Halloween Dinner at the Martin Casa!

Since we had our big trick or treating last night on post, then I decided it would be a shame not to do something at our house to celebrate the real day of Halloween! So, we had a Halloween dinner with Mandi, Brian, Abbie and Cody. It wasn't anything too fancy, but enough to have smiles, laughter and a GREAT time!

We started the afternoon off bobbing for apples. It was hysterical watching the kiddos try to get the apple with their mouth and then they realized it was harder than it actually looked! :) Lydia started us off right with cheating and grabbing the apple with her hands. But, not before she took a bite out of one apple and threw it back in the tub of water. UGH! Then, it was time for Cody. He tried and then did it the "Lydia" way too! It was time for the big guns to come out...Abbie and Lillian! Abbie tried at least three times before giving in and just picking one up. I was proud of her for hanging in there! Lillian really went for it too and ended up with a soaked face! She said she got one, but I really think her hands got one and put it in her mouth when mommy wasn't looking! :) And yes, the BIG boys came in to show the children how it is done! They need something to put in their big mouths to keep them quiet! :) You know I love you guys! :)

We played a game of Ghost Ghost Boo (Duck Duck Goose) and let the children all run wild outside. I was very thankful we did trick or treating last night when it was much warmer than it was this afternoon! Lydia did really well and would say Ghost Ghost Ghost and then scream GHOST!! She couldn't remember to say BOO! But, everyone would always run and chase someone even if it was not their turn or the wrong person! :) All smiles!

We ended up playing at the park too and then coming in to warm up from the cold. We sat down to our Halloween Dinner. Our menu consisted of: Cheesy Wrapped Hot Dog Mummies, Ghosts in the Graveyard, Fingers, Eyeballs, Witches Brew, Halloween Cupcakes, and Skeleton And Brain Dip. It was a fun menu and Kraft has the best ideas! It was so much fun to see the outcome!

So, now Halloween is officially over in my household. Decorations are down, pumpkins are trashed and candy is hidden. We officially begin detox tomorrow to get off all this sugar, chocolate and candy in my house! Please think of me tomorrow....you all know how Lydia will react to this detox! NOT WELL MY FRIEND NOT WELL!!! Happy Halloween and may all your candy baskets be filled tonight! Sweet Dreams and No Monsters!

Love you all!

Julie

Happy Halloween and BOO TO YOU!

We made it through one more year of trick or treating and this is success in this household! My little cupcake and doughnut were a hit tonight and they traveled long and far for their candy! Up and down hills! In and out of neighborhoods! In the snow...just getting carried away now! :)

We lasted about two hours which was fantastic! By the end, my feet were tired too, and my arms were tired of pulling the wagon. They made it a long time on foot, but those little feet couldn't keep up the whole time. Their baskets were full and they saw lots of friends along the way tonight even some ghosts, trolls and monsters!

We went out from 4:00pm to 6:00pm which was great! The girls have never had the chance to pass out candy, so they did from 6:00pm until 7:00pm. Then, the sugar rushes were wearing off and it was time to come in for bedtime. They are still little and need their rest or was it me that needed the rest? I was having a glass of wine while passing out candy, so it could have been me! OR the FABULOUS food Mandi made for dinner! She made all sorts of munchies and we all sat outside and finished passing out candy. It was great and thank you Mandi for a wonderful Halloween dinner!

Now, my Sweet Treats are sleeping and I am ready to hit the bon fire with the adults! What a great Halloween! Be safe trick or treating and good night and sweet candy filled dreams!

Love you all!

Julie

Leavenworth Trick Or Treat

This morning we started off Halloween early! We went to downtown Leavenworth to Trick or Treat at all the stores. They actually had a Halloween contest, but we missed it this morning. I was so bummed because I just knew we would win for Best Family Costume (okay, I know I am a little biased, but I still think we are cute! :))

The stores all passed out candy on the streets and Lydia said Trick of Treat for the first time too! It wasn't really clear, but you knew what she meant and she meant business. Can you believe she would be the one throwing a fit for not being able to eat MORE candy before lunch? And then ate almost her whole basket on the way home from lunch? Yep, that's my girl!

Now, after trick or treating this morning, taking Lillian to a birthday party and letting Lydia nap, we are ready for trick or treating tonight! Watch out Fort Leavenworth here comes Sweet Treats!!

Julie

Preview of Halloween Night...

We crashed a Block Party this afternoon. We just dressed up and drove up..hopped out of the car...and said, "Are you ready for a throw down?"

Just kidding...it was a Chili Cook Off Block Party and everyone dressed up for the event. The kiddos played outside and rode bikes and terrorized the neighborhood in jeeps and other electronics. Whoever you are #6, you were awesome! One great pot of chili!!!

