Oh How We Love the Pumpkin Patch

Since Arella was an itty bitty baby, we've been going each year to the Pumpkin Patch at the Old Christmas Tree Farm not too far from our house. It's cheap and full of awesome.

Last year I posted pics from the first three years because it was fun to watch Arella's little face grow and change inside that pumpkin cut-out. But this year, with three kids three and under, well, we had mostly outtakes. Which are really the best kind of kid pictures anyways!

I did sneak a few sweet ones in there, but Arella was leading the charge in a silly mood so silly is what we have. This is the best picture of the three of them together I could get. Apparently sticking your head in a hole can capture attention for .2 seconds.

This is the same cutout that you can see Arella and Zoe in from last year.

We attempted a classic group picture of the kids in the pumpkins, but it was too bright. I love how they're being sweet to each other, though.

Snagged a couple of fun ones on the train.

Got lots of silly faces.

Discovered we have a flasher in the family.

Performed a plank on a pumpkin pile.

And scored a few sweet smiles at the end, too.

Oh how we love the Pumpkin Patch.

An Enchanted Journey

This sign hangs above the front desk at the girls' preschool.

It's pretty much their life motto.

So it made me want to share with you a peek at

the enchanted journey they're on... together.

Once upon a time, there were two little girls in a land called Texas.

They came from very different places, but their love was instantaneous.

Though they loved each other, some days they tried to hide and not let their feelings show.

But they soon realized that they were better when they put their heads together.

They came up with an idea, to take a giant step of toddlerkind...

...and set off on a journey together.

On their quest, they ventured into magical lands,

discovered new creatures,

seized castles,

and rescued their little Prince Charming.

Along the way, they realized they were stronger together, an unbeatable team.

They learned to wait out the storms of life,

 

lift each other up,

shelter each other from the rain,

take care of each other when they're sick,

and face the waves head on.

When they do life together, they can conquer mountains.

Some days they feel invincible, like they can fight crime

and fires.

 

They're just kool kats.

 Then there are days when they feel conflicted,

 

like they need a get-a-way car instead.

 The journey may not always be comfortable.

 

They will need someone they can trust to listen,

someone whose shoulder they can cry on,

someone who will pray for them at any time,



and someone they know will walk out this life right next to them.

They want to love on people of all sizes and stations in life,

and to give that love away

until their cups overflow.

 "Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."
-1 John 4:11

"May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God." -Romans 15:5-7

Workin' Mama

Most days I'm a stay-at-home mom. But on occasion, I get to travel, make speeches and talk about diving on tv.

Sometimes, I feel like I have an alter ego. That might also be why I'm slightly obsessed with being a superhero. I digress...

At home I'm just an everyday, regular mom trying to keep up with my kids. On good days I may attempt to shower and get dressed. I'm constantly making dashes to the toilet with toddlers or asking for privacy in my own bathroom. There is constant repetition, constant repetition, and I'm usually trying to translate toddler speak to English in my head. Although my house may not look it, I am in a perpetual state of cleaning.

Just to show you how un-Pinterest perfect I am, here's a little snippet of my real, everyday life. This is me in all my smelly, unshowered, greasy-haired glory sporting a Tom Petty shirt with USA pajamas attempting to do an ab exercise. And this picture was taken after Hubby got home from work one afternoon.

A few weeks ago I flew with just the baby to Connecticut to be a working mom of sorts. You may have read about that lovely travel experience here. My mother-in-law came to watch the baby while I went to work. It was so weird to have someone there ready to watch the baby every morning as soon as we woke up and even at night so I could go to dinner a few times with colleagues. I could shower each day, take my time, drink an entire coffee before it went cold and talk to adults on a regular basis. It was kind of like summer camp for moms.

 And I think Grandma had a little fun, too!

I won the lottery on mother-in-laws ya'll, seriously.

Basically, I got to hang out at the NBC Sports building for a week to watch and commentate diving for the 2014 Youth Olympic Games. I thought it might be fun to give you a little behind-the-scenes look at life in the studio.

And yes, I'm a dork.

We had a special "green room" just for us. That pretty much means "waiting room" in non-tv talk. Although there is a little brainstorming that goes on here, too. Plus you get to hang out with cool people like 2008 Olympic silver medal gymnast Alicia (Sacramone) Quinn, 2008 & 2012 track Olympian Nick Symmonds, 2000 Olympic beach volleyball player Kevin Wong, sportscasters Jim Watson and Jason Knapp and, of course, our rockin' producer Lena Glaser.

l-r: Jason, me, Alicia, Jim

l-r: Lena, Kevin, Jim

Since the competition was in China and aired prime time in the states later that day, we watched the competition in a sound proof booth while commentating. I would always rather watch a competition live and be in the middle of the action, but voicing over is fun, too. It's not the same adrenaline pumping pressure as filming live, but we're still watching the event for the first time and calling it like it is live.

Jim & I in the booth- our home for the week.

It's always easy when you have the opportunity to work with a great team! Jim was a terrific partner to call diving with. While it was his first time working on diving, he's covered nearly every other sport, including three Olympic Games (2000 Beach Volleyball, 2004 Indoor Volleyball and 2012 Weightlifting), professional and collegiate sports. So he picked it up quickly and every event went smooth. Our producer Lena, the voice in my ear Lee Ann, the almost nerdier-than-me researcher John, the magic editor Rob and the logistics queen Kate put together five great days of diving that showcased junior divers from around the world and gave us a glimpse of what we might see in Rio in 2016.

This is just another cool area in the building near our little booth that kind of looks like mission control for sports. Actually, I think that's exactly what it is.

But it wasn't all work and no play. My friend and 2012 diving Olympian, Cassidy Krug, came to hang with us one morning. We always have fun together!

And even though I was working, I came home each day to just one little one, so I got lots of extra snuggles that made my mama heart happy.

Overall, it was a ton of fun, and I truly hope to do more diving events in the future. But as much fun as we had, I couldn't wait to get home and squeeze these two dolls and kiss them to pieces.