Into the Woods...

Last weekend (well, Thursday, Friday, Saturday), we took a family trip to Mt. Magazine since Sadie had no school Thursday and Friday. Arkansas is known as The Natural State and there is definitely a reason why! We have so many state parks yet realized we have not seen them... We vowed to make this trip the first of several to tour our state and visit the parks!

We were fortunate to get a room in the brand new lodge up there. We had hoped for a cabin (they have one that is pet friendly and hoped to bring Tex) but they were taken for our dates and were a bit pricey. There were several campsites available, which I would love to try one day, but with folks who know what they are doing. Otherwise, I am afraid I would end up a bit like Harriet Oleson in that one Little House episode...

The lodge is beautiful! It was supposed to be full, but it never seemed crowded. We loved it and will stay there again, but we can't say many good things about the restaurant... It may just be worth it to spring for the pricey cabins, just to have your own kitchen...

The view from our room was spectacular (all rooms have views as you can see in the photo above). We were in the cheapest room, the standard with two queens but no balcony... There were no other rooms available when we made our reservations, but it was fine.

The view from one of our windows:

Sadie liked the view, too.

Someone only cared about finding the swimming pool... And was just a wee bit excited to see it! (Click on the photo and check out her facial expression).

Ready to go on our first hike,

just moments after settling into our room!

I cannot find our tripod anywhere, so we had to get creative and find flat rocks to use the timer...

I love this one because it kinda looks like I could fall right off the edge!

A better one.

And, of course, someone was more interested in the dirt than the beautiful nature surrounding her...

It was just beautiful out there! Though, next time, we will book our trip a little earlier to catch the fall foliage or we will return in the spring to see the flowers.

Sitting in the rockers and staring out at the view was one of my favorite parts of the trip.

But here are Brad and Sadie, already pooped from our first hike...

They were actually faking it.

They are pretty good actors, no?

(Click on the photos - Sadie looks zonked out!).

On Friday morning, we took a free guided tour up to Signal Hill, the highest point in all of Arkansas at 2753 feet. But first, we had to take some photos by the lodge's outdoor waterfall (the meeting place for those who wanted to go on the hike).

(photo by Sadie):

We reached the top (about a 30-minute hike). It was a bit anticlimactic, because you would think it would have great views and what not, but nope. It's just in the middle of the woods...

But the rock "floor" is in the shape of the state of Arkansas and is actually to scale (though I don't remember the ratio of feet to miles). There is a star pinpointing Little Rock and a mound pinpointing Mt. Magazine Park. Pretty cool.

(What's really cool - if you look at them on our computer and toggle the cursor buttons left to right, you can watch her "raise the roof!" She was amazed by that.)

I love this photo that Brad captured of Sadie and me on our way back down.

"Look! A bear!"

Such the actors, yet again!

We had a blast and did not want to weekend to end. If you have not checked out Mt. Magazine, you need to go!

Farewell Soccer Season

Soccer season ended last Saturday (Halloween). Sadie had her last soccer game and improved... not at all. But that is okay! She enjoyed herself, got some good exercise, and is already looking forward to the spring season. Sadie had one practice all season (the month of October), so it is no wonder she had no clue what she was doing. I tried to work with her at home, but kicking the ball around with me and dribbling between piles of leaves and scoring between trees... It just did not translate well on the soccer field! Brad is seriously thinking of volunteering to coach so we can actually have some practices and communication between coach and players... I just want her to learn enough about the sport to know if she really likes it. I definitely don't want her to turn into that one chick at UNM... Right now, we will just focus on actually kicking the ball...

Here she is with her trophy. She was so incredibly proud! You could not wipe off her smile for hours... She kept saying, "I did a good job, didn't I, Mommy?"

This was her favorite part about soccer games. In fact, if you asked her how to play soccer, I am sure "you sit and eat snacks" would be part of her answer...

Sleeping Beauty

Well, another Halloween has come and gone. By far, my favorite moments were seeing Sadie put on her costume, complete with wig, for the first time (her expressions were priceless!); carving pumpkins; and giving out candy (and watching Sadie give out candy).

Sadie loves to greet the trick or treaters at the door. Every time the doorbell rang, she would jump up, start running, and holler, "I'm coming! I'm coming!" She was very meticulous with the candy as well. Luckily, there were no scary costumes waiting on the porch this year. Costumes were pretty tame this year (thank goodness!). We ran out of candy around 8:15 which was perfect since that is Sadie's bed time.

Brad took her around the neighborhood but she didn't last long - perhaps due to her "glass slippers." Luckily, she had already scored a bunch of candy on Wednesday night at Trunk or Treat at our church (see photos below). But, I recycled a lot of that candy when we started running out! I kept her favorites, though...

