A Princess and a Sucker!

Jeff was outside mowing around 6:30 p.m. this evening when I found out that I needed to have a quick meeting with someone at the church. So, I gave the girls their baths and cleaned up the house and had the girls put their toys away. Jeff was able to get in and get his shower and relax for a few minutes before I needed to leave. At 7:45 p.m., I was ready to head out the door. I kissed the girls goodnight. All Jeff had to do was brush their teeth (which I had even already laid them out and put the toothpaste on them) and give the girls their bedtime Bible lesson. Now, I always brag about how helpful Jeff is. He always helps me out with the girls, so him completing these tasks tonight was nothing new or earth shattering. I just know that he was looking forward to relaxing and so that's why I made sure everything was in place before I left . . . you know . . . to make the bedtime process go more quickly and smoothly for him.

I left the church right at 9:00 p.m. On the drive home, I thought about how I would be going home to the girls sleeping peacefully in their beds. I was looking forward to sitting down with Jeff, snuggling, and catching up on the day. I entered the kitchen through the garage, and I heard nothing but peace and quiet. Now, I LOVE my girls and I LOVE the sounds of my girls, but at 9:00 p.m. as stay-at-home mommy, I was ready to be done for the day. I walked through the kitchen and turned the corner to the living room, and what you see in this picture is literally what I ran into . . .

There she was in all of her glory! Elaina inside the princess castle tent that her Auntie Leah picked out for her! She was laughing and giggling and was so excited that her Daddy got this out for her tonight. Elaina woke up this morning and her allergies were really bothering her. She has had a terrible runny nose and head congestion all day. Apparently, as Jeff was putting her to bed she said, "Daddy, I don't feel good." Jeff replied, "I'm sorry, honey." Elaina said, "It's okay, Daddy, it's my fault." Jeff explained to her that it wasn't her fault that she didn't feel well, but she kept saying, "No, Daddy, it's my fault. It'll be alright, Daddy." She then proceeded to tell him that it would make her feel better if she could get out her tent and sleeping bag. So, there you have it. Whaalaa! Princess castle tent and sleeping bag up in a jiffy!

SUCKER!

Beautiful Evenings

We have been enjoying the beautiful evenings outside. Although I'm looking forward to the typical fall weather with the cool breezes and foliage, we can't help but be thankful for the time we're able to spend outside together as a family in the evenings! Here are some pictures of just one of our evening outside this week.

Our silly girl!

Elaina proudly riding her tricycle.

Emily wanted to play Peek-A-Boo with Mommy in and out of the front door.

" You can't get me, Mommy!"

"Peek-A-Boo!"

Elaina's tricycle ride ended in an accident! "My leg all better now, Mommy. It alright."

Happy Anniversary, MawMaw and PawPaw!

Jeff's parents celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary this past Monday. This past weekend, the family all got together to spend the day. We met for lunch and then went back to Steve and Betsy's to play games, catch up, and make homemade ice cream. Congratulations, Steve and Betsy's on your anniversary! Thanks for everything you do for us!


It was also announced on Saturday that Jeff's brother, Todd, and his wife, Angel, are expecting a baby! We are SO excited! This will be our first niece or nephew on the McCrary side. Angel is doing well, and the baby is due at the end of April! Todd and Angel will be wonderful parents, and we are so thankful for them and excited with how God is blessing their life together.

Elaina helping MawMaw make homemade ice cream.

Emily wanted to help, too!

Elaina sitting on the ice cream tank while PawPaw cranks.

Emily's turn.

Elaina wanted to crank the ice cream.

YUMMY!

Elaina sharing homemade ice cream with Emily.

Sweet Sisters

MawMaw teaching Emily the "wheelbarrow."

Aunt Amber teaching Elaina the "wheelbarrow."

Elaina proudly displaying her tightrope skills.

A Visit From the Knight Family!

We were so blessed to have some friends visit us this past weekend. My dear friend from college, Jessalyn, and her husband and daughter, Chris and Addie Ruth, were our guests Friday evening. Jessalyn and I had a lot of classes together at Franklin College, and we became very close, especially during our senior year. We lived across the hall from each other our last year and enjoyed Phase 10 in the hallway on many nights, and enjoyed counting on each other to head over to the cafeteria to eat. She was a bridesmaid in our wedding, and even helped me pack for our honeymoon. Although we don't get to see each other often, it never seems like we missed a beat! I'm so thankful for Jessalyn and so glad to see how God has been blessing her life with Chris, Addie, her business and now Knight Baby #2! On Friday we enjoyed dinner and watching our girls play. It had been one year since the last time we saw them, so it was great to see them again! Jessalyn, Chris and Addie are expecting a new family member due to arrive Nov. 2nd. They were making one last trip to Indianapolis to visit friends before they were homebound in Evansville again for a while. We are so thankful that they took time out of their busy weekend schedule to see us. We're looking so forward to getting to meet another Knight baby soon!

If you ever want to purchase some adorable boutique kid clothing, visit Jessalyn's website at http://www.junebug-creations.com/

Jessalyn, Addie, Elaina, Stephanie, Emily

Emily

It was so hard to get the three girls to sit still and happy enough for a picture. This is the best we could do! Elaina insisted on wearing her gymnastics outfit!