Love you all and Happy Halloween! Be safe trick or treating and stay warm!

Julie

Fancy Nancy Spotting at Bradley Elementary!

That's right! Fancy Nancy was spotted walking through a Character Parade at Bradley Elementary School right here at Fort Leavenworth, KS! See if you can spot her too!

Love you all!

Julie

PS- No, that is not me telling her to take her jacket in 39 degree weather! What mom would say that??! hee hee

Troop 5400 Takes Over Lamborn Farm

This afternoon Daisy Troop 5400 met up with Brownie Troop 5401 at Lamborn Farm. It is a locally owned farm and we have been there before to their pumpkin patch and fall activities. But, after school, we got to have a family affair with another troop.

We all loaded up on hay rides and got lost in the corn maze. Lucky for me, I had to carry Lydia the WHOLE way through this enormous corn maze and lost 10 pounds! :) And wasn't it even better that we got a little turned around and hiked it back to the hayride! :) It was fun and we eventually found our way out the Girl Scout way- cheating! Just kidding, we only cut through one path that technically wasn't a path! :)

We all got to run through the farm, see animals and play in the hay maze too. It was time for a camp fire to sing patriotic songs. We are learning these songs for the Veteran's Parade which we will march in on Veteran's Day. It was special to have a Senior Girl Scout along with us to help the girls learn the songs.

After some songs, it was time for hot dogs and smores. The girls were all starving by this point and quickly ate everything in sight! Good thing there was enough food to go around...these little girls can eat! :)

After dinner, we gave Troop 5401 are very first S.W.A.P.S. (Special Whatchamacallits Affectionately Pinned Somewhere). These are GS tradition and each girl in our troop made one for each girl in the Brownie Troop. Even sisters got to S.W.A.P. tonight which is always special! Our troop earned their Pumpkin Fun Patch. Man, I have got to start sewing these fun patches on soon...who am I kidding. I have got to get these fun patches to a seamstress soon! hee hee

We sang some silly songs around the campfire and then it was time to head back home on the wagon. Now, the girls are in bed sound asleep. It was a long afternoon for them, but one full of friends and awesome memories! Good night Girl Scouts Troop 5400 and Troop 5401! See you next week! Sweet Dreams!

Love you all!

Julie

Girl Scout Song Fest

What a great event tonight! Song Fest was fantastic and basically each troop from Daisys on up to Seniors got to perform one song per troop. We have 150 girls in Girl Scouts on Fort Leavenworth alone and we are one of the largest service units in Kansas. We heard some great campfire songs tonight and I was impressed with my girls Troop 5400! They did a great job singing and even got a compliment on their behavior! WAY TO GO GIRLS!

Troop 5400 sang their opening song that they sing weekly in our troop meetings. We sand I'm a Little Daisy and they awesome! They remembered all words and hand motions. So adorable!

Lillian is still laying in bed singing all those wonderful songs and I can't wait to get a print out of all of them soon. Sonny is a LTC in the Army and she puts on Song Fest every year. She is full of enthusiasm for these girls and makes each troop seem so special even when we sing the same song as another troop. It was a fun event and ended with cupcakes. So, who wouldn't love that!

WAY TO GO TROOP 5400!! You made me proud...and Lillian...it goes without saying...you are one amazing DAISY! Love you bunches! Enjoy your new Song Fest Fun Patch!

Good night Lillian and keep singing- BANANAS GO GO BANANAS!!!

Love you all!

Julie

Investiture Ceremony

Lillian had her Investiture Ceremony tonight at Frontier Chapel. I have been planning this ceremony for weeks now and I hope everyone enjoyed the evening. I am Lillian's Girl Scout Co-Leader and I really tried to make this a special evening for Lillian and ALL the girls in her Troop. She is in Troop 5400.

This ceremony marks their dedication to the Girl Scout Promise and Girl Scout Law. It marks the time when they are "invested" into living the Girl Scout way. Lillian has 13 girls in her troop and each had to recite the Girl Scout Promise and Girl Scout Law.

The Girl Scout Promise

On my honor, I will try:
To serve God* and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law.

The Girl Scout Law

I will do my best to be
honest and fair,
friendly and helpful,
considerate and caring,
courageous and strong, and
responsible for what I say and do,
and to
respect myself and others,
respect authority,
use resources wisely,
make the world a better place, and
be a sister to every Girl Scout.

We opened with our opening song:

I’M A LITTLE DAISY (I'M A LITTLE TEAPOT)

I’m a little Daisy, dressed in blue

I am a Girl Scout, you are too

When I go to meetings, I sing and shout

I love being a Daisy Girl Scout!

