HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

I finally am able to post a few pictures from the skating party and the last few games. I'll have all kinds of Halloween fun to post later so I thought I would get these out first!

Happy Halloween!

My silly girls!


Ashleigh, Addison, and Ashley

Ashley's brother Jacob

My friend Julie skating with Addison and Jacob

Ashleigh wiping out!

Ashleigh just taking a break

Ashley the princess and Ashleigh the ballerina under her coat!

AHHHHHH! I'm so tired.....but man was that FUN!!

Melting In The Rain

I don't have much to say today as we are so busy and I have to rush to get ready...but it is RAINING!!!! WTF?!?!?!!! I am getting used to no rain and it has to pick this weekend to rain! It is suppose to rain today, which is fine, then tomorrow and then Saturday and Sunday! Ashleigh heard me talking about the rain and she goes, "Mommy, it can't rain! I will melt!" Only our child!!

I still haven't figured out what is wrong with my camera to post pics but hopefully I will get to it soon! I am off to skating lessons and then Sharks play Detroit tonight. It should be a good game. I hate all the red that shows up....but makes for some interesting people watching!

Skating Party

We had a busy night again for us. We went to a 30th birthday party dinner at our favorite restaurant and had a blast. The food is always sooo sooo good and so much fun to be out with our friends.

After the dinner, well actually we had to leave early, we went to the practice rink with our friends that I met at the pizza place and we skated with Sharkie for his Halloween skating party.

We didn't get their until abut 8:15 but the girls were so excited to skate! I made them wear helmets and they weren't very happy with me about it! lol Better safe than sorry!

Ashleigh had on a figure skating costume, or a ballerina tutu as she liked to call it. She did okay but again she needs to keep working on both her legs moving. My friends daughter, Ashley, was Cinderella and she kept skating faster than Ashleigh. That made my Ashleigh upset. I am hoping that this will lead to Ashleigh using both her feet and we'll get over the hurdle.

Addison was super excited to skate! Rick went and got his skates and then forgot to sharpen them after all the work he has been doing on them! My friend skated with the Addison and she did good. I am not quite sure how Addison is going to do tomorrow since it is supposedly a no bucket day!

I am glad we went and hung out at the rink. Of course Rick had tons of people he knew. Ashleigh was mad because we got there right as Sharkie was leaving and he didn't get to give her a kiss! Tomorrow is a busy day with library story time with costumes, lunch with Rick, skating lessons and then hockey. I am so tired already and we have such a busy next few days!!

Apparently there is something wrong with my computer and I can't upload pictures. I will try to figure it out tomorrow sometime so I can post a few pictures of the kids skating.

I'm Having A Grumpy Day

So I am grumpy today. I guess we are allowed to have a few of these days. Today, my grandpa has been dead for 5 years. I think that is part of my problem with my attitude today!

I always think about my family that is not with us but on the day they died, it kinda makes you think a bit more. My cousin wrote a great post about him and all the things he used to do. Made me really think about him and the memories I have of him.

I could go on forever but one of the most important memory that I will never forget of my grandpa is dancing with him at my wedding. I remember him telling me how proud of me he was and how beautiful I looked. Since my dad died when I was 16, I had my grandpa walk me down the isle. He was like a father to all his grand kids and would do anything and everything for us.

I can remember when he had surgery, and he had many of them, that he would tell me he was too ornery to die and that he wasn't finished on earth seeing us grow up. I also will never forget him telling me when I told him I was pregnant with Ashleigh how proud he was and that he wanted to meet my child. I know he loved Rick like a true grandson. He made him feel like part of our family the first time he met him.

My grandpa really kept our family together. After he died, things just weren't the same. I will always think about him and be thankful for the memories I have of him but will always wish I had the chance to have more and that he was still here. It isn't a trip home without visiting my grandparent's at the cemetery now. I would much rather visit them at their house but things happen for a reason and that is just life.

So I hope that you can enjoy my video of the girls I took this morning. It goes with my Charlie Harper post and shows how much they love the show. They are singing so loud you can barely hear the TV in the background! lol It makes me smile and a day like today I need that!

A Day At The Pumpkin Patch = Lots of Pumpkins Brought Home And A Carving Party To Follow!

The girls and I went to the Pumpkin Patch this afternoon. We wanted to go as a family but knew the lines would be crazy on the weekends. The girls had a fantastic time! The weather was windy but yet sunny so we didn't have hardly any crowds or lines. I was expecting more with it being so close to Halloween. We didn't make it here last year and I am so glad that we were able to squeeze it in this year. Definitely worth the time to drive out here.


They were pretty good about taking pictures in the beginning of the afternoon....

They loved putting their faces in these cutouts. Most of them they were too short for but this one had a bucket behind it so Addison could be the boy! lol

They have a pumpkin weigh in here too. I think the biggest weighed 1500 pounds or something crazy like that. This one was neat because it actually is a real pumpkin someone carved.

On the train that goes around part of the pumpkin patch

There were all kinds of little scenes for the kids to see when you rode the train.

