September iPhone Pictures

I'm finding myself taking more and more pictures with my phone on a daily basis than with my real camera. Here are some of our daily highlights from September. They capture sweet moments of our family and our life. I'm thankful for the portability of my phone because it makes remembering these moments so easy. 

Tinsley and Eli checking on Caleb's lizard thingys. 

Eli was chosen as the Super Student the first week in September. 

He loved being the line leader every day for his class. 

This was the poster we decorated to go in the hall. 

Seeing the dentist for his six-month check-up. He LOVES our dentist!

Eli wrote me a note for my lunchbox.

It made my heart so happy :)

Picture of the bridges on one of my early morning long runs. 

The last harvest of the bell peppers. We had them coming out of our ears!

"Shaving" like Daddy in the bathtub one night. 

Eli and I went by the co-op one morning for gardening supplies.

We were in the right place at the right time and got to see a HUGE alligator that had just been caught.

It was HUGE!

Eli loved getting to see an alligator up close!

Bike ride down to the river later on that evening with Daddy. 

We celebrated Mom's 54th birthday.

Dinner at Zue-Zue's house

My sweet boy and me after school one day. 

The fall burlap banner I made for our house with the velvet pumpkins 

I picked up at Hobby Lobby last year for 75% off. Score!

When we were visiting my Mom and Dad Josh called to let me know late one night that he was in the ER because he sliced his finger to the bone trying to take down a pop-up tent at a festival in town. Thankfully, Reve, his secretary and our soon-to-be cousin, was able to take him to the ER. 

I hated not being there to take care of him! Multiple stitches later he was better.

Eli's journal from school the Monday after Josh hurt his finger. 

It made me smile and it was definitely a keeper!

Fall Family Pictures

For my birthday, Josh and Eli gave me a gift certificate to have family portraits taken in the fall. I knew I didn't want a huge photo session so I looked around for photographers that offered mini-sessions that lasted about 30 minutes. It just so happened that one of the girls I teach with does photography on the side and was offering a mini session in November. I signed up for a time slot with her and in early November we went to our family session. Thirty minutes later we had wonderful family pictures that we were able to use for our Christmas card and for Christmas gifts. Yay! I wish I had been able to see ALL the pictures she took, but these were the six she included on the disc she gave me. I hope to have some pictures made in the spring as well :) I love having these precious images of my family. 

Uncle Clare's Retirement Party

This fall one of our favorite people in the world, Uncle Clare, retired from his job at the Department of Agriculture. In honor of him and his retirement, a few family and friends got together at Uncle Clare and Mammy's house to celebrate Clare and this momentous occasion. We had coffee and a huge selection of desserts. Everything was so good!

Isn't Tammy's centerpiece so beautiful? 

This is one of the pumpkins from Clare's pumpkin patch.

Harley Clare was looking cute as always.

Tammy's famous bread pudding. It's DELISH!

The award Clare received from work. 

Eli also got a surprise at Clare's party. Mammy gave him his first

CD of George Strait. He was so excited and couldn't wait to sing "Check Yes or No".

After desserts and coffee, Clare opened up some of his gifts. Tammy gave him a job jar for when he gets bored now that he's retired. Clare read some of the slips inside and they said "Load the dishwasher", "Wash clothes", "Vacuum", etc. Sue was having a fit thinking Tammy had written all these things to make Clare work instead of enjoying his retirement and then he told her that they were all blank :) He was just doing that to get to Sue...totally worked like a charm :)

Clare and his family

Eli and Uncle Clare

Congratulations on your retirement, Uncle Clare! We are so excited that you get to travel, spend time with your family, and do what you want to do now :) We love you!

A Trip to Uncle Clare's Pumpkin Patch

Every year Uncle Clare plants lots of pumpkins in his pumpkin patch. We've never helped harvest pumpkins before but this year we did and it was so much fun! This is definitely a tradition we hope we can continue next year. We got to their house and loaded up on the trailer with Zue-Zue, Mammy, and Harley Clare. Then Uncle Clare drove us around to the pumpkin patch where we got right to work harvesting pumpkins. 

Mammy and Uncle Clare's grandson, Brian, met us out there and he decided to search for the biggest pumpkin in the patch. I didn't get a picture of it but he definitely found the biggest one of the day!

Harley Clare wasn't that interested in the pumpkins this year, but I know next year she'll be toddling around trying to keep up with everyone. This year she was pretty content just to be in someone's arms. 

Josh used to help Clare with his pumpkins every year so this was a chance for him to relive the "good ole days." See how excited he looks :)

I thoroughly enjoyed my first pumpkin patch experience and can't wait to do it again!

Look at how many pumpkins we harvested!

The best part was that after we harvested all the pumpkins we got to pick some out so we could put them by our front door. Thanks for this fun experience Uncle Clare!