Our little princess (Aurora, aka Sleeping Beauty).

Probably the first of many princess costumes to come.

She loves to pose and get into character...

With Adi at Trunk or Treat at our church.

Having a little chat with her friends!

Bess was in awe of Sadie's costume. Or maybe just the hair...

Sadie and Avery (Barbie).

They are also in the same preschool class.

Cousins.

Bess was the cutest Tinker Bell, and Gus was the perfect Batman!

She insists on making a mean face every time I get the camera out...

Coloring a pumpkin during the church festivities.

Doing the cake walk.

I wish I had a photo of when she was playing musical chairs, but my battery died. It was her first time ever to play and all the other kids, mostly boys, were a bit older - ages 7,8,9 - and were playing strategically - arms out, walking slowly, caressing the chairs as they walked by... Sadie? She was staring off into space as she walked, twirling her "hair" with her fingers. Yet, somehow, she was one of the last two standing! Brad and I started to get so excited (silly, I know). She ended up in 2nd, but, boy, did she have fun!

The plot thickens...

First of all, you should check out OUR PHOTO GALLERY for some new October photos from the State Fair and from Sadie's preschool harvest party.

Secondly, and the reason for the title of this blog post:

If you recall, Sadie met and fell in love with David during summer school this past June. She has not forgotten him, though she has not seen him since (remember the song she wrote for him?). Well...

David's sister, Grace, is now in Bess' preschool class and my sister, Karalyn, found out their last name: Edwards. She shared this with Sadie during lunch on Sunday:

Me: Did you hear that, Sadie? Kay-Kay found out that David's last name is Edwards!

Sadie: (Grins.) Edwards? (Then looks concerned.) But what about his phone number?

Halloween photos to come...

BoBrook Farms

If you are on Facebook, then you have seen these photos already. I am trying to play catch up for my non-Facebook friends/family!

Last Sunday, we went to a local pumpkin patch, BoBrook Farms, with our church group. Somehow, we had the perfect weather despite the crazy rain that has hit us so hard this month! Sadly, though, Sadie's school pumpkin patch trip was cancelled due to rain. So we are glad we got one trip in!

Family photo:

Sadie and Emiley Morrison:

Getting her face painted:

The flower colors perfectly matched her dress!

In the hay maze with Adi MacKenzie and Emiley.

Sadie and Adi.

Saying hello to the scarecrow!

Ha ha.

Picking out a sugar pumpkin.

She said, "It's just the right size!"

Proud of her pumpkin choice.

I am not sure what Canaan Bell is doing...

So glad she didn't have to choose her pumpkin from over here.

Or here.

De ja vu.

Smiling like the huge jack o lantern!

A Great New Blog

My friend, Kimberley Morrison, has a great new blog showcasing her sewing/embroidery creations! Check it out and contact her if you would like to place an order. I have added a link in my list of sites on the right side of this blog and have added her to my blog list so you can see when she updates as well! Take It Persewnal.

Book Report

Here are my latest reads, all worthy of sharing with you:

I am a big fan of Richard Paul Evans. I think I have read all of his books. The Christmas List is his newest one, and, like his others, it does not disappoint. And, like his others, you can read it all in one day. Or, if you are like me, in two hours.

Though I must admit this one is very predictable (in the preface the author talks about how much he loves the story of A Christmas Carol) it is still very touching and makes you reconsider how you treat others in your life - the ones you love as well as ones with whom you simply cross paths. And, as always, there are several lines from this book I wanted to jot down to save as favorite RPE quotes, so you may want to keep a pen and notepad nearby as you read.

If you are looking for light reading and a feel-good book, definitely check this one out. (His last book prior to this, Grace, was also very good).

* * *

It took me a little longer to read this one (like, a week, so in comparison to the book above, anyway) but, oh, was it worth it! This is an exceptional read and I was very impressed to learn this is the author's debut novel! I saw it on the bestseller list for several few weeks; decided to request it from the library (the only way I read books nowadays); then patiently waited my turn.

Set in 1960s Jackson, Mississippi, the book fictionally chronicles relations between white women and their black maids. It is written from the point of view of one white woman and two maids in a way that makes you, somehow, relate to all three of them. Heartfelt and even a bit comical in parts, this was a delight to read and will make an excellent movie one day.

***

I am all about reading the book before I see the movie based on the book, so when I saw that this one was coming out in theaters, I immediately put my name on the library request list (along with too many others). The movie was out of theaters by the time I got my hands on the book, but there is always DVD.