Elaina wanted to brush Chris' "hair."

Fun with MeMe and Poppy

My Mom and Dad were down to visit us last week. Mom brought her carpet cleaner, and so now my carpets are nice and clean for the fall! I was also able to get some other projects around the house done while they were here for about a day and a half. The girls loved seeing their MeMe and Poppy! We had a wonderful time. Elaina is totally into puzzles right now, so she was very proud to show her Poppy her puzzle solving skills. Poppy has always loved puzzles, too. We love having my parents visit. We wish they lived closer so that we could see them more often!

Emily and MeMe working on a puzzle.

Poppy and Elaina - So Proud!

Happy Anniversary, "MeMaw Terry" and Terry!

Our wonderful friends, Terry and Terry Bright, just recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. They have such a Godly example of marriage, and such a beautiful family. It is very obvious in watching this family that they are a family that has such great faith and love in God. On Sunday, their four daughters (Jennifer, Jill, Brandi and Bethany) surprised them with a surprise party. Over the last seven years, Terry and Terry have become very dear friends to us. They have welcomed our family into theirs on many occasions, and are so very generous and loving to us. Terry and Terry are Jill's parents, which of course makes them Benjamin, Luke, and Hannah's grandparents. Since we have spent a lot of time with them and she's Hannah's grandma, Elaina has called Terry, "MeMaw Terry" for quite a while now. We had a really nice time celebrating with them. Congratulations, Terry and Terry!

SingStar Superstars!

On Saturday evening, we got together with friends to act like goons and play SingStar! We were so excited, and it was so much fun! Danny and Hilary invited us and the Ruddle family over. The kids played, and the adults had a blast singing! It was hysterical! Of course, Jeff's first pick was "Ice, Ice, Baby!" It was great! Jill did an AWESOME job and is now the reigning SingStar Champion! She and Scott also snatched up the SingStar Couples Champion award as well. The girls played great and enjoyed the time that they got to spend with their friends, but they also enjoyed the entertainment that was being provided by the adults. We're looking forward to another round of SingStar soon!

Danny pretends he's not all about this SingStar business, but we could tell that it's his secret past time!

Hilary - Cool Cat!

Brooke, Hannah, and Elaina - SO CUTE!

Emily danced around all night!

Elaina enjoyed singing with us.

Daddy and Elaina pullin' out all the stops on "Ice, Ice, Baby!"

Jill and Scott - SingStar Champions!

Edinburgh Fall Festival

On Saturday morning, we headed down to Edinburgh for the Fall Festival. There weren't nearly as many craft vendors as there were last year, so we were disappointed with that. The girls had a great time at the parade. Elaina loves parades as long as she can sit in someone's lap or on a chair by herself. She doesn't like to get too close to the road. Eventually, she did make her way down to sit on the curb with Emily. Emily was having candy thrown at her left and right . . . she didn't know what to do with it all! Elaina especially liked her candy bracelet that she got during the parade. The morning wore them out. They fell asleep on the way home and took nice long naps for us. It was a good thing, too, because we had a fun night ahead of us.

Elaina enjoying her candy bracelet.

Punkin

Emily didn't know what to do with herself!

Oh, boy!

What a Saturday!

Mommy came home from her slumber party right after breakfast so that we could get a start on our fun filled Saturday. Jeff already had fed the girls their breakfast and was getting ready for the day. He did a great job holding down the fort and keeping the troops in line while I was gone for the night.

We started off our day at the Heartnut Heritage Festival at Camp Atterbury. Jeff's parents met us there. We went last year and really enjoyed it, so we thought we would go again. There are a lot of Native American exhibits. There are also vendors, a few rides, animals, a train and other fun things to do. This year's festival didn't seem to be as participated in as last year, but we still had a great time. PawPaw had each of the girls get a pony ride, and they also took a train ride, too. It was a great morning before we headed back home for naps.

After the girls took their naps, we headed out to go to The Apple Works. The Apple Works is an apple orchard. The property is beautiful, and there are many fun things for the kids to do there.
The best part, of course, are the fresh apples! Our refrigerator is now stocked with delicious Honeycrisp apples! YUM!

Emily wasn't too sure at first if she was going to enjoy her pony ride.

By the time she made her third lap on the pony, she was a pro!

Emily waving to her sister while her sister takes her pony ride.

MawMaw helped Elaina with her pony ride.

The train at the Heartnut Heritage Festival

Elaina admiring her ring made out of a nail that she got at the Heartnut Heritage Festival.

They made it to the top of the hay bale stack at The Apple Works!

The slide at The Apple Works

Emily LOVES animals. She gets real close to them, but then when they start to notice her and move towards her, she gets in this stance. This is her, "Don't you dare touch me!" stance.

Elaina LOVES animals as well, but does not like to get close to them at all. In this picture, she is being a brave big sister for Emily by petting the goat so that Emily isn't scared of it. It was really sweet.

On The Apple Works tractor

Emily and Daddy enjoying a homemade apple dumpling.

Elaina enjoying her delicious Honeycrisp apple!