Wordless Wednesday

I know I've said it many times before,

but I wish her hands could stay this small. Forever.

Halloween Festivities

Just like many of you, our family had quite the busy weekend. The kind of weekend where you don't have a minute to sit down and you just go, go, go. Kind of like the Energizer Bunny, although I only wish I had half his energy! We finally had our big move on Saturday, which I must say, the hubs and his group of buddies did most of the work. I was busy keeping Abby occupied and out of the way, so we started our Halloween festivities early. A local park held a "Halloween Hunt," where the kiddos went crazy searching for candy and toys. Abby enjoyed it, even though she didn't quite understand what was going on. All the running and playing definitely wore her out and she napped for three hours when we got home. SCORE! We were able to do a lot of unpacking during her long snooze! Then the nasty virus swept through our house ... first Abby, then me, then Daddy, and even the grandparents! Ugh.

Abby & Chloe

Doesn't get much cuter than this.

Then Halloween came. I love this holiday ... the costumes, the candy, and of course the trick-or-treating with friends and their little ones. Since we had just moved into the new neighborhood, we thought it would be a great time to "meet and greet" with some of the neighbors. Good choice - we met some nice people... bad choice - we were dressed as Fred and Wilma Flintstone. Great first impression ... but hey, at least they know we like to have fun!

Abby as "Pebbles"

These shots were taken a few weeks ago...

Costume made by her Mama.

I don't think this photo requires a caption.

(other than ... laughing starts... now!)

Piersoll Fam

Two witches, a broom, and of course a princess.

Having fun trick-or-treating!

I love my little Pebbles.

Tomorrow is THE day!

Tomorrow is THE day, the day that we move into the new house. I couldn't be more excited, even though it's been an exhausting move. Our old house is looking empty, sad, and a bit on the depressing side. Closets are emptied, pictures are taken off the walls, and boxes are packed. New house here we come ... and to those of you out in the blogging world, I'll return when things get a little less crazy around here. Until then ... Have a Happy Halloween and enjoy your weekend ... I'll be back Monday or Tuesday!

Wordless Wednesday - Never too early ...

... to sport a backpack.

Abby's all ready for school ... with her bottle, sippy, and binky inside.

Finally ... the video!

Well that was quite the production, but in my previous post I promised a video of more pumpkin patch photos. So here it is ... enjoy!

Fall Festival - Florida Style

Yesterday was the perfect day for a Fall Festival, other than the Florida (not so Fall) heat and football kickoff times of 1pm. Despite those two things, we headed to Hunsader Farms for a fun filled morning with the Piersoll Clan. I was totally blown away by the amount of things to do at this festival. Of course there were pumpkins, pony rides, candy apples, hayrides, and corn mazes. But ... there was also a petting zoo, a classic car show, tractors on display, craft booths, and a butterfly tent.

Abby wanted no part of riding a pony this time around, which really comes as a shock because she loves animals. Maybe I had something to do with that because of her first ride. Who knows. Camdyn and Chloe sure loved it and we all had quite a laugh when Cam's pony needed to go "potty." The petting zoo and butterfly tent were hits and Abby probably had the most fun playing in the pumpkin tent and dancing on the stage with the live country band.

Even though the weather doesn't feel like Fall here in Florida, there is still something in the air that I love this time of year. I love all the decorations, pumpkins, candy apples, cider ... everything. It was such a fun time spending the day in the open air with great friends and thankfully our hubbies weren't too upset with the amount of football missed. :)

Abby didn't want anything to do with a pony,

but she was in awe of the animals in the petting zoo.

Abby dancin' to the music!

Family Shot - this was the only halfway decent one,

even though I'm not looking at the camera.

So many pumpkins to choose from ...

... but she finally found one her size.

This little girl was asleep before we even got on the road.

Ahhh, a peaceful car ride :)

A little photo fun ...

Remember how the bestie twisted my arm to take an online photography class? Even with packing boxes and moving into a new house, I am so happy I decided to pay the 20 bucks and try it out. It isn't overwhelming or too time consuming and it has really made me think about how I'm taking photos. Since the manual for my camera is like a textbook, it hasn't been opened since last Christmas. I love that I'm learning more about the functions of my camera and how it works. We've been working with lighting, framing, cropping, and doing a lot with portraits. All perfect for a mom that loves taking photos of her little girl.

For the first few portrait assignments, I used Abby. That was hard work ... trying to adjust settings and focus on lighting and framing while chasing around a toddler. I'm sure I'll get there, but for the last assignment I decided to use our neighbors beautiful four year old instead. She was so easy to photograph and such a little model.

So I thought I'd share a few of my favorite photos with you. I still need some practice and I'm looking forward to learning so much more. I think I'm getting a little better though ... or at least, here's hoping!