Hobbit Halloween

Swear, I did not pick their costumes. All four of them came up with this on their own. BUT, the geek in me gushed at the choice. I did warn them that quite a few people would not know who they were. Still, living it up since Mom-geek won the costume war this year (unlike last year's Dad fiasco).

Leeper Family Photos

We made a quick trip to Decatur to see my family and nab some family photos before it was too cold outside. I think they turned out fairly well (considering the subjects). It was plenty windy also. Can you believe how tall everyone is getting. My niece is officially taller than her mom and nearing taller than me. My nephew. . .holy cow, who is that man?! Crazy how quick everyone is growing.

Hard to believe these four, cute things came from me and Brant. Right? God definitely did some polishing up on these sweet peas.

Me, my big bro, and big sis. I always think we don't look alike, but in this picture, you can tell we are all siblings.

Dad and Mom looking cute. I think they have been married so long, they are beginning to look alike. Doesn't that amaze you with couples?

It was great to see all our family, but when Uncle John brings over his new puppies that sort of trumps everything else. Cute, cuddly little furballs.

Creeping Closer

Brant is officially 38! All he keeps talking about since turning 35, is how 40 is quickly, creeping closer. Oh, well! As mom says, "The alternative is far worse." True.

"New" Pulls

A cheap, little redo. I hated my kitchen hardware. Sooo not me. But every time I would price a piece of hardware I liked, multiply by 44, and then look at my checkbook, . . .*sigh*. I decided one day, over in the spray paint section, to take matters into my own hands. I did a little faux finish and came up with these "oil-rubbed bronze" beauties for $12 for all 44. Not perfectly what I wanted, but, come on, twelve-stinkin'-dollas'!

I'm seriously investigating some other paint options to take my kinda' like kitchen to my kinda' love kitchen. We'll see what i come up with.

We Did It!

After two months of training, today we all ran our first 5K. Very exciting, and I was just so darn proud of all of us. Our times were not the greatest, but not a single one of us stopped to walk. I completed right under 35 minutes, Ike and Ava were right behind with 37, and Brant, Paige, and Claire were a clip under 40. Brant promised to be the last Hamby, to make sure our kids didn't get lost on the downtown streets. It was a great memory, and we can't wait to plan our next one.

Claire and Paige had the best evening. Our neighbor offered to take them up in his two-seater plane as part of the EAA's Young Eagles program. They participated in a full flight inspection and then were given a 20 minute plane ride. They buzzed by our neighborhood and by their elementary school. They even "helped" steer at one point. Mr. C. took the time to answer any questions they had (and there were quiet a few). He explained how all the equipment worked and let them help roll the plain onto the runway. It was a day they will never forget.