Halloween 2016

I have a love/hate relationship with Halloween. I LOVE all the candy and the kids dressing up and all the fall festivals and the trick or treating. I don't love (AT ALL) the scary stuff. I used to think I was all tough and stuff and could handle the scary parts of Halloween, but nope. I grew up and realized its just. not. worth. it.

BUT when you have the cutest kids in the world, you have the most fun Halloweens. I usually always let my kids pick what they want to wear (within reason) unless they aren't vocal. ;)

This year Landin has wanted to be a pirate after our Disney Cruise trip. Clara Jane, well, she thought she wanted to be a cowgirl but changed her mind every single event we attended. Typical girl. :)

Clara had a costume parade where she did wear her cowgirl costume, which I think is pretty darn cute.

The Sunday night before Halloween, we went to the Trunk or Treat at Elevation Matthews. Well done, you guys. We had a blast and it was super packed. Landin went as a pirate and Clara went as Ana from Frozen. Goodness, they are CUTE.

For Halloween night we joined our good friends, The Schultz Family, in their new neighborhood. Our kids have been friends since the womb pretty much. Let me tell you what, we hit the jackpot! Almost every house was giving out candy and many of them FULL size bars. I can promise you the kids weren't the most excited. This also was the first Halloween we didn't follow the kids up to the door. They seemed so big sprinting up to each house. Such a fun night. Love this family.

Also thought I would share pictures of Halloweens over the years because like I mentioned CUTEST KIDS EVER.

Tweetsie Railroad

Guys- it's been about a year since I've blogged. SHAME. I'm going to do better. Promise. Working on being more disciplined these days. ;)

Let's talk about our trip to TWEETSIE! My mom won tickets at her school last year and gave us four free tickets. Yay! We decided to make a day trip up there to save money, but also because our weekend was jam-packed already.

We had a blast! Landin's favorite part was torn between riding the big Tweetsie train and us buying him his 3rd pair of handcuffs. Ha :) Clara says she loved the train too but really, my quality time girl just loved being with us all day. We are a lot alike in that area. Any time spent as a foursome is really great in my book. BUT she also had her first positive animal experience. Clara isn't real fond of animals, but a cute baby goat stole her heart.

Two of my favorite highlights were riding the Tweetsie train and the little petting zoo where you get to feed the animals. Both kids laughed so hard.

Tips if you are planning a trip:
1. You can do the whole park in 3-4 hours. Other than the train it's just a bunch of carnival rides.
2. Ride the big train on the way in and out. We like to get in at least 2 rides while we are there.
3. When riding the big Tweetsie train- sit on the right side and middle car so you get a better view of the shows along the ride.
4. Bring your own food!! We made this mistake the first time we went. There is really only one place to eat and all has is junk food. Now- don't get me wrong, I'm not 100% healthy 24/7, but I don't like my kids to eat fried foods and sodas all day, which are your only options.
5. Swallow the anxiety and take the chair lift up to another part of the park. I had a slight heart attack taking my kids on this because it's high and there is literally nothing holding them in, but the view on the way down is amazing. Just hold on tight to the little ones. ;)
6. Bring a few dollars to feed the animals. Totally worth it.

Heres the link: https://tweetsie.com/

Pumpkin Time!

Fall has really set in here in the Poole House. Thankful we have had such great weather! 

We have been pumpkin patching like crazy around here recently. Last Friday, we took our annual trip to Hall Family Farm. We love this place! There are TONS of activities for the kids. Playgrounds, a fire truck, hay ride, corn maze, and of course pumpkins! We come to this farm every year for strawberry and pumpkin picking.

(ignore Landin's face, I just love how hard Clara Jane is working to carry her pumpkin) 

Some of our friends came too! Landin's favorite part of the whole trip is the hayride. It was a really fun morning. 

This was the first year that we actually carved a pumpkin. Brian took this job very, very seriously. It was pretty entertaining. Landin and Clara Jane had zero interest in feeling the pumpkin guts, but they did enjoy watching us dig it out. ;) 

Yesterday Elevation had their annual Fall party called Festi^us! We were out at Aw Shucks Farm in Monroe. We had so much fun. There was face painting, pumpkin painting, scavenger hunts,  a petting zoo, paddle boating, and A TON of food. Pastor Steven and Holly really know how to bless their staff. This is one of my most favorite parties of the year. Love celebrating together. Getting together with these people ends up being like a family reunion. A lot of us have served together for many years now and have grown families together. Words cannot explain how grateful I am to be a part of this staff family. It's really the best.

 (some of the tech team!!) 

DPK. Boone Round 2. 6yr anny.

Hi friends. Sorry, I've been spotty. I'm getting into the thick of the semester and it's keeping me super busy. I actually had a really rough week last week, but the my new rotation in the hospital reminded me to keep pushing though. Y'all.. I LOVE Labor and Delivery. Surprise, surprise. I feel like most friends would have guessed I would want to end up there, but I needed some reassurance. I was SO nervous my first day, but it all really came naturally to me. Thankful for the experience I've had and the fact that the Lord has blessed me with the rest of the semester there. I cannot wait to get back to the hospital. I mean, this could be my job people! I watched a tiny little baby take her first breaths. Nothing gets better than that!

Okay so lots has happened over the past few weeks. First, we planned a fun trip up to Asheville to go apple picking. Due to the never ending rain this fall has brought us, we didn't make it. I was super bummed, but still grateful to spend the morning with good friends at Discovery Place Kids. The whole morning made me really grateful for the people God has placed around me and my family. Here are a few shots of the kids and the whole group of kids.

Next up is our second trip to Boone! The Rose family invited us to tag along while they went up for App. State's homecoming. This family has become our family over the last couple years. We met volunteering at Elevation and quickly became friends. They bless our family more than I could explain. Their generosity and desire to love people has forever changed me. Love each of them so, so much.

While we were there I was able to visit the App. State extension site. This campus is completely run by students. It's amazing what they can do as busy students, not only that but that they want to! I wish I had something like this when I was in school. These kids are world changers. If you have friends that go to App State, send them here!

Last Friday night Brian and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary! It's really crazy to me that we have been married that long. 2 kids, 4 pets, a house, halfway through nursing school, and 6.5 years in ministry together under our belt. It's gone by SO fast. Love this man with my whole heart! Can't wait for all that year 7 is going to bring!

Happy weekend, friends!