The Curley Combo

If you need a reminder of last year's pumpkin carvin' event, you can refresh your memory by clicking here!

And you couldn't forget the aftermath of the after-party with Andy the ragdoll cat... but in case you missed it completely you can click here to read about it!

'

Let's begin with how much can change in one year! Last year... This year!

Ella was born less than 3 weeks before Leah - So energetic and adorable... and so many teeth!

Ok, now let's back up... Last weekend my Saturday morning started out by getting into last of the deeply frozen venison Kevin killed for me last winter...

So that I could make a giant burger....

To take to the pumpkin carvin' contest/party/out-of-control-event-where-people-will-now-do-any-shameless-thing-to-win-a-prize!

Our entry this year... The Curley Combo...

Although I felt the large scale of our burger was impressive, we were "out whataburger-ed" by the TWO burgers on their very own grill!

Some other entries...

This one was so cute.... but, of course became somewhat "pornographied" by the end of the night. (That version will not be pictured on this blog... ) Super Cute!

Brandon still working hard on the Jones family entry...

There it is completed on the left...

Michael Jackson...

The food, entertainment and prizes never disappoint!

Should have brought some mittens, but socks that look like shoes will do.

Remember how I mentioned "people will do any shameless thing"... well this was the grand prize winner! And I applaud him. It was cold! And he GOT IN A PUMPKIN... naked! Kevin, of course, didn't think this entry was grand prize worthy because "all he did was get in a pumpkin!" And to that I say "All you did last year was put some candy that looked like poop underneath a pumpkin and you won!" So let the naked pumpkin pants man have his glory too! That's funny stuff. I love that he's wearing shoes and a hat!

Dolly Pumpkin

Huh? What's going on here?

Kevin! Quit eating the candy deer corn!

Thanks Matt and Sarah for a great party! We had such a wonderful time! And we can't wait to meet baby Mo when he or she arrives in January! :)

Another Autumn Arboretum Auting

Ready for another day at the arboretum!

Twice in one week is a lot, but this girl LOVES it!

It was coooooold!

We went with some friends so they could get pumpkin pics too... and so we could get MORE MORE MORE pumpkin pics! And although I don't have the mad skills my sister has (or the fancy camera) we got a few (hundred) more good photos. (FYI - Mama Jen and Wyatt - 8 weeks; Mama Lisa and Blakely - 2 weeks; Mama Sheaffer and Carter - 13 months; Me and Leah - 8.5 months)

No... no fancy camera tricks here. This is my dear friend Lisa and baby Blakely a mere TWO WEEKs after Blakely's birth. If I remember correctly, I hadn't even come out of my BEDROOM when Leah was 2 weeks old! And when I did... it wasn't pretty. But these girls sure are!

It was the Carter and Leah show, mostly...

Because Blakely and Wyatt are too little to play on the pumpkins with Leah and Carter.

Once again, Leah was happily smiling for the camera during hundreds of pictures all morning long!

Except for this one moment.
"Hands off the shoes buddy!"


No hard feelings!
Good times!

correction

Make that TWO teeth!!

Both of the bottom ones at once!

toothday

• It's how Cindy Brady says Tuesday.
  

• It's how I say Tuesday when I have my bite splint in at night... it relaxes my jaw... and its very attractive.

• It's what Monday was at the Curley house!

Leah got her first tooth! Well... so she has a tiny little razor blade sticking out of her bottom gums. You can barely see it, but you can sure FEEL it! How long will it take to pop all the way out and look like a tooth? Anyone?

Then she started crawling... finally! Tuesday night while I was out to dinner with a friend, Kevin caught in on video! She can already pull herself to her feet and she can climb all over anything... so I was sure she had just decided to skip crawling altogether... but she did it! The best part was that Kevin got to see it first since it was just the two of them at home. He's a bit envious that I get to spend so much fun time with her and experience most of her 'firsts' without him... so I think God was just saving this moment for when they were alone together!

Also, Aunt Leslie did another photo shoot for us... in the arboretum pumpkins of course... what better place for our little pumpkin head?

first... a little lunch please...

Thanks!

Now it's pumpkin time!

That last picture was taken after about 2 hours of picnicking, walking around, being put in a thousand different positions on a million different pumpkins and even changing clothes (which is her least favorite thing to do)! She was loving it! Ok, I know YOU are sick of these already... but my sister took about 400 pictures and I loved ALL of them, so just be thankful I didn't post more!

By the way... why did my little girl get to be such a big girl??

things that make you go eeeew... part 2

when you notice that your bottle of LOW SODIUM v8 doesn't expire until 2011. gross.

Toes in the water

Flo Rida!

So we were finally able to drag Kevin away from work... for a week at the beach! I took so many pictures of so many firsts. As always, this is just a fraction of the pics we took... but still there are so many I decided to make them "small" so it would seem like fewer. :)

What a wonderful week. While it was cold and rainy at home, we enjoyed a week of 85 degree, warm but breezy days with our toes in the water and... well, you know. (The forecast predicted thunderstorms for our entire vacation... but we barely saw a cloud... the weather was heavenly!)

Some of our baggage...
Bout to board with a baby for the first time! Boy were Leah's parents nervous...

She sat with mama the whole time... on a teeny tiny airplane.
Finally at the beach! These are pictures on the back porch of our house for the week! The Curleys LOVE the beach!!

Gotta have a straw hat.

With her Bitty and Pops! The girl was held by someone the entire time! We're working on breaking that bad habit this week!

Peas in a pod... as always...

We saw some amazing sunsets.

But I only saw 1 sunrise... The sun comes up earlier in Florida!
Kevin walked right out into the gigantic waves and caught a bunch of fish. This time he caught 2 at once. They are Crevalle Jacks. :)

Leah watching her daddy...

Is there anything better than playing with your blocks by the ocean?

Shades...

Look at that happy little beach bum!

What a pair...

Getting in some last-minute-Pops-time.

We don't even call her Leah much anymore. Its Nosey Rosy!

Why is he so excited?

Cause we're finally home after a stressful airplane trip? No.

Because we had such a great vacation? No.

Because he loves getting on elevators? NO!

Its because he's holding the "loaner" carseat that the airline gave us after they lost ours. He's excited about trying to install it in the airport parking lot with no instructions. He loves a challenge!

Turns out it was pretty easy and he did a great job.

Nosey Rosy wore herself out last week. She needs a vacation!