All Good Things Must Come to an End

We wrapped up our time in Tallahassee with a jam-packed couple of days, full of FUN!  This past Thursday, Aunt Kelly took the day off from work to hang out with me and Kyndall.  We had lunch at Panera with Lindsey D., then took Kyndall to Tom Brown Park to play.  It was a gorgeous day and Kyndall had a blast!!  I grew up playing at Tom Brown, though as many of you can remember, it was nothing like what it is today!  What we had were a few squeaky swings and a couple of metal slides that would nearly fry the back of your legs if you weren't careful!  Here's what it looks like today........

The rolling slide was definitely her fav!  We must have put her on it 100 times!  Just watch.......

On Friday, I picked up my portraits from Kris Kimel that she did for Kyndall's one year photo shoot.  They are GORGEOUS!  Once I get them framed and hung, I'll show you what they look like!  Here's what my Mom ordered.  I love how she used the frame to display the series of shots. 

On Friday we also went shopping for our Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes.  I plan to make this a Christmas tradition for our family every year from now on.  You simply fill a shoe box with gifts for either a boy or a girl and they are then sent over-seas to children who otherwise wouldn't receive anything for Christmas.  The program is sponsored by Samaritan's Purse, which is a Christian missions organization.  Along with the gifts, the children are presented with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and taught of God's love for them.  It's a simple way to change a child's life for eternity.  Although Kyndall isn't old enough to understand it now, having her shop for another boy or girl at Christmas time will teach her how to love others the way that God loves us, and help her to appreciate and realize just how very blessed she is!  I think it will be a fun and rewarding tradition for the whole family.  Having been on mission trips to Brazil and Ukraine, I have witnessed first-hand just how much a simple gift is appreciated.  Things that we take for granted like soap, toothpaste, or a cheap toy are some of their greatest treasures.  My Mom and I had a great time strolling through Target picking up toys, soaps, toothbrushes, candy, etc. to fill the boxes.  I also included a letter with a picture of our family and our address, in hopes that the children who receive our boxes will write us back and tell us a little bit about themselves. 

The Girl Box

The Boy Box

Such a simple gift, yet it's life-changing for these children



Saturday morning I got up bright and early so that I could take Cam and Huck to be microchipped.  The Animal Shelter was doing it for just $15 per pet (normally $75), so I jumped on the chance to have them both done.  I went alone and it was quite an experience.  Cam and Huck didn't take too well to all of the other dogs, nor the fact that they had to be taken out of my arms.  I witnessed a side of Cam that I've never seen before.  Let's just say it's a good thing the vet assistant was wearing gloves because he took a nice chomp right down on his hand!  It was a stressful morning for sure, but I'm so glad I got it done. 

Once I got back home, the whole family headed down to Cape San Blas for the day to attend Jessica's wedding.  It was a GORGEOUS day for a beach wedding and everything was beautiful. 

Kelly was the Maid of Honor



We love Morgan! =)

I had been waiting all week for Sunday afternoon, because I was SO excited about taking Kyndall to the fair for the very first time!  Nonie and Poppie met up with us and we had a great time!!!  I love everything about the fair---the smells, the sounds, the lights, the FOOD, and the cool weather!  Kyndall seemed to love it too, and the only thing that would've made it better was if Matthew could have been there with us. 

Her first time wearing camo.....I think she liked it! (I know her Daddy and G-Daddy did!!)

She was fascinated while watching this cow get milked

This sweet baby cow (calf?) was only a month old and Kyndall just went nuts over it!  She squealed and pointed and eventually, the owner let her inside to pet him.



Next, it was on to the petting zoo, where we fed fresh carrots to the goats.  Kyndall really had no interest in actually feeding them, but rather wanted to poke their eyes out!!!  I kept trying to get her to pet them, but she just went straight for the eyes. 

We watched the exotic animal show.......

We attempted to get her face painted, but it just wasn't happening.  Maybe next year??

We ate some yummy, greasy fair food, and Kyndall got her first taste of a buttermilk corndog..........

The highlight of the night was the Pig Race.  It's probably my favorite attraction at the fair, aside from the food!  If you've never watched a pig race, you just haven't lived.  Basically, they pick various people out of the crowd and assign them to a certain pig.  They then open the gates and let the pigs run and the person with the winning pig gets a prize.  Aunt Kelly was determined for Kyndall to get picked, and after some jumping, yelling and screaming, she did.  She was assigned pig #4, which was appropriately named "Lindsay LoHAM".  =)  We cheered Lindsay LoHAM on so well that she won!  Kyndall was presented with a blue ribbon, a stuffed pig, and a sticker that says #1 Pig Rooter.  So proud of my little redneck girl!

Cheering on her pig!

There's Kyndall's #4, Lindsay LoHAM in the lead, with Squilly Ray Cyrus close behind!

Claiming her prize with Aunt Kelly

Loving on her pig........





Mesmerized by the lights

I had to get a picture of Michael forking over 10 bucks for some nachos.......

Only at the North Florida Fair will you see this........

What a fun two weeks we had!!!  Why does it always go by so fast??  Kyndall and I left Tallahassee yesterday morning and arrived home at 6:15 last night.  Although we were sad to leave, we were happy to see Matthew again!  He definitely missed his girls, and we missed him too.  Now we're counting down the days until Thanksgiving, when we'll be back again.  This time, ALL of us!