Big Storm

Sunday night a huge storm came through. Luckily for Chuck it really hit hard right after the Packer game. Several trees and power lines were snapped in half throughout the neighborhood. We were out of power for over 24 hours (the longest since hurricane Ivan). The power company worked around the clock to put up and rewire several poles.

Our big oak tree snapped in half

The branches fell on the fence and uprooted our apple tree (on right)

Power company bringing in the new pole

Finally getting the new pole into the ground

All the commotion had Sasha barking & jumping at the door. I had to put her leash on to get her to settle down. She knows she has to behave when she has her leash on. Audrey thought it meant she got to walk Sasha around the house all day. She kept walking her from room to room saying, "come on Sashie."

The kids pretending the cooler is a train. Funny how something as simple as a cooler can be so entertaining.

Have to brag

Most of you already know but I have to post this anyway. Chuck took and passed his general surgery written boards in Aug. Just the other week he traveled to Salt Lake City for his oral boards and PASSED!!! He's officially a board certified general surgeon! Of course I didn't have a doubt in my mind he would. I have to say that I have never seen him stressed like that ever before. It's so nice to have another major step behind us. I have to admit that pediatric surgery fellowship is going by quicker than I thought it would. And this comment is at the end of a q2 call week! At least I can say we have less than two years to go :)

Carved & painted

Sunday we carved the pumpkins and let the kids paint one.

Carter scooping out what he calls the goo. He would even separate the seeds from the goo.

Audrey even enjoyed scooping out the pumpkins. She would get the tiniest bit on her scoop then walk it over to the garbage. She was occupied for quite some time.

The kiddos working so nicely together to paint the pumpkin.

Our finished pumpkins lit up

A better picture of Carter's Darth Vader pumpkin

Posing with the pumpkins.

Pumpkin Farm

Last weekend we finally made it to the pumpkin farm. We had been waiting for the weather to cool down and it finally did. We went right away in the morning and it was the perfect time to go. There was hardly anyone there yet and the temp. was perfect. The kids wore the shirts I made them and they looked so festive and cute! We had a blast as always. Here's just a few of the many pics I took.

Carter looking so handsome in the middle of the field.

Audrey trying to be little miss independent carrying the pumpkin by herself. Needless to say, she didn't make it far.

Carter always loves the hayrides. Audrey wasn't so sure about the noisy tractor.

Sharing a snow cone. The perfect cool treat after working up a sweat in the bouncy play area.

Our little animal lover was obsessed with the llamas. She wanted to pet every animal in the petting zoo. Here a little girl is helping Audrey feed the llama.

She LOVED the pony ride!! She was so excited I had to hold her back while waiting our turn. She kept petting the pony during the ride. When the ride was over she kept bouncing telling the pony, "giddy up." She was not happy when I had to get her down.
Carter was beat after playing in the bouncy area and just chilled in the stroller while Audrey rode the pony. We did manage to get one more smile out of him when we stopped at the tractor on our way to the car. It was a great morning!

To see all the pics from the farm click here

B-day & Daddy Jr

Yesterday was my b-day and Chuck did good. He remembered (for the first time in 8 years) what kind of cake I wanted, brought me beautiful roses, gave me a funny card, got take out so I wouldn't have to cook and bought me Just Dance 2. We also got to enjoy lunch together Thursday before picking Carter up from school. It was so nice out we sat outside at one of our favorite restaurants. Thanks for all the phone calls and gifts.

This is the amazing strawberry cake from Edgar's Bakery. Carter blew out the candles f0r me.

Audrey enjoying the yummy cake. Notice the fork in the other hand she's failing to use :)

I had taken this picture of Carter the other day and had to post it. Chuck was post call and was dozing on the couch with his glasses resting on his chest. Carter picked them up and tried them on. Now he truly looks like Daddy Jr!

BOO!

I found another solid shirt of Carter's and made him a Halloween shirt as well. Again, I still need practice but happy with how it turned out. When Carter saw it he told me he loves it :) Makes it all worth the effort.

New Hobbie?

First, here's a couple pics of the kids so it's not just a post about what I've been up to :)

The munchkins have been doing a lot of coloring lately. It's so cute to see them sit so nicely at the table together. They are always so proud to show me their works of art when they're done.

It's finally cooling down in the morning and evenings. We stopped at the park on our way home from Audrey's 18 mos. check up the other morning. Don't let the zip ups and pants fool you. By the time we got home I had to change them into shorts & t-shirts. This pic is the best I could do for miss ants in her pants.

Carter playing in the dirt with the trucks

I got a sewing machine for my b-day from my in-laws (I also got a real pretty bracelet). It wasn't long before I went out to the fabric store to get some scraps and other supplies to make some appliques. Audrey had this plain shirt for layering. The perfect guinea pig for the first attempt. If I screw up an undershirt, no big deal. Well, I did. It was not a good idea to try a fancy letter with the particular stitch I chose for the first time. Plus, I was rushing because we were about to leave for dinner.

Carter wanted a shirt with his initial on it so I found a t-shirt of his I could mess up. This time I picked a better stitch but I still had to get used to how this machine works. There is also a spot that Audrey pressed the reverse on me :) She's a sneaky little one.

Next, I took on a pumpkin shirt for Audrey. This went much better now that I'm getting used to the machine. I still need more practice but it's wearable. I also added the orange ribbon under the ruffle. Now Chuck wants me to make him some Packer scrub caps.

First vacation

Chuck had his first vacation since starting fellowship this last week. It was much needed quality family time. The original plan was to visit Grandma & Grandpa at their new house in TN. Since they didn't end up moving yet plan B was to have a staycation and do all sorts of fun outings around the city. At the last minute we decided to pack up the car and head down to our favorite beach, Destin. We got a good deal on the condo we've stayed in before and the forecast was hot & sunny. We had a fabulous time as always! :)

Carter was so excited to be back at the beach. He can't get enough of the sand and water.

Audrey liked it better in the pool than on the beach.

Family picture at our favorite dinner spot, Dewey Destin. They have the best seafood here. Plus you get to eat right on the water while watching the gorgeous sunset.

We took a family picture each night with the timer. We are standing right outside our condo. What a great view to wake up to every morning!

Carter dug for crabs every day and with the help of Dad actually caught a little one. He was so excited to find this big crab. He was sad when I told him it was dead. He put it in his net to pretend he caught it.

This was the best we could do to get a picture of just the two of them. They were way to distracted to sit still for a picture. Oh well, I always have to try.

To see all the pictures from our trip click here

WE ARE!!

PENN STATE!!!