last time I brought flowers to someone's house for dinner.