When Life Gives you Lemons.....

The rest of the saying goes "Make Lemonade". However, it's kind of chilly outside and lemonade just doesn't sound all that great right now. So then what do you do? Well, for the last 8 months or so our family has been fighting a few battles. Very private battles, but battles nonetheless, and battles that affected us deeply. It's been tough and a little bit scary and we basically just squeezed our lemons and made lemonade. The lemonade we made really didn't taste all that great either because we were anxious and nervous for what the future might hold for us. But that was the "right" thing to do, wasn't it? In other words, we just dealt with it the best we could. We put on our happy faces everyday and faced the world. Well, maybe not everyday because I know I was cranky more than my fair share of times! It was just really tough to handle sometimes. However, today I got a very wonderful phone call from a very wonderful person. God is good and our battles have been won! Yay! When I look back, I realize that 8 months is not a very long time to fight a battle, however, during those 8 months it felt like an eternity. Now that we are out of the crossfires, I feel such a sense of relief and joy and thankfulness. I look back and hope I didn't waste too many days worrying because it all turned out better than I expected! I hope that you can just try to remember that everyone is fighting battles, constantly. The battles never end, they just change and become different battles. Our last battle has been won and now we will await the next battle. Be nicer than necessary to everyone because you never know what might be going on with anyone at any given time. Be patient with people, forgive them, accept them, help them, and never make assumptions until you have walked a mile in their shoes. Give your worries and fears to God. That's just my 2 cents, go out and tackle the day!

Trunk-or-Treat!

After the singing performance at Tanner's preschool, the church put on a trunk-or-treat for the kids! We got on costumes and enjoyed the food and the kids went trunk-or-treating which is trick or treating out of the backs of peoples cars! It was so fun! The cars were all decorated with Halloween decorations too! Very festive and fun! This was Tanner's first year of really getting into trick-or-treating too! He had a blast and was so much fun to watch! Carter loved it too, although he didn't really grasp the idea of getting candy in his little pumpkin bucket, he made sure he had the bucket in hand at all times! This was great practice for the real deal next Saturday!Carter the little dragon

Minnie Mouse Makayla, Lisa, and Mickey Mouse Chelsea

Mommy, Carter the little dragon, Tanner the big dragon, and Daddy

Makayla, Chelsea, and Tanner ready to go trick-or-treating!

Makayla, Chelsea, Tanner, and Carter. Carter was ready to get the party started!

Trying to get the kids together for a picture! It is always worth the effort it takes!

Tanner the Big Dragon!

Friendship Preschool Singing!

Tanner's preschool had their first performance of the year at church today. The kids sang 3 songs and it was wonderful! They had a great time and sang very loud! It was so much fun to see!

Carter was very excited to hear Tanner sing! He is a total ham bone these days!

Carter and Tanner

Tanner and Mommy

All the kids up singing!

I am trying to get a picture of Tanner but he was behind everyone! You can kind of see him behind and to the left of the little girl in the pink shirt!

Here is a little sample of the singing!

Pumpkin Carving Party!

The Wright's had their annual Pumpkin Carving Party Saturday night. It was a blast! Alicia served up a fantastic baked potato bar for dinner, the kids played, and the parents carved pumpkins!

This is our pumpkin all carved and lit!

All the kids and Brett! Brett was standing in for Carter and also any other children who are not born yet!

Brett and Carter!

Tyler and Ashley AKA Thing 1 and Thing 2

Carter checking out the pumpkins!

Our Pumpkin! We are not exactly artists!

Tanner, The Cat in the Hat, digging out Pumpkin seeds!

Carving away!

Chad and Alicia

Makayla and Lisa

Corey, Adrienne, and Tyler

Ashley, Lisa, Alicia, Holly, and Adrienne

The Pumpkin Patch!

Tanner and Inara on the trampoline!

Tanner!

Tanner and Makayla enjoying some mummy dogs!

Carter the Monkey and Tanner the Cat in the Hat. We went with a Dr. Seuss themed attire for Saturday evening!