Then, the girls participated in the ceremony and each girl represented a flower. That flower in turn represented a part of the Girl Scout Law. Lillian was the white zinnia and white rose which represents "respect myself and others." The girls placed their flowers in a basket which one of the older Daisy Girls held for me.

Lillian and all new girls were then pinned with their Daisy Pin and also received their center of their petals and two other petals they earned for their mini garden project. We sang our closing song:

YOU EVER SEE A DAISY (HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A LASSIE)

Did you ever see a Daisy, a Daisy, a Daisy?

Did you ever see a Daisy, a Daisy Girl Scout?

Go this way and that way, and this way and that way.

Did you ever see a Daisy, a Daisy Girl Scout?

LET’S GO!!!!

and did our friendship squeeze. Then, off to eat our yummy potluck dinner! And man can these moms cook a fantastic dinner!

It was a fantastic night filled with 53 wonderful brothers, sisters, moms, dads, aunts, grandparents and friends. The girls all loved seeing their hard work- they decorated the butterflies that flew overhead and colored their flower that decorated the gift table. Each girl also received a framed beginning certificate. All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better night! All the girls did awesome and made me proud! And we just started this journey together.

Lillian is learning a lot in Girl Scouts and I hope it continues to impress upon her the positive values of life and not always thinking about yourself. Although, after a birthday weekend of nothing but me, this is going to be hard to go back to being "normal" tomorrow! We just have to try!

Love you all and enjoy the show!

Love,

Julie

Happy Birthday to Lillian!

Today was the last birthday party for Lillian! I don't know what she is going to do without all the attention on her...she sort of expects it now! hee hee

We had 17 people come to Lillian's birthday party this morning at Scrivners. It is an arts and crafts type of store. They children were busy from beginning to end! They all got to make their very own flower headpiece. All the headpieces turned out great! The girls looked like little flower girls with the flower headbands and Cricket, the owner, made each little girl a skirt too.

Then, we moved onto coloring some Princess coloring pages. The boys made shields while the girls worked on the girly things. Then, we moved onto making necklaces and decorating their very own cupcake. The girls got too choose two colors to mix into their frosting and then frosted their own cupcake. Lydia made a hot mess and had frosting from head to toe!

We also sang Happy Birthday and opened presents. Lydia got Lillian's birthday cupcake and proceeded to eat it and smear it all over the floor. Lydia was overwhelmed by the end of the party and was ready to come home. She had a blast, but man was she ready for her crib! Nap time couldn't come soon enough for this party animal!

Lillian has some really amazing friends who TOTALLY spoiled her rotten! She got DS Games, makeup, nails, nail polish, books, dairy, accessory kit, dvds, and so much more. She really has friends that care about her and just want to make her day fun for her. She laughed so much today and was thrilled about every present she opened at the party. Her expressions are amazing and it is great watching her get so excited over and over again.

So, now we are home are Lydia is napping, Lillian is playing with everything and more, and I am thankful we are done with all three birthdays in this house and all within 18 days of one another! Thank you to all who came today and gave her such amazing gifts!! You all TOTALLY ROCK!!!!

Love you all!

Julie

One More Birthday Party

The party princess is still going strong tonight! We just rocked it up with some friends and boy were these kiddos wild tonight! I think something is in the air and even baby Lydia was on FIRE! She was trying to beat up a 10 year old....good thing Emily wouldn't hurt Lydia because she loves her to pieces. But, Miss Lydia was swinging from the chandeliers and dancing on tables! The cake and ice cream kicked in for sure!

We all had a great time playing with our friends and even the adults got a chance to chat when they were not telling everyone to calm down. hee hee It is WONDERFUL to see the kiddos playing, running wild outside, Lydia chasing Zach with the biggest smile on her face, and watching Lillian play with her girl friends. I think everyone has enough sugar and junk to last until Halloween. But, oh no, we have the REAL birthday party in the morning with MORE cupcakes! Can we stand it? I don't know!

Lillian said this was the best day ever and she loved being 6! She went to bed tonight with a big smile on her face, thinking of her friends, and knowing she didn't want her birthday to end. Who could ask for more?

And, by the way Nina, these pinata pictures are just for you! Lydia had mad pinata skills this year and I am glad I did buy one in the end. Even though, you could have sent me one from across the border! Can you believe there are stores that don't even have pinatas here in Kansas! SHAMEFUL!! You know I love you girl!

And Wendy, what can I say! The video was amazing and made me miss you guys and TX even more than I already do at times. It really made my evening and I just smiled when I sat down tonight to watch the video. Those sweet faces, those sweet girls, those sweet voices!! I love you all!

