All-state,boot camp girls,Horror Hill, and Madras Football, and a pumpkin carving party

Our annual pumpkin carving party this year had a great turnout and I was so excited to see so many little kids come and participate in the fun.... Lauren and Hannah were the first to arrive...

Jason, Helga, Ava, and Abby also were able to come! This year, we had hot dogs and chips - the meal was easy and gave us more time for the carving .....the girls are so precious!! Helga said that Ava doesn't leave home without her necklace and will walk around the house calling for it..now that's cute!! Notice Abby is snaggle toothed..which is an important detail for later...

Tammy and Jeff...say, cheese!!

It's a messy job, but somebody's gotta do it!! Here is Jessi and Madison gutting their pumpkins the old school way.....

It is fun for the whole family!! I told Lauren that Donald's daughter Emily called the inside of the pumpkin, "pumpkin spiderwebs" and so Hannah heard me and thought that was what they were called....

Spencer and Hannigan making a really cool carving using an actual pattern... looking really good

Here is Abby and Jason carving her pumpkin to look like Abby with her snaggle tooth mouth.... it was really cute!! I wish I had snapped a shot of that!!

Here is Hannah getting every last "pumpkin web" off of her pumpkin. This kept her occupied for a long time....

Here are the big kids carving their pumpkins.... also the old school way...maybe we shouldn't have trusted them with knives...

Two Mrs. Westbrooks and a former Ms. Westbrook, but didn't talk them into carving ..... Amanda was able to stop by for a few minutes (Emily had a officer's meeting for 4-H - oh the schedule of we moms).... there is always next year.... and no, we didn't plan to all wear red... great minds...

Mr. Westbrook and mini me.... if you can call Adam a mini me...

Sydney and Colleen - their pumpkins turned out so cute!!!

We were able to get Sarah's son, Harper to sit almost still for this picture.. he was quite the entertainer.. what a cutie!! Natalie and Bridgett ... yeah - I am glad they came!! I love my sister and my sister to be!!

Everyone awaiting the "Lighting of the Jack-o-Lanterns" - as I situate the children...

Say Cheese.... Ava was not exactly thrilled with the idea, but it added somehow to the fun... what a great night ... how cute!

Here they are!!!

A good time was had by all... another year of the "Lighting of the Jack-o-Lanterns" has come and gone...

Goodnight, Amber.... love you!!

Grandma giving Jessi a good luck hug the night before her All-State Chorus competition.... What a good Grandma!!!

I come home from Boot Camp (my workout group with Synergy Fitness) on Saturday to find my daughter on the couch and had eaten 3 fiber bars. She was very upset that there was "nothing in the house to eat except my breakfast bars" and claimed that they were not that good, but she was hungry.. I first need to explain that Rebecca's definition of "nothing in the house to eat" really means that there was nothing to eat that didn't require using more than her hands tearing it open and popping it in her mouth... I then had to explain to Rebecca why it is not a good idea to eat 3 Fiber Bars in one sitting. I can't think of enough things to tell that child not to do....

Jessi gets ready for her All-State Audition.... she double and triple checks her folder for her CD and music..she is nervous....

I notice how the driveway is looking more and more like fall...even though it was really warm outside for an October morning...

Jessi and I are headed out for her audition and I couldn't resist taking a picture of my "Fiber Bar Girl" with the boys.... they were ready for some play time with Pooh Bear... and Bo likes to give slobbery kisses...

Bo, Sammy, and Pooh Bear.... they hold down the fort for the afternoon .... and no more Fiber bars!! Cook some pasta or something, for goodness sakes... something with cheese to counteract the effects would be good....

Here is Jessi laughing at the two of us as I walk up..... Becca and I tend to be the comic relief in our family.....

Here are some of Mrs. Walton's Madras chorus girlies that tried out for All-State and some of Jessi's best buddies. Their spirits were high and they were all quite nervous....

This is after they tried out. Tears and drama. Tears and drama. Jessi and a few other girls let their nerves get the best of them and unfortunately didn't make the cut for All-State. There is always next year, kiddo. And I know you tried your best.. She was so devastated... I could understand her disappointment... the hours she put in, the voice rest she had undergone, the early mornings, the excitement of going to state in Savannah. And she does have such a pretty voice, but she just got nervous......