Mr. Monkey and Cat in the Hat!

Sir Cat in the Hat!

Carter the Monkey

The monkey has his banana and is on the move!

Festive Fall Recipe!

Apple But­ter in a Crock Pot

I love my crock pot! It makes the most delicious food and is so easy and so much a part of the fall and winter seasons! Tyler loves Apple Butter but the problem with this is, he only seems to love Apple Butter from Trader Joe's. I don't have easy access to Trader Joe's anymore, and I have yet to find any in the stores around here that he likes or says taste even a little bit close to TJ's! Trader Joes makes the only Apple Butter he likes. I am about to change all that! I will make him Apple Butter that will knock his socks off and hopefully push Trader Joe's apple Butter to the side! I have my work cut out for me, hopefully he will enjoy this homemade Apple Butter recipe!

12 Apples cored, peeled, & diced
2/3 cup of Apple Cider Vine­gar
1 1/2 Tea­spoons of Cin­na­mon
1/2 Tea­spoon of All Spice
1/2 Tea­spoon of Nut­meg
1/2 Tea­spoon of Ground Cloves
1/2 Tea­spoon Pure Vanilla
Pinch of Salt
Up to 3 Cups of Sugar. You can determine just how much you want to add by deciding how sweet you want it.
Cook on low in crock­put for 8–10 hours with lid on
Cook for 5–6 hours with­out lid on (keep on low) Then jar!
You’ll know the Apple But­ter is done because when you pick it up on a spoon it will stay nice & mounded.

Preschool Field Trip to Linder Farms

Tanner's preschool class went to Linder Farms yesterday. It was so much fun to see all the kids outside of class! They are hilarious! All the mommies went too and we had a blast! We started the day off with a hay bail ride that was pulled by a tractor. We went around the farm and got to see it all. After that, the kids ran through a little hay bail maze. Then, they went out into the field and picked out their pumpkins. After the pumpkins were all picked and the kids were all accounted for, we went over to see the little ponies and learn about the life cycle of a pumpkin. It was time for a little snack after that and we were done!

Here are all the kids with Mrs. Dockweiler.......let's see from left to right I am pretty sure we have Mia, Tyler, Aubrey, JT, Halle, Tanner, Kalie, Mrs. Dockweiler, Chelsea, Makayla, and Inara. Needless to say, Mrs. Dockweiler has her hands full!
Chelsea, Makayla, Tanner, and Inara waiting to get on the hay ride! No that's not the camera angle, Tanner really is that tall. It's crazy! He turned 3 in July and is almost to tall for his size 4 clothes!

Tanner and Mommy at Linder Farms. I had to grab him for a picture because he was running all around! The excitement was just oozing out of him! Dirt, tractors, animals, pumpkins.....what more could you want?!

Tanner and Inara in the hay bail maze! They ran through twice!

Carter got to participate a little bit too! He was on the hunt for his pumpkin!

A few pumpkins! I love to green ones!

Carter picking out his pumpkin!

Carter, Tanner, and Chelsea looking at the ponies!

Tanner, Inara, and Halle during their little prayer they sing before snack time! It's cute, it has hand motions and everything!

Tanner with a big green pumpkin!

We wrapped up the day by going to McDonald's with Lisa, Chelsea and Makayala and Adrienne and Inara for some yummy fun food!

Picking Potato's

Our Potato's straight from the field!

I had heard that on the corner of Franklin and Ten Mile there was a big potato field that had been recently harvested and people were going there and collecting all the "irregular potato's" that didn't make it. So, we drove out there to check it out and sure enough, people were picking potato's! There was a sign that said No Trespassing but I figured it was worth the risk! The experience for the boys would be a fun one, plus it's always nice to know where our food comes from before we buy it at the store!

Carter collecting potato's!

Tanner and one of his potato's!

Walking around collecting potato's1

Carter on a serious potato mission.

He was bound and determined to get just as many as Tanner!

Tanner took off to fill his bag full of potato's!