Playing at the Park

 We're lucky enough to live right across from our park here. It's pretty small but the kids love to swing and run around on the grass. I also love that it's mid-November and we hardly need jackets.

 

 This is how she sometimes feels about having her picture taken

 Clara adores her daddy. She asks about him during the day and cries for him when she goes down for a nap.

 These pictures were taken at the beginning of November in Centennial Park across from the aquarium. We went with Suzanne and she's chasing Grace and Clara in this picture.

Mackenzie's 5th Birthday

I can't believe I'm old enough to have a 5 year old. Kenzie requested a small party with a couple of girls she's become friends with here. We had a barbie/princess theme and did lots of fun activities including a pinata, wand decorating, making lip gloss, eating pizza and cake and ice cream.

 Lacie and Cammie were perfect party guests

 Clara had to jump in on the action and acted like one of the big girls for the night

Four little girls made for a lot of high pitched noise and a lot of fun! Happy Birthday Kenzie, we love you!!

Stone Mountain take 2

Keith had a rare day off so we decided to hike Stone Mountain. We heard it wasn't very hard but I was definitely feeling the burn carrying Emmett on me. Clara spent more time on dad's shoulders than on the ground. It was a pretty hike and one I would do often if we lived a bit closer.

The pine trees here often make me feel like I'm back in Washington.

 I'm sad it was so smoggy that the pictures didn't turn out well. The view was stunning with the fall colors.

 This home was too beautiful to not take a picture.

Halloween

 Clara's first trial run in the monster costume. It was a hit

 Emmett donning on of his many Halloween outfits. we got a lot of hand me downs so he had lots of fun things to wear this time of year.

 We went to our ward trunk or treat the week before Halloween and the girls had their faces painted. Clara loved it and asked me to paint her face the next few days. The ward party was amazing. It was held at a big southern home with plenty of acreage. We had a chili dinner then there were lots of kid carnival games with hot chocolate stands and popcorn. The kids got tons of candy from the trunk or treat. It was kind of chilly and dark so no pictures.

 Cute Emmett was perfect on Halloween night. He hung out in the carseat while his sisters ran from house to house for a couple of hours.

Shane, Kenzie, Cammie and Clara

 This year we went to our friends neighborhood. The homes were charming and some were really decked out but the lots were large and half of them were dark. We missed our old neighborhood but the girls had fun regardless.

Field Trippin to the Pumpkin Patch

A visit to a pumpkin patch has become an annual tradition for our family. In the past, our favorite spot was Huber Farms and I was missing it this year! Luck had it that my friend Cassidie wanted to switch babysitting with me so we could each go with our daughters on their field trips. It was weird fun to not have a baby in my hands and focus my full attention on Mackenzie.

 We started with a hayride to the mini pumpkin patch. She wanted to sit next to her BFF Aisla on the left.

 There was a little petting area with chickens, goats and peacocks. They had to pet the animals through the fences though which was a little weird

 This was the kids favorite part. A big bouncy area set against a beautiful backdrop.

There were so many field trips there that we didn't get to spend much time in any area but the kids had fun and I'm glad I could hang out with my sweet little girl for a couple of extra hours that day.

Fun times with Grandpa and Grandma Shaw

 Keith's parents were kind enough to bring a trunk of childhood goodies back to him. The girls have really enjoyed the Legos

 Grandpa took some time to mold clay with the girls

 And they spent some quality time on the Ipad

Randy and Joan took Clara and Emmett to the Botanical Gardens so Keith and I could take a trip to the temple. We barely missed the endowment but were able to do some sealings. The temple is 45 minutes away in a busy part of ATL and with 3 little kids, it's really hard for us to get to on a regular basis so we really appreciated this opportunity.

After our session, we met them at the gardens but didn't walk around as we had to go pick up Kenzie from school. We were able to stop at Piedmont Park which is really cool. If you've seen "What to Expect When You're Expecting" it's the park they film a good portion of the movie in.