Several friends had already recommended this author to me, but I had yet to check her out. I am sorry I waited so long! Though I have to admit, there were times when I felt the book was a bit redundant (just get to the climax already), it pulled through in the end. Picoult does an excellent job of developing her characters (well, giving backgrounds, I guess) so you can sympathize with each one. Basic plot - a young teenage girl decides to sue her parents for medical emancipation after being born as a donor match to keep her older sister (who has leukemia) alive. Poignant, depressing, and surprising, this is a good read. I am anxious to see the movie (though it usually cannot compare!).

Holiday!

Not really. But Sadie had the day off of school (some teacher work day) and that is what she kept calling it. Brad surprised us by taking the day off work as well! We were going to go to Boo at the Zoo, but it was just too cold. So, we decided it was pumpkin carving day! We shopped for some pumpkins and a pumpkin carving kit (so handy); Sadie got a haircut at Pigtails and Crewcuts; then we headed home to get started!

About to start (Sadie gets so nervous):

Sadie's drawing/template for me to cut for her:

Doing my duty (we moved indoors because it was too cold outside; Sadie moved upstairs to watch a movie because she could not stand to watch!):

Sadie's finished pumpkin!

Brad's finished pumpkin! (Cat on a tree branch. He was so proud! If you recall, this is only his second time ever to carve a pumpkin...)

Outdoor family photos with pumpkins:

Sadie's photography:

Cool pumpkin photos:

Sadie's new haircut (I had to straighten it when we got home because it was just too short while it was curly!)

Mean Sadie:

Happy Sadie (2 seconds later):

The Latest

Just chillin' in her princess dress. Over her regular clothes.

I know, I know. It has been a while, huh? I'd blame my new job, but that is only 17 hours per week, so that is no excuse... Here are some of the latest Sadie-isms and what not:

~Sadie and I always check our mail at the end of the driveway as we walk home from school. She likes to open the box while I get it out. This week, she put in a dandelion she had picked on our walk and said she was going to give it to Ella (a friend from church). The next day, we checked the mail again. I said, "Sadie! Your flower is still in here! I forgot all about that!" She looked at me, sad and very concerned, "But... I mailed that to Ella! She didn't get it?"

***

~When we checked the mail one day, there was a package in it for Brad. I gave it to Sadie to hold. She asked if it was for her and I said, "No. Can you read the name on it?" She started spelling it all out "Ba, Er, Aa, De.... Berade... BRAD! Brad Williams! It's for Daddy!" I got excited and exclaimed, "Wow, Sadie, you can read! Good job!" She hugged the package to her chest and stated proudly, "Yay! I don't need glasses now because I can read!"

***

~Sadie is still loving her school. She talks about her friends and teachers all the time. We went there last night for their Fall Festival and every time she saw a classmate, she would yell their name, run to them, and give them a hug! And they would hug her back. So sweet. Outside of her classroom, there are paintings of leaves that the kids did (dipped an actual leaf in paint and pressed it onto paper). Sadie stood there and told us whose was whose. And she did not miss a single one. So, I asked her if she just remembered or if she was reading the names. She said she was reading them. And here is a sample of the names she read: Kyra, Samaria, Jeremiah, Trinity, Raevyn, Any, Avery, Nicholas, Seniya, Ciara, Ranson, De'Niya, Brittany, Sanlee... There are 20 kids, but I think there were only 18 pictures. But again, she pointed to each and said who did it and was right every time. We were impressed!

***

~Ted is, perhaps, the new David... Though she won't say she likes him or that he is her boyfriend, he is a little boy in the preschool class next door who she talks about, always with a huge smile on her face. She sees him at lunch and at recess time. One day, on our walk home, she was telling me stories and started cracking herself up (you can't help but laugh when she does this) and said: "Know what Avery said? She kept calling Ted, 'Tag!' (throws her head back and laughs hard) She called him 'Tag,' not 'Ted!' " I said, "She did?" "Yep! She kept saying, 'Tag, you're it!' "

***

~Sadie loves loves loves Broadway musicals (Who on Earth could she get this from???). She is currently obsessed with Leader of the Pack and Mamma Mia! and is starting to get into Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (though she gets scared when the brothers put him in well, and she calls Potiphar's wife "the witch" so we may not see this one live after all...). Anyway, at any given time, you will find her singing songs from these plays (and she and I like to perform some songs together; especially from Leader of the Pack). She was singing "S.O.S." from Mamma Mia! and Brad told her that "S.O.S." means "Help!" So she incorporated it into everyday conversation... "I can't get the TV to turn on. S.O.S.!"

I'll leave you with a video of her doing a one armed push up...

(She has since perfected it a bit more. Impressive, no?)