Freedom Fest '09

The local park had its annual celebration called Freedom Fest. As usual, everyone in town is welcome to come and there is plenty to do. There is free food, a live band and plenty for the kids to play on and see. They always have a good time and this year was no different.

Owen had fun on the space jump obstacle course.

While Elizabeth simply enjoyed the food!

They even had pony rides.

And, for the not so faint of heart, rides in an actual hot air balloon, of which Owen was a huge fan!

Everyone had a good time. They even agreed to the obligatory picture at the end of the night.

Renaissance Halloween Festival

The kids went to the Halloween festival at The Renaissance which is the local outside mall. It really was great there. It had a lot for the kids to see and do including a live band, tattoo artists,

and Clowns that make balloon animals.

Elizabeth was having a good time. She was the cutest peacock there.

Plus, trick or treating at the stores was good practice for the kids for the night to come.

The Pumpkin Patch

Halloween is quickly approaching so the family loaded up and went to the pumpkin patch at the Mississippi Agricultural Museum to let the kids pick out their pumpkins.  They gave treats and water to the kids, had hay rides around their authentic old town area.  Later, they let the kids off to see the animals in their barn.  But, the biggest fun was when they ended up at the pumpkin patch to pick their very own pumpkin.

Owen was very efficient in finding which pumpkin he wanted.  He made his decision pretty quickly.

Elizabeth, on the other hand, quickly found a bag of treats that someone had set on the ground.

However, once we got her mind refocused on picking a pumpkin, she really put her mind to it.  She looked at each one, sat on each one, poked and prodded each one until she finally came up with the one she liked the most.

With pumpkins in hand we head home to get ready for Halloween.  Smile kids.

MS State Fair '09

It's that time of year again. The MS State fair comes to Jackson and the crowds gather to enjoy fatty fried fair food, rides, people watching and carnies. Okay, maybe not the carnies. We had actually been once this year but our camera didn't work and in the effort of taking it out of its secure location in our stroller to try to get batteries to work and putting it back in, it was lost so we had to replace it and go to the fair again. Although, the second time around was a lot less rushed and a lot more fun for everyone.

We started by riding a few rides that Owen wanted to go on. He loved every ride there and showed no fear. He started with the Dragon roller coaster.

Elizabeth was taken on a few rides like the Carousel, which she enjoyed.

Plus, she and Owen played carnival games. Here's Owen showing off their winnings.

Although, Owen's favorite toy was a $5.00 toy trumpet that was the loudest thing ever. Owen played that trumpet non stop throughout the rest of our fair visit. He gladly would show it off in pictures too!

Finally, it was late and time to start heading home. But, not until Owen rode one last ride, the giant slide.

First Football Game

Go...State........Go State!

We're breaking Owen and Elizabeth into the exciting world of college football and more importantly, Mississippi State University football. We've been able to get them to watch bits of a couple of games on TV but this weekend we've finally gotten them to their first live game.

We met up with our friends Jennifer and Michael and their little girl, Ava. We tailgated for awhile, enjoying good food, better company and showing Owen and Elizabeth the sights, smells and sounds of the campus before game time.

Finally, it was time for kickoff. Owen and Elizabeth sat through a full half of the game which, for it being their first game, was great. After that, we decided to make our way back home while we listened to the disappointing game on the radio.

Georgia Tech 42 MS State 31
...
There's always next year.

Trip: The Beach

Our family finally made it back to the beach. It was the four of us along with Papa and MawMaw. We spent plenty of time at the beach reading, relaxing, and eating good food. The kids definitely had a good time. Owen was a huge fan of the ocean, spending most of his time there.

Elizabeth didn't spend quite as much time in the water. She was happy playing in the sand.

Plus, anytime we weren't on the beach we were in the pool.

At night, we would go sample the food around town. One restaurant was located on the waterfront so people could see the fishermen cleaning the fish as they took them off of the boat. Owen had Papa watching the fish in the water for awhile.

Here are two cuties smiling as we wait for our food.

Finally, our last meal on the beach.

Backyard Summer Fun

Who knew our tiny backyard could offer this much entertainment?!?!  Back before it started to rain on us like it does in Seattle, the kids were enjoying our backyard.  They had their own water park.

They had their own race car track.

Plus, no backyard would be complete without a slide and a swing.

I almost forgot their sidewalk art gallery.