Shriners Circus

I can remember going to the Shriners Circus when I was a little girl. My eyes lighting up at all of the circus acts, acrobats, and clowns. Althought the Shriners Circus doesn't seem nearly as big to me these days, I am still amazed at the talents of the animals. The hours they must put into training and praticing, and the bravery of the people working with these animals is something to respect for sure. 

Harmony had a wonderful time, and her favorite was the two men running in the human sized hamster cages. I can hardly stand to watch when they move to the outside of it. CrAzY! I have always loved the little dog dressed up as a stufffed elephant. So cute! Harmony got to see Yo-Yo the Clown again. Harmony and my niece Brianna had their picture made with him a couple of years ago, and he is really funny! Although in this day and age there is more time put into the marketing of merchandise than the actual show, it is still a fun time for the family!

Love, MeL 

Love these little cars!!!

Meet Yo-Yo the Clown!

Halloween Family Bonfire 2009

Every year for oh, many years now, my brother Donny has hosted a Halloween bonfire for our family. It is always a great time, and leaves memories that will last forever. There is nothing like being surrounded by your family. This is the first time in years that me and all of my siblings were in the same place at the same time. Donny as always did the event up right with lots of help of course. There was yummy food, spooky decorations, games, the best treat bags ever made, and even a haunted hay ride. It was also my nephew Donavon's 10th Birthday....my they grow up fast!

Love, MeL 

She loves this huge Kitty.

My big sister & me.

My niece KK and me.

All of us...Quick take the picture!

Donny,Sonya,Mike,Mitchell,Melody

Boo @ the Zoo 2009

Harmony was so geared up for her annual visit to the zoo for Halloween! We have taken her every year since her second Halloween. This trip made her 6th time going, and she was just as excited this year as in all the years past! Plus, I had my niece and nephew  (Stephanie & Michael) with us this year, whom, Harmony just adores! This made our trip extra special for us.

We love Boo @ the Zoo. Its not too scary for the kids, they get just the right amount of candy, and it is great family time. There is plenty to look at with all the kids walking around in their costumes and the cute decorations. My favorite thing is always looking at the pumpkins decorated by local schools! Harmony's favorite thing at Boo this year was the Haunted Carousel. It plays spooky music and moves backwards instead of forward. SO MUCH FUN!

The one downfall this year; it was in the 40 degree range for outdoor temperatures. We had us a nice hot cup of cocoa to try and warm us up, but that only did the trick for about 5 minutes. Despite the cold weather the kids still had a great time.Stephanie and Michael loved it, which, we really wanted them to have a good first experience.

Harmony was a Zebra this year, and looked so adorable as always! Stephanie was a female mobster (she looked awesome), and Michael was Darth Vader. What little boy doesn't want to be Darth Vader?

Love, MeL

Harmony the Zebra

Hey she found her twin pumpkin!

Steph & Tony

Now if that isn't creepy...I don't know what is. 

(Check out dudes face!!!)

Steph  & Michael 

Love this one of Steph!!!

A Special Fall Day

It was such a beautiful day today. The weather was perfect. It wasn't too hot, and there was a slight breeze blowing. I love days like these, but today was even better!


I was able to pick up my niece and nephew Stephanie and Michael yesterday, so that we could spend some time with them. We usually get them on school breaks or holidays, but this time our breaks were not at the same time. They are on one of their two weeks of Fall break, but we only get two days this year. We could only keep them for one night, so we did a few extra things to make the most of our time together. 

Yesterday evening we hung out and played video games. Today, we woke up and had a yummy breakfast. We played outside, and also did an arts and crafts project. We made some cute Fall tree finger paintings, and oh what a mess we made on the front porch. We took some cute pictures of the kids. It was so much fun!!!

I wish we were able to keep them more often. They are such wonderful kids. Stephanie reminds me so much of myself at that age, that it is absolutely scary. Michael and Harmony have the same little personalities, so it is fun to watch them interacting together. We all need more days like these. What a special Fall day!

MeL

Finger painting is so much fun!

 

Harmony and Michael hard at work.

 

How adorable are these cousins???

 

Harmony and Micheal's Masterpieces 

(Hand prints for the tree trunks and branches, 

fingerprints for the leaves!)

 

My Masterpiece and Stephanie's Masterpiece

(Check out my Prize Winning Pumpkin ... HaHa)

 

Beautiful Harmony

 

 Handsome Michael

(I Love This Little Guy!)

 

Myself and Stephanie
(I Love This Girl!)

Gymnastics Girl

Harmony is getting so good at gymnastics. She has been taking gymnastics for over a year now. She absolutely loves it. She has a fabulous coach Miss Shanise. She is not only very talented, but a great role model for my daughter. It is amazing to see how far Harmony has come in such a short time. All the the young athletes there are so talented, and work so hard. Harmony will watch other girls doing things that are way beyond her level and say, "I can't wait until I learn how to do that!"

I get so scared sometimes when I see her about to do something new. I just want to close my eyes, and let someone tell me when its over. However, I always look, even if it is through the parted fingers that are stretched over my eyes. She always pulls it off without hesitation, and leaves me speechless. It is amazing what a confidence builder any extra curricular activity can give your child.

MeL 

(This is an older picture,

but my favorite one of her at gymnastics.)

I hope that Harmony always loves gymnastics 

as much she does right now!