Two Months?!?!?!

So, did anyone else notice that as soon as school started, I stopped posting? Yep, life has been wonderful, but pretty busy around here (biggest understatement ever!!!). Here is a peek at what we have been up to since August:

Isabel started First Grade. This is the thread of her 'blankie' that I had to sew into her clothes for a whole week after school started. She had a hard time adjusting to being away from home all day and this seemed to help a bit...this, and a family picture in her pencil box. I am happy to report that she now loves school and cries when the weekend is longer than 2 days because she misses her teacher and her friends. Ashlen started her second year of PreSchool at Fantasyland...needless to say, she adjusted just fine!
We finally started building the pergola on the back patio (now, ask me if we have finally finished it yet...I am putting the last coat of paint on the little top boards today so that they can go up, then we have to wait to paint the big boards until the spring because they are treated and were still very wet). The girls had a blast 'helping' us with the construction. The outfits were entirely their idea...you can't see it in the picture, but they both have pencils behind their ears:
We really enjoyed the Pumpkin Festival this year....other than some really obnoxious gnats, the weather was perfect! Much deserved after last year's rainy disaster! We were there every night (except for Saturday night because the Festival closes after the parade...wink, wink)
Isabel won 'Pumpkin the Fish' with her first throw (good thing I bought the extra large bucket of balls...geesh). Pumpkin is no longer with us, but it went pretty well...he is swimming in a happy place with lots of fish treats now!
Isabel has lost more teeth...I think she has lost another since this picture, which brings us up to five ginormous adult teeth pushing their way into her tiny mouth...ugh. You know those little clay jars with words like 'Grandma's Bingo Fund' and 'For A Rainy Day' engraved on the side? I need one that says 'My daughter has chicklets sprouting in her mouth' because braces are in our very near future. We also took a trip to Tanner's Orchard. It was super muddy, but the girls had lots of fun and I got lots of goodies (were you aware that they sell butter there...oh my goodness...it is amazing!!!!), so it was a successful trip!
Isabel recently watched 'Hannah Montana, The Movie' and is now in love with horses. I am incredibly intimidated by horses. As a kid, I loved them and always wanted to have one...as an adult, I can't get past thoughts of paralysis and certain death. The ones tied to a metal bar don't scare me too much, so she got her equine fix at Tanners. I did take them to a riding ranch last week and they loved it, but I was a nervous wreck...I think we will stick to carousels! We have been blessed with a great couple of months...and are all looking forward to the coming holidays!