This and That

Here is just a hodge-podge collection of pictures from our family over the last couple of weeks.
Me and my good friend, Steven Jackson, just hangin' out.

My mom made these awesome curtains for my classroom and I couldn't be happier! The picture doesn't do it justice....they have a cute gingham background in the pleats that you can't see from the pic. I've had so many compliments on them....thanks mom!!

Casey and I headed to school....GO TIGERS!

Chobie, bobie, puddin' pie.

I was tickled pink when my 14 and 11 year-olds agreed to ride the cows.....what good sports!

Kyla and daddy waiting for Casey to finish up in the haunted house. Kyla drew the line at a blow-up bouncy house.

Pumpkin decorating.

The baby.

Kyla and Casey made a chocolate cookie haunted house....and it was delicious!

Go Rams!

Brandon and I treated ourselves to a Rams game for an early anniversary present to each other. I can't think of a better way to spend time together with him...we were in heaven! For those that aren't football fans, you'll have to bear with me on this blog post.

We took our autograph ball hoping to meet one of the players, but they were a little busy.

From our seats on the 40 yard line.

The highlight of my day....Leonard Little. Love that guy!!!

The Rams Cheerleaders...well, a few of them.

Steven Jackson.....easily the toughest guy on the field, even in pink.

Coach Spagnulo giving Chris Long a pep talk.

Huddle

I hate to do this, but here's a picture of the enemy, Brett Favre (and Adrian Peterson in the background) practicing before the game. Even though they killed the Rams, it was still fun to see them too.

The Mendenhall Gang

Wow....what a great weekend I just had! I absolutely love getting together with my Mendenhall family because we always have such a good time. This is the best family shot we could muster....gotta love the Charlie profile and the blue "finger" that seemed to mysteriously make it into every shot.

I would not be complete without the relationships I have with these 3 boys. My brothers rock my socks off!

Here is a picture of us girls (we were horribly out-numbered). My mom is so very special to me and my sister-in-law fits right in to our group with ease. Congrats Jenny on baby #2!

No weekend would be complete without a moustache growing contest.

Grandma and the grandkids.....and yes, Charlie considers himself a grandchild.

I've never met such an easy going baby as my nephew, Jackson. He is so much fun and easily the life of the party. I love that little man!

Casey and Jack bonding.

Better Late Than Never!

To those that are loyal followers of our family blog, I apologize for not updating in such a long time! Things have been a little crazy around here since school started. These pictures are a couple of weeks old, but this is the first chance I've had to post them. The weekend before school started, we took the kids to St. Louis.

We love the St. Louis Zoo and spent most of our day there, enjoying the animals.
We stopped by the Science Center for a few hours, which is always a good time! It hadn't changed much since the kids were little and we enjoyed the familiar exhibits.

First day of school! Ok, so it was a couple of weeks ago, but better late than never!

Most of us were thrilled to be going back to school.

Kyla absolutely loves high school and the whole academic part of it. She's still not sure why people think they need to socialize while they are there, but she gets along fine when she has to. Yep, that's my girl on the first day of school, hiding behind the mailbox while waiting for the bus. She's over the hiding thing now and at least makes it to the same side of the street as the other kids. Both kids have made a lot of progress since the first day and both love their teachers and classes. We are blessed to have such great kids that adapt so well to new surroundings. Hopefully this will be the last move for them for a long time!

Better late than never

We finally got around to planting flowers, weeding, and doing all of the other things that most people do at the beginning of summer! I look at it as a head start for next summer! The kids are great helpers and always look for an excuse to get them off the computer and get some fresh air!
The boy doesn't like dirt, what can I say? He takes after his momma.

Well, I got a new haircut and a new job all in the same day!! I may look cross-eyed in this picture, but rest assured, it's a happy face! I feel very blessed and thank all of you for the prayers this summer through the interview process. Love you all!

Fun with the kids

This week we had a wonderful visit with our niece and nephew. Unfortunately they had to go home a couple of days early because Uncle Brandon got sick, but we sure had fun while it lasted!
The kids had fun playing at the water spray park. Sophia was really excited that she got her face all wet without crying!

Walking down to the river.

The kids had fun wading in the river and throwing rocks.

Grant is an amazing little man with so many talents. He can tell time better than most kids his age that I've known. It was exciting to see him create and have fun.

Planting a flower for mommy.

Casey painting a dinosaur statue.

4 of my favorite people!

My guy

I'm pretty sure that I am married to the greatest man alive, and this week just happens to be his birthday.
First, we enjoyed a nice visit with Brandon's parents over the weekend.

My camera ran out of batteries for the "blowing out the candles" shot, but at least we got this picture of the delicious cake Kyla made for the occasion.

No party is complete without silly string.

Kyla waited until everyone else was almost out of string before she made her attack.

My guy. Happy Birthday Bran. We love you.