Catching up- Trunk-or-Treat

Every year my parents' church has a Trunk-or-Treat the weekend before Halloween.  It's coupled with a chili cook-off.  Delicious and fun!  It was our first trick-or-treating of the weekend.

Charlotte asking Grandpa for candy

Our lady bug with her bucket

Mommy and Charlotte/Cinderella

The fam

Catching up- Gigi's 85th Birthday Party

Matt's grandmother turned 85 last month, so Matt's mother and cousin Julie put together a great surprise party for her in El Dorado, KS.  We picked up Charlotte at Uncle Andy's and Aunt Lindsey's house as we drove through KC.  It was the end of Charlotte's KC adventure.  I was so excited to see her!  Andrew and Lindsey followed behind us and we hit the road to El Dorado around 11:30 that night, pulling into Grandma's driveway after 3:00 AM.  We hung out with Grandma the next morning while Debbie and the rest of the Fuller gang got the senior center ready for the par-tay.

The girls were worn out from the late drive, so they crashed for an early nap.  How cute are they?

Grandma didn't suspect a thing and the surprise went off perfectly!  It was a huge Fuller family reunion and I met a lot of Matt's relatives that I had not met before.  People came from all over the country, including Alaska.  It was a lot of fun.  It was a pot luck and there were so many amazing dishes!

This girl will never be unhappy with a plate in front of her.

One of Grandma's great-grandchildren had actually designed the cake, but when Julie went to pick up the cake, they hadn't even started decorating it.  I couldn't believe it when I found out.  This is what they were able to get in the time they had.

The party goers

Grandma and her high school friends

Fuller family

The Fuller grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  Daniel is the one in the back row on the phone.  He wasn't being rude, but his brother, who is currently serving overseas with the military called at about the same time the pictures started and his calls are exactly the kind you can just ask to have him call you back.  So I guess this is how we have Dewayne in the picture.  :)

Audrey and Renae, one of the Alaska travelers

After the party we headed to the cemetery to see some of the family sites.

Audrey texting? 

The family at Grandpa Fuller's grave

Pretty girl with a cheesy smile

Another pretty girl

Hanging out at Grandma's after dinner at Pizza Hut

Helping Daddy spackle Grandma's ceiling

Posing- what a ham!

Right before we hit the road.  So glad we got to see Julie and Renae while they were in town from Alaska.  It was a great party and a lovely weekend!

Catching up- Pumpkin Patch, Kansas City Style

Early last month we went to KC to visit Matt's Dad for a weekend.  We left Charlotte there for the week so she could spend some quality time with her grandparents.  She had a blast!  But before we left her, we spent a nice weekend in Parkville and the north country.  On Saturday, we checked out a pumpkin patch with a similar draw as Eckert's, but instead of an apple orchard and farm, it was like a big field with a pumpkin patch in it.  We never actually made it to the pumpkin patch because there was so much else to do.  Charlotte and Audrey didn't mind, though.  I just didn't tell them they missed out on pumpkins.  :)

They had these sign boards all over the place and you could win $50 by posting them on a facebook page, but I forgot to post ours.  Oops.

Doesn't Audrey make a cute cow?

Beating metal pots and pans with sticks

Beating each other with said sticks

The sandbox was a huge hit.

Rubber duck races with Grandpa

Riding the wooden train.  Like Audrey's shiner? She is such a clutch.  I swear that girl's face either has a bruise, cut or food on it at any given time.  I don't even remember how she got that one.  That might be the header into the coffee table.

Kids corn maze

Charlotte had a blast in this thing.  She must've run through it at least 10 times  before I made her move on to something else.

Yay, Audrey!

Charlotte running to the end.  She turned right back into the entrance without slowing down.  She was a maniac!

An after lunch treat- pumpkin cookies!  These same pumpkin cookies were eaten in the car during a trip to my parents house when the girls decided they were starving because we never feed them and needed something rightthisveryminute or they would die so I dug through the diaper bag and found one of these cookies wrapped in plastic wrap 3 WEEKS LATER.  Whatever.  They stopped crying and the cookie wasn't wasted.

Fun times with Grandpa and Grandma!

Here, Mom, would you like a bite?

Don't get any ideas, Mom.  I'm not sharing this cookie with anybody- I've got my eye on you.

Ready to get her ticket punched for the train ride.

Audrey clearly enjoying her cookie.

The last good picture I took before my battery died.  We went home shortly after.  We went on a hike the next day, but it just occurred to me as I was typing this that I took pictures on our other camera, but I have no idea where that camera is at this moment, so I'll have to find and post them later.  Maybe.  Unless I get distracted.  Or forget. 

Catching up- Best of Missouri Market

After the race, we made our way to the Botanical Gardens for Best of Missouri Market.  We've been going since I was 13, so it's been fun sharing the tradition with Charlotte and Audrey.  The Dimmitt's joined us while we explored the market.  There are 4 large tents with lots of different vendors from all over the state, selling everything from meats and bread to orchids and iron crafts.  It's pretty amazing and most of the food vendors hand out samples, so it's like eating your way through the best foods Missouri has to offer.  I love it and always find something new and fun to take home and try out in my kitchen (this year it was red pepper jelly).  Now that I have kids, we go to the kids area to explore.  There are lots of fun activities for the kids, all included with the price of admission.  This year, we got there kind of late and after lunch, headed straight for the kids area.

Charlotte and Derek held hands as they walked in.  I love watching these two together.  They have so much fun!

Building a toolbox with Grandpa

Such concentration.

The finished product.

Master carpenters.

Apparently the best way to pick out a pumpkin is to crawl on top of them.  Whatever.

Decorating pumpkins

Pizza break!

After the market, Charlotte and Audrey went to my cousin Laura's house with my parents to continue  playing with Derek while Matt and I went to a party at a friend's house.  The cousins apparently had a blast together, but I don't think there was ever any doubt they would.  Derek's mom called me the week after Labor Day and told me that Derek was moping around the cabin that weekend.  Stephanie asked what was wrong and he told her that he was just missing Charlotte!  So sweet.  Can't wait to see these two together again at Thanksgiving!