They LOVED LOVED the cow train! This one is just for kids which made them want to ride it even more!
HUGE pyramid of pumpkins!

Ashleigh was sooo funny here! We were waiting to get on the carousel and she wanted to touch these. She got close then ran away! My scaredy cat girl!

Addison decided to run and touch them just like Ashleigh and she was scared too! My two scaredy cat girls! lol
Waiting, oh so patiently, with our Halloween Oreo like cookies, for the hayride to come back.

Addison was in full cheese mode!

Ashleigh was just taking it all in.

AWW! Addison was not feeling Ashleigh grabbing her for a pic! lol

The coolest part of the hayride was when you came around a corner and there were merry golds for as far are you could see. The smell was just amazing!

OH MY GOODNESS! They have flowers with butterflies and caterpillars!!!

This was so cool! Just out of the blue here you have all the flowers!

Queen Addison of the Pumpkins 2008!

Queen Ashleigh of the Pumpkins 2008

Ashleigh DIDN'T want Addison to help with her basket. We had to upgrade to a wheel barrow we got so many pumpkins!

Ashleigh loves flowers! She kept wanting to pick them! lol

Addison had a great time climbing on the pumpkins and then laying on a few as well.

I have never even heard of a blue pumpkin.....pretty neat.

Our selection for the day!

Addison thinks she can move the wheel barrow...and believe it or not she got one side up before I stopped her in fear that the whole think would tip over on her!

After we got home, we waited for Rick to get home and then the fun began!!

Addison wasn't too excited to clean the nasty stuff out....

Ashleigh was even more mortified that she had to touch all that nastiness! She kept going..."Gross" which made Addison say it too and turn her pumpkin over and bang on it from the bottom hoping all the insides would come out! My true divas!

Daddy on the other hand LOVED all that goop on his hands!

I ended up cleaning out the girls' pumpkins and mine too. Then I had to clean the seeds for toasted pumpkin seeds. I am thinking somewhere here I got the shaft! lol

The Bronwell pumpkin family!! From left to right: Daddy, Ashleigh, Addison, and Mommy

Addison has this thing now with not wearing pants when we are home....so here they are posing with the pumpkins and Addy is pants-less! lol

The Tech

We did, indeed, go to The Tech as it is called today. It's like a children's museum for bigger kids that revolves around technology....hence they name The Tech!

I am not going to post Disney On Ice pictures yet because I have so many from today. I'll try sometime to get those pics up.

The girls had a great time as usual whenever we do something with Daddy! We were there all night it seemed! We didn't leave there until after 7 tonight. I guess we didn't get there until 2:30 or so after lunch so it wasn't that long.


Addison wanted spaghetti and meatballs....she got spaghetti and one HUGE meatball...but was it good!!

Ashleigh wanted half spaghetti and half ravioli. Although a lot ended up on her face, she ate very well!

Classic pose from the girls! Ashleigh has an attitude and Addison is kissing her! lol

This thing was kind of neat because you had to build the track and figure out how to get the orange from one side of the exhibit to the other. They really have to use their brains and think.

The girls LOVED the tinker toys! I think Santa might be bringing them these!

Notice Charlie Harper, from Two And A Half Men, or Men, Men, Men as the girls call it, helping out. You can just see Addison's little face peeking out from the side of the pole.

Addison made tinker toy lollipops! YUMMY! lol


Again, Charlie Harper makes an appearance as Ashleigh plays whack-a-spam, kinda like those whack-a-mole games only this one it teaching the kids about spam email.

Addison's turn....minus Charlie!

Ashleigh told me she can climb these rocks because they are inside and don't have pee on them! I always tell them not to climb rocks outside because dogs pee on them. Addison didn't want my help getting up......

She finally made it up another rock all by herself!

Downtown San Jose from the balcony of The Tech.

Wouldn't be a Bronwell adventure without a diva pose from Ashleigh!

Addison the VJ!

Charlie Harper was a bad influence!! He spun Addison around in a room where you make music.....

And then Ashleigh had to have a turn!

You type your name in a computer and this robot thing finds the blocks and spells your name or whatever you have put into the computer. Pretty neat!


We saw an IMAX movie about the Coral Reef in Fiji. I already love the water so I'm ready to pack it up and sell what we can't take on the plane and MOVE! lol This IMAX was really cool because it is a dome shape so you had to kinda look over your head and around you to see everything. It was absolutely BEAUTIFUL! The water is just amazing! So everyone better start saving to come and visit us! lol The girls loved it so much that they both fell asleep!!



We have a super busy week as usual for us! Tomorrow the girls and I are going to the Pumpkin Patch and then come home and carve them. Tuesday we are supposed to go to the beach again and then hockey that night. Wednesday we have a birthday dinner to go to. It seems to be our "down" day! lol Thursday we have library story time with costume dress up, skating lessons, and then hockey. Friday is Halloween and we have trick or treating at the Shark's office in the day and then trick or treating at night somewhere. Finally on Saturday, we have soccer which is our treat day and Rick leaves out of town for 2 days. Whew! Extra busy this week!