Pumpkin-tastic!

Happy Halloween from the Ringer Fam!! To prep for the holiday today, we've been doing lots of fun pumpkin-esque activities that I wanted to share with you :)

We carved a pumpkin together and enjoyed munching on the roasted seeds that hubby prepped and baked for us. 

Madeline really had fun exploring the goop and slimy seeds that came out of the pumpkin...so fun!

We did a fun counting activity with a pumpkin sheet I made.

Madeline got to color each pumpkin, then together we placed candy corn pieces on each pumpkin, counting as we went. We've been singing "5 Little Pumpkins" around the clock, so she really liked this one.

However, to be honest....I think she liked sampling the counters more than anything else, haha!

We also visited a pumpkin patch as a fam to get some cute fall pictures. However, this was about as cooperative as it got that day. Madeline certainly has a mind and will of her own, and the pictures make me laugh now (not so much while we were there).  But we DID have a great time picking out pumpkins to take home, and Madeline got to pick a small one of her own to paint however she wanted.

We're excited to enjoy the evening together in our neighborhood tonight, hopefully ending it in a major sugar coma and falling asleep exhausted and happy :)

Happy Halloween everyone! Enjoy your time with your family!

A Pumpkin Present

So, some of this blog I wanted to be about life, family, the goings on. But I also wanted to use it to share ideas that I've either come up with or found that have been fun for us. 
While I'm not super proficient at any of these, I LOVE crafting, baking (and really cooking of any kind), teaching, creativity and gifting. So I'd like to be able to share our adventures and endeavors into these. Some will without a doubt be blunders, but I still intend to share those too :) Who doesn't love a good laugh???
Here's something Madeline and I had fun with recently. Since Halloween is coming up we have been talking about, singing, playing with, eating EVERYTHING PUMPKIN....or as Madeline says "pumpkees".
We LOVE pumpkin season and all that it entails, and I'm so happy to report that little one is following in my pumpkin/fall loving footsteps. 
We decided that we'd like to make a gift for the g-parents incorporating our pumpkin theme.  Madeline painted some paper plates orange to look like pumpkins. They were the easiest and quickest circles we had :)

We did several for some of our favorite people!

After cutting out each inner circle "pumpkin" we added a green handprint for the leaf, a pumpkin patch photo, and some magnets on the back so g-parents can hang them on their fridge.

The finished product!!!

We also whipped up these super easy treats to hand out with the sweet pumpkins. You just melt a rolo on top of a pretzel, then add a candy corn on top. Voila! So yummy and I don't think it can get more simple!

The gifts were a huge hit (and how couldn't they be with that cutie on each one???). We had so much fun making them, and are already looking forward to our next crafty gift!

Zoo Boo

So, we spent this weekend doing fun, fallish type things, and one of them was attending our city's annual "Zoo Boo".  The zoo was filled with cute fall/Halloween stations where kids can come to try some fun experiments, get stickers, candy, tattoos and more. They also had a sweet little pumpkin patch where the kiddos can choose a pumpkin to take home. 

Madeline was super proud of the "pun-key" she chose.
I just love to see the way she treasures even the small things...like a cute pumpkin. Her face lights up with excitement as she recognizes pumpkins and feels so thankful that she can keep one all for herself.  The zoo is one of hubby and I's favorite places to take Madeline because it never seems to disappoint. She sees something new and exciting each and every time we go, and she ADORES animals :) Here are a few treasures from our experience this time...

 Playing the drums in "Africa"...girl knows how to jam.

 Checking out the petting zoo goats with sweet Daddy.

She wasn't diggin' the photo ops with mom, but we tried to snap a few anyways...haha.
The next time we go to the zoo this year will be for Zoo Lights I bet....can't wait to share with you about all the fun then! :)
Gratefully Yours, Katie

It's a......

GIRL! We are so excited to announce that baby number 2, coming our way sometime in February, is going to be another girl! We repeated the tradition of having the ultrasound technician write down the baby's gender for us, went to a local cupcakery (is that even a word?? Probably not...) and had them box up either a pink or blue goodie. However, this time we were able to share the experience with the big sis to be. 

To be honest, I think she was more excited about the cupcake than anything else. Can I blame her?? We found out together, the three of us, which was really special, and then planned a dinner party for our family to get together and find out as well.  Here are a few of my fav shots from the party... :)

While we know that Madeline really had very little idea of what the fuss was all about, it was so much fun to include her in the big reveal. And, we know, that someday she will be so thankful for the sweet relationship of a sister. 

Of course, we had no preference as to whether we wanted a boy a girl, just a happy healthy baby. BUT, now that we know, I've been thinking of all the things I LOVE about having girls. Here are some of my top.

1. Everything pink and sparkly

2. Dance parties to our fav songs

3. Painted toes

4. Shared secrets (while this is not something I get to experience yet...I look forward to it someday)

5. Learning to be a tough girl but still being cute

There are so many others....and I feel challenged to keep thinking about what I'm truly thankful for about being a woman and having girls. I will keep you posted with what I come up with as I continue to ponder. 

But for now, bring on the pink glitter...time to start prepping for another Ringer girl!

The Fullest

It's been a looong time since I've updated....and we've had quite a few new developments to the fam over the last few months. 
We have moved to a new home, and we are finally starting to feel settled and at home here. Don't get me wrong....there's still plenty to do around here (does it ever end????), but we're in a comfortable place.
We have traveled for some fun vacays...Flordia beach, Disney World, and a small trip to Port Aransas. The little miss had a blast everywhere, and I will be updating and posting pics from these experiences periodically. 

Here's a little preview of some cute photos :)
And probably our biggest news.....bum ba dum......We are expecting a new baby coming in February. We are so so excited for our family to be expanding, and we hope Madeline will feel the same, haha. We do know the gender but will be revealing it later this week so it's under wraps for now.
Through all of these amazing new developments with us Ringers, I have to admit, I've had some emotional ups and downs. I know, I know, I've got hormones running around like banshees wreaking havoc on me, but still....
Although feeling like a crazy person isn't exactly what you want, it has given me pause to ponder and contemplate things. What am I looking for? What brings be joy? What does the Lord want me to do with my life? What pleases Him? How can I serve my family well? How can I serve others well? How can I do this and remain sane? HOW CAN I LIFE MY LIFE TO THE FULLEST?
Isn't that a question that we all want answered? What is the best way for me to life a full life that brings joy to myself, my family and others, and serves the Almighty God? I surely don't have the answer to that, but I'm working on it. So far, what I DO know is that it seems to be in the little things. The small sacrifices made to help someone else, the quick memories made when we play outside with Madeline rather than turning on the TV or cleaning one more room that will inevitably get messy again. 
I want to really take advantage of the time given to me. I want to use it to bless my family, friends and neighbors. I wanted to use this blog to chronicle my experiences, big and small, that brought about joy of some kind (or taught us what not to do next time). But, I admit, I've done a pretty poor job of keeping up. Here's my re-commitment to continue to share with you the beauty surrounding life...whether it be in small daily moments or whether it be in a big vacation or brand new baby coming! My goal is that one day my children will be able to look back and see how real and blessed our lives were. 
Throughout this journey, I would also like to commit to becoming more thankful. Thankful for the small things, thankful for the big things, thankful for the tough lessons. And don't thankfulness and joy coincide?? Can you truly have one without the other? I don't think so. So here's to an adventure into exploring what makes me feel thankful, and my prayer is that anyone who reads it will be able to find things to be thankful for as well!
Katie