Happy Halloween!!

(Click the picture to enlarge)
Here are a few pics from Halloween night! Mary Patton was an adorable bunny, but she was NOT happy about it! We managed to get a couple of small grins out of her - but that pouty little face was cute too! As soon as we took those ears off her head, she was all smiles again. Hobie went as a "water dog" this year, and sported his yellow life jacket around all night. We walked up the street to see all the kids in their costumes, made a BIG pot of Mike's yummy chili, then we spent the rest of the night hanging out with Hal and Cha, and our neighbors Amy and Dan. Nothing like a cool night and a fire pit to lure the trick-or-treaters! As usual, there were too many pics to post, so I posted the link to Kodak Gallery for ALL the pics from Halloween and the last couple of weeks. All 152 pictures! I wanted to rotate all of them so it would be easier to view, but Kodak Gallery's website was sooooo......slooooooow.... Sorry about that!
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=170786778703%3A420971396


This week we are looking forward to absolutely PERFECT weather, and a visit from my sweet friend Kristen and at least one of the three kiddos from her "pak." She has THE most adorable blog at http://thehudmanpak.shutterfly.com/ Her family is so precious!


More pictures in the days ahead! Have a great week!

Love from us,

Laura

She's a whole HALF!

Mary Patton is already 6 months old!!

The last 6 months have gone by faster than any 6 months I can ever remember. We already find ourselves wishing we could freeze little moments. Our last trip to Alabama was incredible. We celebrated Mike's 40th birthday with a surprise birthday party at Dad and Joan's house (thank you guys SO much and thank you Mom for all you did to make the party so special!!!) Mike was totally surprised and so happy to ring in the next 40 years with family and friends. If you all only knew how much we miss you every day!

One of the highlights of our trip was MP's first photo shoot! Ashley Laird (a FABULOUS photographer, and thankfully, my family member!) came out and took some priceless shots of our little doll. Here's a link with a sample of all the photos - there are a lot so be prepared!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=329771948703%3A1810067879

Mary Patton was baptized on October 4th. Again, friends and family packed the church and we all celebrated afterwards at the home of the BEST Godparents a little baby could ask for!! Lara and Jason were gracious hosts to the whole crowd (you guys rock - thank you!) and we had so much fun relaxing and eating...and eating...

Then it was off to the beach for the rest of the fabulous week! Thanks to our ultra-cool sista-in-law, we stayed in the Hinkebein's new pad at Seacrest Beach. What a palace! If any of you are ever looking to rent the greatest most beautiful condo with a wicked-awesome pool and INCREDIBLE balcony, we have the place for you! We introduced MP to the beach, and of course took a picture of her first dip in the Gulf. ...Okay, it was just her toes...she has a nervous momma. :)

After getting back to Texas, we unpacked, did LOTS of laundry, and then had the pleasure of hosting Mike and Peggy for the weekend! Having them here with us was so much fun - we literally watched 12 hours of college football on Saturday. That's my kinda Saturday!

Now we are gearing up for Halloween and enjoying this cool Fall weather - finally! More to come in the days ahead. For now, I've uploaded a kagillion pictures to KodakGallery from the trip to Alabama and the beach - here is the link for those who have time! Enjoy!

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=929771948703%3A2120651064

Love to all!

Laura

Sweet Potatoes are GOOD!

Mary Patton had her first taste of veggies tonight with a healthy dose of some sweet potatoes! She LOVED it! Ate half the container! We have been enjoying Mike and Peggy being here with us since Friday night. We cooked pizza's on the Egg tonight, and plan to take them down to Kirby Lane in the morning for one of the best brunches in Austin! Having family here is the greatest - come one, come all to see us!! :)

Gimme that SPOON!

We gave MP her first taste of some real food (tastes like cardboard), with instant cereal last night. We got the whole event on the video camera, but here's a small sample of the fun. The hardest part was getting her to let go of the spoon! I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship...MP and food. :)