Trick-or-Treat

For Trick-or-Treat night, AJ and I went to Grandma Krueger's to help pass out candy to the kids while our little brother went from house to house telling his joke. This year's joke:

What do ghosts put in their cereal? Boo-berries :)

And since everyone else was all dressed up, we didn't think it would be fair if the dogs couldn't have a little fun too. SO, they had their own costumes! One might think dressing dogs up is pure torture. But they sit quite still when you are dressing them, and when I get their costumes or sweaters [[in winter of course]] out, they want them on! So yes, it was FUN for them too :)

Tilly was a frog.And Charlie, he was Batman.They were hilarious.And they LOVED getting to hang out with Cael :)

Pumpkin Carving

Being this year is the first year Axton and I are actually TOGETHER for all the holidays and changing of seasons, we are taking full advantage of such! We decided to carve a couple pumpkins this year to bring with us to Grandma Krueger's to put on her front porch as decoration while all the trick-or-treaters came to visit.

The ooey-gooey pumpkin guts! We saved the seeds and baked them in the oven afterward. They were delicious :)Tilly and Charlie were extra curious about what was going on in the kitchen. They had fun watching, but I think they had more fun sneaking in and stealing whatever pieces they could and running away to eat them where they couldn't be seen!AJ decided to be creative with the top of his pumpkin. He definitely started to regret that idea when trying to actually get the top off!The final products: a frog (obviously Kayla's) and a face without any skin and a few stitches.
They looked pretty awesome all lit up too :)

Homemade Wall Art

Well, it's official. Pinterest has ruined me. I now have more ideas for Do-It-Yourself home decor than I really need or have room for! But I did have an empty wall that really needed to be filled and a free evening, so I decided I could do this one project...for now :)

I started out with 4 empty canvases (12in x 12in)

I picked out 4 sheets of scrapbook paper while at the store that I wanted to use for my project as well. From there, I used Mod Podge to adhere the scrapbook paper to the canvas, and also to give it that 'glazed' finish.

While the paper liked to move around a bit and some of the edges took a bit more effort to keep down than others, I was very happy with the finished product. I hung the 4 canvas together spaced about an inch apart. The whole project took only about 1 1/2 hours to complete, and it is definitely something I will do again but with other themes for different rooms :)

A Besteman Wedding

On October 8, 2011 my little sister, Courtney, married Justin Besteman. The wedding took place down in Bradenton, Florida and it was a wonderful day to be able to participate in and be present for my little sister marrying the love of her life. The theme of the day: Gears of War.

Here is a glimpse of the big day:

Floridian Sunset

The first night in Florida we went to the beach at sunset to watch the sun fall beneath the waters of the Bay. It was definitely one of those God-painted wonders where you almost didn't want to blink because you were in awe of its beauty :)

Silly Lilly

On October 4th we headed down to Kansas City to stay the night with our family before heading to the airport to fly to Atlanta, GA and then drive down to Bradenton, FL for my little sister's wedding. While we were there, and also on our way back home little miss Lilly insisted that I take her picture on my camera and on my phone. She just LOVES getting her picture taken! She is so much fun and it's crazy how fast she is growing up! :)

Yellow Ribbon Program: Freedom Salute

This past weekend we attended the Yellow Ribbon Event and Freedom Salute supporting the 334th Brigade Support Battalion and 185th Combat Service Support Battalion and the service and sacrifice they gave for our country's freedom in the recent deployment to Afghanistan. It was a weekend full of multiple seminars to educate the soldiers and family of the changes and adjustments that will take place now that the soldier has returned home as well as what benefits are now available to these soldiers now that they are Veterans.

I will not bore you all with all the information we received and sessions we sat through all weekend, but I did want to share with you the awards Axton was given to thank him for his service to our country.

First is this certificate.

"Since the birth of this, our great nation, it is the American Soldier who has been distinguished as the cardinal defender of freedom and liberty. You have proven that the timeless values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage are so much more than mere words, and are a living testament to the highest hopes and ideals upon which our forefathers founded a new republic, The United States of America. Wherever freedom is threatened and liberty attacked, whenever there is a threat to our way of life, The American Way of Life, you are there, ever faithful, steadfast and ready to defend. Whether in times of peace or conflict, no matter how great or small the task, there you will most assuredly stand. Your Country, Your People, and Your President salute you. You are what makes this country great. You are an American Soldier. You are The Guard."

Next are these two lapels.

"The Defender of Freedom lapel insignia is issued and worn, exclusively, by the citizen-soldiers of the Army National Guard, as a token and symbol of distinction, in recognition of their selfless service, and thusly the significant sacrifices made on behalf of their country."


"The National Guard Team honorary insignia is awarded in limited quantity to designated civilians, specifically family members, friends, and employers, in recognition and appreciation of their role in supporting 'their' individual citizen-soldier and the efforts of the Army National Guard as a whole."

Next is this coin.

And then this medal.

"We will not waver, we will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail. Peace and Freedom will prevail."

And lastly, this flag.


"This flag is presented to a true American Hero in recognition for your service and sacrifice in the cause of freedom. Your service will never be forgotten. From the grateful people of this nation."

Again, thank you ALL for your continued love, support, and encouragement through this deployment. We are SO grateful that he is home safely, but most importantly that we have such amazing friends and family who were more than willing to support us through this in whatever way we needed. We could never thank you enough!