Let the Pumpkin Carving Begin

 Jon and Franki invited us over for grilled cheese and pumpkin carving- 

the perfect fall day! 

It was SO fun! 

 I just love how Elijah is watching Ryan carve- he was so intent.

 They loved jumping in the pile of leaves in their backyard.

  Sophia and my fairy pumpkin on the left. Maddies and Ryans fairy pumpkin on the right

 Ella and my vampire pumpkin and Jons spooky face pumpkin

 Franki and Ariannas cat/pumpkin  and Elijah and Jons monster pumpkin

 Frankis painted dino! 

Clara and Erikas cat pumpkin went out while we were taking pictures.

We were all VERY happy with our results! 

Back to School Night

I forgot to post these pictures of our back to school night. I did the Hospitality table and went with a "Bucket Theme". Our school this year is using the book, "How Full is Your Bucket" for their positive behavior reinforcement. 

So I found a bunch of buckets and created a table where parents could pick up a Trail Mix of assorted goodies to enjoy while they went to the classes and met with teachers. 

 As always, I couldn't have done it without the help of the ladies at Hopkins who help every year with the table. 

Happy Birthday, Baby.. just a tad late

Mark turned 34!!!! 

on Sunday, October 8th... I know, Im really late in posting this.
We cooked him a yummy birthday breakfast, as is the tradition, in the Gomez household on birthdays. 

I absolutely LOVE this picture of Mark and Lijers

Pumpkin roll after dinner:) 

The kids each picked him out a little something at Target.. 

{ Elijah- gloves, for when he walks to the bus in the morning}

{Ella- a grey t-shirt that when she saw, she said, "I have to get this for dad."}

{Arianna- beard trimmer}

{Sophia- cheeseburger boxer shorts- they were neon- I think thats what she was drawn to?}

* Mark and I were able to get away for the night to a hotel without kiddos! oh yeah! 

*We were treated to an amazing dinner at Bittersweet- truly the best fancy dining experience I've ever had! (Thanks, Cam and Ada, for the gift certificate!) 

*We caught a movie after dinner with the aforementioned friends and then were able to relax in an amazingly comfy, plush hotel bed!
(Thanks, Garrett and Laura, for watching our 4 rambunctious kiddos! I'm sorry for all the pancakes they ate!) 

*We also celebrated on his actual birthday with his awesome parents at Texas roadhouse! YUMMO!

{SO BLESSED to be married to this wonderful man}

Lots of Physical Fitness at Hopkins!

I know I've said it hundreds of times- but, I LOVE our kiddos school.

I am very involved in it and try to be in the school as much as possible. My kids love when I'm there, and I love it, too. I get to see what goes on and develop relationships with the people whom my kids are around a large percentage of their day. Its awesome! 

Hopkins is very concerned with the health and fitness of its students (which I love) and I got to help out in three different fun fitness events in the last 2 months..

1. Field Day

2. Hop-A-thon

 This is our PTO's biggest fundraiser. 

Kids raise money, and then run laps around the field and get prizes, etc. 

Here are my kids laps:

Sophia- 45

Arianna- 32

Ella- 35

Now, mind you, these are 1/4 mile laps and we walked, cartwheeled, jogged and ran them.

But, I was still very proud of all the effort they put into this event and I was pretty sore the next day as well! The kids love that a lot of the teachers come out and participate with them. 

3. Fun Run

Every year, the whole school runs to Mark Twain Elementary School and back. And Twain does it as well. Its SO much fun to see two neighborhood schools participate. Parents stand along the route and hold signs and cheer the kids on! Police cars escort the race. The roads are shut down around the school. We even got the local high school pep band to come and play for the kids at the finish line. 

The PTO purchases shirts for every student and each year they are different. 

I LOVE the design this year! 

Our local Whole Foods donated hundreds of bananas. It was awesome! 

Plus, we have some pretty amazing scenery for our run- leaves changing colors and gorgeous mountains in the distance! Breathtaking! 

I praise God for the health He has blessed my family with to be able to ENJOY these great gifts from Him! I praise God for a school that emphasizes the importance of taking care of our bodies. 

God is good to me and every perfect gift comes down from Him!