Congratulations!

So, as Christmas seems to be sneaking up on me, I seem to have forgotten my blog...again. Anyway, we had a very nice Thanksgiving and spent it with our friends (The Bartels Fam & the Haynes Fam). Ma came to visit the day before, so she was here too. Good times!

On a sad note, my Pappy Giordano passed away on 21 Nov. I flew home on Black Friday, for the viewing and stayed for the funeral on Saturday, then returned to Omaha on Saturday night. I'm so thankful I was able to be there to celebrate his life!

Also, big news is that Brandon pinned on Lt Col! We're so excited for him and so very, very proud. B's mom, my mom, his brother, cousin, & aunt were all here for the ceremony. It was wonderful. This was the first time either one of us had ever seen the other promoted. So after almost 10 years of being together, we FINALLY got to be together for a promotion. :)

Happy Halloween

We had a great Halloween this year...a little chilly, just how we like it! Pierce & Ella went trick-or-treating with Tyler and they really had a good time...runny noses and all! Pierce was a dinosaur, Ella was a fairy, & Tyler was a giraffe.

Trick-or-treat!!

CHEESE!!

Can someone help me with my antenna?

We were able to get a few decent pics AFTER the festivities. (Please note the 2 new bottom teeth!)

We took Pierce & Ella to the local high school for their Fall Festival. Pierce really had a good time, even threw a good 'ole fit...LOVE that!! He just simply did NOT want to leave the bouncy house, but who can blame him, right?

Yep, I had to help him up...not because he couldn't climb, but because it was HUGE & VERY high!! By the time I got out of the silly thing, he was already down the slide and waiting for us...hence, the fit. :)

Walkin' with my favorite dino!

And, one of our last trips to our beloved Vala's Pumpkin Patch. This time, we actually got our pumpkins!

Pierce is trying to "drive"the train in this pic!

Mr. Independent could only sit with the three of us for part of the hay ride. The rest of the time, he sat on the other side of the wagon, by himself.

No, Pierce. It's too big!

This one, Momma? Yes, that's B in the background picking pumpkins for the rest of us...I heart this picture!

Me & my babies...all of 'em!

Fall Is Here!!

So, Pierce got to take on the lanes with his class a couple of weeks ago. He was so excited to go bowling and "roll a ball and knock down the pins". B & I snuck in the back of the bowling alley and took some pics. To say he had a blast, is a complete understatement. He enjoyed the bowling aspect, but he really liked trying out all the chairs (he was supposed to be sitting next to the other kids, but would sneak a cheek on the chairs when the teachers weren't looking) and dancing to the music. It was too funny!! The last pic is of Pierce giving one of his teachers, Ms. Kelly a high 5...I love that pic!!

It's crazy to think that our beautiful little girl is 8 months old already. Where DOES the time go? Here are a few of her 7 & 8 month pics that I took. She's so darn cute!

I decided to let Pierce help with the brownies. They turned out just fine, but if you'll notice, they didn't all quite make it into the bowl.

We had a few visitors from Shreveport a couple weeks ago. We were so excited to have the Theis Fam here and the kids played so well together. B pulled Pierce & Jake in the wagon and they loved it!

Nothin' like a little Yo Gabba Gabba! Neither one of them would take their eyes off the

screen.

No matter how hard I tried, Wes would NOT smile for me...doesn't matter, though, because he's as cute as he wants to be!! BUT, my sweet girl, Ella was all about smilin' for her Momma!

So, most of you know, we spend quite a bit of time at Vala's Pumpkin Patch. We buy a pass and the kids and I go at least once or twice a week. We just LOVE it there! I have no idea how big it is, other than acres & acres. There's so much to do and Pierce & Ella really do enjoy themselves. Pierce was trying to bounce on the "Jump Pillows", but really just liked being bounced by the other kids! B's trying to show him how to pump the water so his duck will float down to the other end...eventually, he got it!

Pierce is helping B roast some marshmallows for the smores! This was Pierce's first smore...he liked it, but was actually ALL about the Halloween Oreos.

There's even a wheel at Vala's!

We love these things!

Nothin' like feeding some goats. Pierce actually has a few feeding techniques in his repertoire....behind the back, hold the food with just 2 fingers, give the whole hand full, etc.

Pierce is checkin' out the pig races. He cheers for them and it is HILARIOUS!
Sweet Ella Grace chillin' at the pumpkin patch...and tryin' out the hay, literally :)

Pierce doing one of his VERY favorite things...riding a pony! Gotta love how he's so good that he can wave at the camera!