Good night Lillian! Sweet dreams and more fun to come tomorrow!

Love,

Mommy

Lillian Turns Six Years Old!!

Turning 6 is a big event
Filled with fun and merriment

Is there anything better than turning 6 years old? Lillian doesn't think so! Lillian thinks 6 is GREAT!!! She woke up this morning singing Happy Birthday to herself. I could hear her in the monitor and she said, "Mom, I awake. It is my birthday!!!" Like I didn't know! :) I went in her room this morning and she was jumping out of the bed like she had ants in her pants. She was so excited to start her big day!

We all got ready and we gave Lillian her present this morning. All she wanted was a DS! Can you believe it? She has been begging for one and every time she would see one, than she would remind me again of that is all she wanted. So, you could imagine her face when she opened her present. She screamed, "I got my DS! I got my DS!" She even told me thanks for reminding daddy because she knew he would forget her birthday. She is rotten! :)

We walked to school and she high fived Mr. Ernest (her principal) on the crosswalk and immediately told him all about her birthday. She was thrilled when they announced all birthdays over the intercom and her name was called. She got to go the office and get a book and pencil. It was like gold to her! It is wonderful having her at this age because it is all so exciting and wonderful in her world. She just wants to sharpen her pencil!

I also got to go to her classroom and bring cupcakes. The class sang Happy Birthday to her and gave her six big claps. The whole room was quiet as they ate all those cupcakes. Zoe did another amazing job and all the children said thank you. So sweet!!

Now, we have a dinner party to get ready for...the party before the party tomorrow. We are just have two families over for a pizza dinner. Then, we party again tomorrow at Scrivners. She has 17 little girls coming to celebrate her big day and I know it will get loud, wild and crazy! Just how it should be!

Lillian asked me this morning if she was having a pinata and I told her I didn't get one this year. She was so disappointed and so I went out to get her one! After so many years living in TX, then she just expects to have one! I have done one for 6 years now! I blame this on Nina and her family! :)

So, happy birthday Lillian! May all your wishes come true and may every day be just as exciting today. Keep looking at the world with wide eyes and keep seeing all the small things in life! You will appreciate life so much more than you know. You are one amazing 6 year old and I am lucky to have your sassiness in my life! You keep me on my toes, you keep me jumping and you keep me smiling! Happy Birthday my Angel!!! Mommy loves you and thinks you are MAGNIFICENT!!!!!

Love,

Mommy

Lydia Rides Bike

Lydia took off this morning on her bike all by herself! I was so proud of her and she can even start back up after she stops. She did take one tumble, but thank goodness it was after we put her helmet on her little head. :)

Lydia seems to pick up on things so much faster these days due to wanting to be just like her big sister. She can't wait for Lillian to come home from school today so she can show Lillian her new trick. She started pedaling to Lillian's school, but I told her they wouldn't consider that an excused absent for Lillian! :)

This bike is special too because it was given to us by some wonderful friends in Fort Riley, Kansas. They had twin girls who learned how to ride a bike too using that bike. Then, it was passed down to Lillian and now Lydia. We will have to keep passing the bike on once Lydia outgrows it too. Those are the best presents...ones with memories!

Enjoy the big girl riding her bike! Love you all!

Love,

Julie

Apple Festival Weston, MO

This morning we went to the Apple Festival in Weston, MO. It was a chilly start to the day and the girls had to bundle up in jeans, long sleeves and jackets. Really? And it is supposed to be 37 degrees tonight! What happened to summer or even fall? Oh well, complaining won't make it get any warmer! :)

We made it just in time for the parade. Actually, we were running a few minutes behind this morning and the parade was just beginning. So, we had to park WAY out and walk our way in...with the parade! Isn't that bad? We walked behind the marching band just to make our way to the beginning. But, we did it!

The girls loved watching the parade and enjoyed catching all the candy. They still don't like candy, but we got lucky one time and someone through chocolate! YEAH! We will just use this candy in our Halloween bowl! HA! It was your standard small town parade and we enjoyed the cars, horses, and marching bands. Rich even showed Lydia how to place her hand on her heart when the American Flag came by us being carried by The Shriner Club. She was too sweet! Of course, Lillian knew how to do it too!

We just walked around after the parade and enjoyed all the booths, food and activities. It was tempting to buy a homemade apple pie, but I had to walk around from the evil spirit. I should have walked away from a few more things, but I broke down. What can I say? I am weak at times! Good thing we had a 30 minute walk uphill back to the car! Can you believe we walked longer back to our car than it took to drive the rest of the way back home to post? And you know I was not wearing tennis shoes! :)

Happy Apple Days everyone!

Love you all!

Julie