I cheered her up in the car by of course, singing... and then she joins in.... "You've lost, that lovin' feeling, whoa, that lovin' feelin'...." I hated that she didn't make All-State and we decide to make a weekend visit to Savannah just for fun sometime soon...since she wouldn't be going with the school... that seemed to cheer her right up :)

After a few stressful weeks at work, Lauren brings us a big bowl of chocolate cake and me and my crazy friends - Amber and Rhonda - dig right in with spoons.... it was a wonderful ending to a hard day at school!! I love my girlfriends!!!!!!!!!!

Jessi and Ms. Henson pose for a picture after a pep-squad practice. It was Ms. Henson's birthday and the cheerleaders brought her a sash and crown to wear all day... I am so glad we decided to let Jessi join the pep squad - she has made so many friends and the team really has bonded!!

"the boot camp girls" as most everyone calls us ... all went out one evening to celebrate Celina's, Laurie's, and Amber's Birthdays. We all hung out at Taco Mac and had a really fun evening... anytime spent with this group is always a guaranteed good time... featured in this pic. are Celina,Alise, and Harriet...

Me and Carla... I am so glad she has joined up for this six-weeks of sessions!!

Melanie - who I have really gotten to know more and just really enjoy working out with and talking with - has signed up for another 6 weeks session...Yeah!! and of course, Diana and Amber .... two of my favorite people !!!

Laurie - another birthday girl... what a good picture... she doesn't like her picture taken', but was such a great sport :) She is one of the sweetest people I know...

Pam and Alise.... see I told you..... guaranteed fun... always :)

I wish I was not in this picture and if I knew how to crop me out, I would.... it is a really good picture of Sandra and Amber, though...

Report Cards came out and we decided to go ahead and buy Jessi the almighty RUMOR cellphone that she has had her eye on for months and working in the house for $5 an hour. She had worked her way down to only 30 hours left (it has been so cute watching her log her hours in a notebook as she worked for her phone) and all the A's on the report card were used to pay off the rest... she was so surprised and extremely happy with her new cellphone...

Let's just say that Rebecca was not thrilled with her sister receiving the new phone....

It has been attached to her like this ever since she got it....

We go out on date night and invite the kids along.... it was nice to have all four of us (and only us) in one place for the whole evening... a rarity these days... We eat at my favorite place in Newnan, Olive Garden.... and we do have our restaurant seat assignments... Becca and Adam sit together and me and Jessi sit together... Here is Becca picking out all of the tomatoes for her dad - they are two peas in a pod.....

I break the news to Jessi that we have decided to take them to "Horror Hill" after dinner. Doesn't Jessi looked thrilled?

After eating at the Olive Garden, we assign Becca to driving the family to Horror Hill.... I am telling you, it was a scary night :) Just teasing, Rebecca, you are a good driver :) And you are just cute as pie and make me smile everyday!! My little girls are really growing up!!

Because of the rain, we were the only group that showed up at Horror Hill so we had the run of the place.... Jessi was quite apprehensive (actually she shook and cried and begged to go home but dad had already paid...) so Becca and I brought the camera and tried to make it fun instead of frightening.... it seemed to help little Miss Jessi who I thought was going to faint out on the floor at first.....

God love Rebecca..... my baby girl.... God love her....

Yeah, Jessi relaxes and decide to put her big girl panties on!! Whoo hoo!!

You see where Rebecca is .... yes - she about squeezed me in two.. Jessi insisted on having her Dad as her partner because he was strong, so I was assigned to Pooh Bear.... she was glued to me....and she is strong....I spent the whole night telling Rebecca to: "let go" "I can't breathe" etc. etc....

Look at Jessi's and Becca's face..... priceless!!! They don't even know we are taking a picture...

As we go through the trails, Jessi and Becca need reassurance that they are going to live... so dad makes the guy take a picture with the girls... as Jessi would say..."awkward"....

Sometimes, I just wouldn't do ..... and they both needed daddy.... which left me to fend for myself.... AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Jessi's last Madras Football game - it was a playoff game and unfortunately, Madras was not victorious that day....

It was another warm October evening... Adam went to the game while I was at Boot Camp, so I was sad to miss the game.... (Adam)Dad took some good pictures, I was impressed :)

Jessi getting ready for a cheer...

Jessi and her pom poms - that child has lost and then found those pom poms at least once a week... I am glad she had them for the game..... She mentioned later on that she could scream as loud as she wanted now ...because she didn't have to worry about All-State anymore... "Let's get a little bit louder...!!"

Jessi, you look just FIERCE, darling....

She called me right after the game and she was just as happy as she could be.... her team had lost but it didn't seem to dampen her mood.... funny cheerleader....