Trick or Treat--Happy Halloween!

Our good witch and her pet "cat"

Being so silly!

Morgan and Minnie Mouse

Morgan and her trick-or-treat pal, Shannon the Chef

She thought she was SO important going with the big girls.

She came home with a major haul, which Mommy has been helping eat since. She had a great Halloween with lots of opportunities to dress up. Let's hope next year is just as fun!

'50s Day

Today marks the 50th day that Morgan has been in school. It is so hard to believe that she's been in Kindergarten that long already. The first quarter is over, report cards will be out soon, and my baby keeps growing up so fast, right before our eyes.

On Tuesday Morgan came home and insisted that she MUST have a poodle skirt for "5 day" on Friday. Nothing like waiting until the last minute, right?! Finding a poodle skirt in Morgantown the day before the event (I didn't get to go shopping until yesterday) was a daunting task. I went to FIVE different stores with no luck. I was about to give up when Patrick called to say that he had a poodle skirt! I was so happy, and Morgan was thrilled. Daddy wins Parent of the Month for sure!

At school today they are learning about the 1950s, having rootbeer floats, hula hooping, and making a craft. Morgan was so excited this morning to wear her costume to school. Does anyone know how to stop her from growing up?!

Mall-o-ween Trick or Treat

Tonight we celebrated Halloween a little early, going to the annual Malloween Trick or Treat event. I love trick or treating at the mall. It's warm. It's light. You can see everything that is going on. The one downfall is that there are a TON of people that come out to this event. Standing in line is still a little hard for our little witch, but she did very well. She remembered her manners and had a lot of fun!

Our Good Witch. She picked out the costume by herself (and surprisingly it was the cheapest costume in the store!)

I love this picture! This was after her dinner of Chinese Lo Mein (noodles).

Daddy and Daughter

Here are Morgan and I with my friend from work, Karen, and her daughter Ava

We actually made it around the mall in 90 minutes despite the crowd. Morgan got half a bucket full of candy, and as you can see from the picture above, wasted no time finding the gum and putting it in her mouth!

We will also be trick or treating on Sunday evening with Aunt Becky and the girls. Happy Halloween everyone!

Fall Soccer 2011

Another soccer season has come to an end. Morgan did really well this season. She participated in every practice, scored lots of goals, and had a wonderful time. It was so nice to see her blossom from the shy, timid player she was a year ago.

Tonight was the awards ceremony for the U6 teams. Morgan will have one more season on U6 and will be actually playing games next fall with the U8 teams.

Surprisingly she let one of the WVU men's soccer players place her medal on her neck (normally she shys away from men).

Here she is with 3 of the Big East Champion WVU Women's Soccer team!


Our champ, with her medal. We are so proud of her and look forward to spring soccer!

Apple Butter 2011

This weekend we drove over the river and through the woods to (Great) Grandmother's house for the annual making of apple butter. It was a brisk morning (low 40s) that turned into a beautiful day (high around 59), the perfect weather for apple butter.

Morgan and Julia stayed inside most of the morning watching Spooky Buddies and coloring crafts. But it's tradition that everyone take a turn stirring the apple butter, and Morgan wouldn't miss that for the world!

Above is the apple butter about 4 hours in. I think it boiled another hour before we canned it.

This year Morgan stirred the apple butter with no help! She loves being involved with it.

Then the girls were off to play. Aren't they just gorgeous? Best friends, for sure.

After a few pictures Morgan and Kole decided to collect leaves. Morgan made a leaf bouquet for herself and once it was finished she flung it in the air "like a bride" she said. Leaves went everywhere, but thankfully not in the apple butter (although it was close!).

The part of the day that Morgan looks forward to most.....eating the uncanned apple butter straight from the copper kettle. She LOVES it and was the first one outside with a spoon when it was time to can.


All in all we canned 91 pints (almost 11 1/2 gallons) of apple butter after 5 hours of stirring. It was a fun time, as always, and now we are stocked up for the winter!

Pumpkin Patch!

Yesterday Morgan and I took advantage of the gorgeous weather and headed out to Rich's Farm in Smithfield, PA for Kids' Day on the Farm. It's our annual trip to the pumpkin patch and I think this year was the prettiest weather we have had in our 5 years of going.

Morgan, as usual, was very careful in choosing just the right pumpkin. She looked over many before finally choosing the perfect one.

Here she is with Summer, our friends' 1 year old daughter. Morgan had a fun time helping Summer out and pretending to be a "big sister". She would make the perfect big sister.


Morgan had a wonderful time looking at the chickens and rabbits, riding the horse tire swing, jumping on the tire bounce, and bouncing in the dragon bounce house. She also enjoyed riding on the little train pulled by a John Deere lawn mower (as you can see below)

This year she registered nearly 4 feet next to the apple! By spring I bet she surpasses 4 feet.

We also enjoyed the hay(less) ride around the farm and got a daylight glimpse of the "Fright Farm" haunted house.

Right before we headed to the barn to paint our white gourds, I made Morgan pose for one last picture. Trip, success!

Mountaineer Football vs. UCONN

On a beautiful day in October, our little cheerleader made her way to her 3rd (and last) game of the season. She enjoyed playing with the younger crowd at the tailgate, and coloring and playing with Josh during the game :) While she enjoys going to the games, she is really looking forward to basketball season, where the games are shorter and inside, and she can pay attention more.

Hugs for cousin, Shannon

The next generation of tailgaters!

Her hair is long enough to go into a ponytail finally!

Indoor Pool Fun

Morgan and I took a business trip to Charleston while Morgan was off from school yesterday and today. We took advantage of the indoor pool at the Embassy Suites and invited Kole and Julia to come swimming with us. The girls had a wonderful time swimming independently with the help of pink swim rings. Kole enjoyed the water, but it was a little too cold for his little body. His poor lips were blue!

Practicing her "big arms" swimming

Love this little fishy!

Enjoying a moment in the hot tub before leaving the pool.

Toweled Beauties....they loved having their hair done "like Mommy's"

Morgan always loves when she gets to come with me to Charleston. She got to spend the night with Julia and spent the day with Aunt Amy while Mommy worked. It's been hard for her to understand why she can't come with me every time I go to Charleston now that she is in school. We are looking forward to Thanksgiving and four to five consecutive days with the cousins.