"Other Things May Change, But We Start And End With Family"

Alex and I recently celebrated our anniversary & we both cannot believe how fast time has gone by. Alex surprised me with a dozen roses in my favorite color- fire and ice- and they bloomed into some of the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen. We went to a nice dinner & just spent the evening talking about some of our favorite memories since we've been together. We exchanged cards, and I was so touched by Alex's words. He always speaks directly from the heart, and his words are so incredibly honest. He is such a wonderful man, and he is going to make an amazing father someday.

This past weekend, we were able to spend some time with our cousin who is a Marine and is leaving for Afghanistan soon. We are so grateful for his service and the many sacrifices he makes, as well as his family, so that we can enjoy the many freedoms we have. We were sad to say goodbye, but we know he believes so strongly in what he is fighting for, and we pray for his safe return.



We carved pumpkins on Friday with my two nieces- Alex carved a mummy & I carved a bat. I must admit though- we did cheat :) We bought a carving & stencil kit from Wal-Mart, which really are essential for pumpkin carving. The kits provide the perfect little tools to carve the best images, and we had such a great time. We munched on halloween candy, and spent the time with family just laughing and enjoying each other's company. We love the holidays!

Pumpkins 'n' Bread

You know the fall is finally here when you're bundling up in your sweatshirts and boots & heading to your local pumpkin patch! Alex and I took our nieces, sister, and brother-in-law to a favorite pumpkin patch where there is a giant hay slide, a pool or corn kernels that the kids can dig around in to look for candy, and a giant corn maze that's pretty easy to find your way through, no matter what age. We had an absolute blast!! ( I'm sorry that I don't have a picture of Alex for this post- somebody has to take the picture :). We had such a great time, and it was so much fun to see our nieces get so excited. We were kind of disappointed to find out they had run out of hot chocolate because you can't go through a corn maze & be in your sweatshirts without ending the night with a cup of hot cocoa :).

I am also so proud to present my very first loaf of HOMEMADE bread! We had a very chilly day earlier this week, so I made a homemade chili that slow-cooked for 6 hours, and topped it off with...get ready for it... 6 loaves of homemade bread. That's right-I misread the recipe serving size and thought I was making a single loaf of bread, but it actually called for 6 loaves. So, we surprised family with a hot loaf of bread and I happy to say they all loved it :)