Trick or Treat!

Our little witch and skeleton went out trick or treating Saturday night. For the first time, Matt was excited about wearing a costume and put his on at 4:00.

Our first visitors were Jack Branscome and his parents.

Jack was a farmer for his first Halloween.


Farmer Jack just couldn't quite figure out McKenzie the Good Witch. Matt already had that sugar-glazed look on his face and it was only 4:30!


Matt's greeting: "Trick or treat! I need some more candy!"


More begging.


Aunt Marty's house is like Halloween 365 days a year! Not because they're scary.....they always have lots of candy.


The Happy Witch


Matt and Justin


If the hat fits......


Trick or treat at Granny's.


"What is it, Granny?"


The Skeleton had worn himself out by the time we got to the Byrd's.


These are our favorite former neighbors, the Byrd's, and we miss them so much.

After we got home, we had plenty of trick or treaters. McKenzie and Matt LOVED greeting them. We'd hear the doorbell and McKenzie would take off running to pass out candy and Matt would take off running to scare the kids. We all had a great time and can't wait to eat all the candy!

Happy Birthday, Amanda!

We would like to wish Miss Amanda a very happy birthday today!
We hope you have a great day!

Better Late Than Never!

We are settling into our new home more each day and I finally finished decorating it for the fall season. I couldn't stand the thought of not getting my pumpkins out, but I was either too busy or too tired to think about it. Then our water heater busted and that set me back. But here are a few pictures of the outside, coffee table, kitchen and mantle. I am excited about having a mantle to decorate this year. I have always decorated everyone else's for the holidays and wanted my own! I will be back in another week to show pictures of my Thanksgiving decorations. Can't wait to use the new turkey that I bought a while back at Wall's. Hope you enjoy the slide show...

Dancing With The Kids

Mondays are Dance Night at the Cummings house. McKenzie has dance on Monday evenings and after that - Dancing With The Stars. Last night (Monday), I videoed Matt and McKenzie dancing together. We've commented before that we don't know where McKenzie got her dancing ability. She does really well in dance and has gracefulness of movement that isn't found in her parents. Matt, on the other hand, has all the grace and dancing ability of his Daddy. Just watch this and see....

Picture Time!

Friday afternoon our friend, Amanda, helped us with some family pictures. Here are a few pics of Amanda, Jack, and our kids.


Jack loves McKenzie. The only thing is, he gets emotional when he first sees her. Tunes up to cry and everything (as my Mother says).






After this one Matt said, "Stop taking pictures of me!".

After pictures, we went to Winona to eat at Woody's......or Wooooooody's, as Matt calls it.

Here's McKenzie enjoying her chicken taco and Matt attacking his ice cream. Matt was very ready to eat by the time we got there. After ordering, the waitress came by to give us refills of our tea and Matt said, "I want my food now.". He was very polite about it. I guess he thought she was just holding it until he was ready. Then she came back after we were through and Matt said, "I want some 'zert!".

Kirk Fall Fest

Thursday night was the Fall Festival at McKenzie's school. David and I had to work the first shift at the 3rd grade booth. Because of all the rain, we had to have the Fall Fest in the gym instead of on the football field. It worked out fine....just a little loud and crowded! Here are some pictures David took with his phone.

Matt loved the fishing game. They had little motorized swimming fish and the kids caught them with a magnetized fishing pole.


Here's McKenzie with some of her friends.


This is me working at our Spin Art booth.


This inflatable bowling game was next to our booth and Matt played it during our 30 minute shift.


Here's McKenzie bowling.


Matt made it to all the sports related booths. This is the football toss.


Cassie's choir, Encore, sang a few songs and did really well.

FBC Fall Fest

One of the many things I love about fall is all the different activities we get to experience. Our church had its annual fall fest and it was so much fun! Our kids had a blast and me and David did, too. McKenzie invited her friend Leta Anna. Their were hay rides, pony rides, giant slides, games and tons of good food. McKenzie's favorite part was the hay ride (she and Leta Anna went on two) and I believe Matt's favorite activity was eating although he did enjoy the football toss and playing basketball with his cousin Luke. Here are a few pictures of the afternoon.

David and I wanted to go out and see a movie by ourselves later that night, so after calling several people to babysit, no luck. We decided to ask Caleb if he would be interested and he jumped at the chance. The kids were thrilled. Caleb did a great job. David and I had the best time at the movie. Its nice to escape from everything for a couple of hours. We saw Couple's Retreat and it was hilarious. We laughed and laughed. And that was just what we needed.

@#$@#*! Water Heater

Several people have been asking for us to post some more pictures of the house. This isn't that post. This is a post at almost midnight because we are sitting up dealing with the aftermath of our water heater busting. Earlier this evening, Betty was giving Matt a bath and I was sitting in the den. McKenzie came from the kitchen and said, "Daddy, I hear water running.". I jumped up and ran in the kitchen only to be met with water rushing at me from the laundry room. I finally got the water turned off to the water heater and stopped the flow but the damage was done. There was water all in the kitchen and quickly heading to the hardwood floor in the den.

We grabbed all the towels we could and started trying to mop up the water. Betty's father came over quickly and we borrowed a shop-vac from our neighbor across the street and went to work. After Pop got through sucking up all the water he could with the shop-vac, I borrowed a couple of fans from work and set them up to try to dry out the hardwood.



This is behind the refrigerator where a lot of the water gathered and made its way into the den. We'll wait and see what the damage is to the flooring and see if we have to replace anything. I hope not! Happy two week anniversary in the new house!!!

Pumpkin Patch

Saturday we went to Cedar Hill Farm in Hernando to get some pumpkins and see what other fun things they had to do. This first picture is a little cut-out board that Matt never really understood. I'm not sure what he was looking for.

Here's a picture of me looking for something to eat...



They had a live band playing on the porch of this little shack. You could hear the music pretty much all over the farm.


Betty and the kids rode this little "train". Of course, Matt, loved it but it didn't have rails so he didn't go completely crazy.


We took a hay ride down to the pumpkin patch where they also had this pirate ship. I'm not really sure what a pirate ship has to do with a farm, but the kids seemed to like it. "Arrr, y'all!"


The kids running back to the farm after putting our pumpkins in the car.


"Load me up, mister, I've got deliveries to make!"


Matt got to the top of this slide and froze. He wanted to go down but he just couldn't make himself. It had a big bump in the middle that he wasn't sure about. I went over and held his hand down and he did get a little air coming off that bump! He was one and done on the slide and decided to go over to the hay playground.


McKenzie attempted the hay maze. Matt completely missed the point.


I don't think you're supposed to walk on the maze walls.


This is Matt doing his Wolverine jump. Matt was on a couple of bales of hay and wanted me to help him get down. A man offered to help him and Matt said, "NO! You not my daddy!".


King and Queen of the hill.


McKenzie on her pony, Curly.


This is a pond covered with light green pond scum. Matt saw it and said, "Look! A golf course!".


Our posed pumpkin picture.

We had a lot of fun at Cedar Hill Farm. Matt said his favorite part was riding on the tractor, which was actually the hay ride on the trailer which was pulled by a tractor. McKenzie's favorite part was picking out a pumpkin. Betty's favorite part was the hot chocolate. I had fun just following them around snapping pictures.