Fall Fun and Mary Poppins!

We have had a fun and busy fall.  Beautiful weather, lots of leaves, pumpkins, friends, and of course - DRESS UP!  This post is long, but you get to see all of October, including the finale - Mattie as Mary Poppins herself.

It all started with a trip to the wonderful Rocky Creek Farm in Bozeman for pumpkin picking and petting zoo time.  Cousin Cash and Jhett (and their driver Amy) were in town, as well as Loni and Marni!   Nona and Jim Pa were with us as always and we met up with Sally and girls and it was a party!

On this particular day, Mattie was feeling very free spirited and dressed herself.  I couldn't bear tell her she had to change, so alas, what you see is her idea of a pumpkin patch outfit.  She loved it and sported the entire ensemble all day.  I think I loved it even more.

That might be my favorite picture of all time - yes, that is my daughter and yes, that was just a "Matine" moment caught on camera.

Some of my girls - what would I do without Loni, Mom and Marni? 

Sally and Camille

Cash Man! 

Amy, Jhett, me, Marni, Loni and Sally

Cousins playing in the hay -they are like night and day! 

I love this picture. 

Jhett refused to crack a smile on this day.  So cute. 

The kids - minus Cash. 

We then enjoyed a nice dinner at our house where we carved pumpkins, had some homey Shepherds pie, and visited ... the adults did most of the carving while the girls played dress up and ran around the house.

Today, on actual Halloween, Mattie and enjoyed a day of "fall crafts."  We decorated our 2nd pumpkin - this time with Halloween stickers, cut outs and glitter glue sticks.  We collected some leaves and made a "tree" picture with our real leaves.  And Mattie anticipated her dress up "trick or treating" by changing her outfit at least 6 times throughout the day.  This child can't decide on WHICH dress up dress she likes best, so she wears them all.

Serious concentration with the glitter glue (notice the sparkly go-go dress)

It was finally time for the finale... Costume time.  We have been looking forward to her Mary Poppins debut for months.  And again, thanks again to my creative and crafty (and organized) mother, Mattie had a handmade costume that cost mere pennies.   We watched scenes from Mary Poppins while getting her dressed and she got really good at saying, "trick or treat thank you" (all one word).

Year three's costume .... Mary Poppins!

Now that you are wooed by her cuteness I will tell you how this all REALLY went down.  I was crazy, cranky and impatient from 1pm on... Mattie refused to take a nap and cried in her room for an hour until I laid down with her.  She woke up crabby and testing my every move and word.  She refused to wear at the hat or jacket (key pieces to the costume).  Now, I know this is not her fault - she is 2.5  - I am an adult.  I needed to just "let it go" and relax, but it was one of those days where I just couldn't.  I wanted to lock myself in a closet and scream at the top of my lungs.  A large glass of wine would have helped the situation, but since I am pregnant, that was out (*^%$#).

Sally (my wife), the girls, and ME... terrifying I know.

She (me) ended up pulling herself together, helped and we had a great time with our friends and loved trick or treating.  That made it all much better, but I still need a do-over button sometimes. Hopefully she won't remember her scary, cranky clown (that was my costume) mom of Halloween 2011 when she grows up.  I was definitely the scariest thing I experienced tonight.

MANY more pictures coming later of tonight... This was all I had on my little aim and shoot.

Happy Halloween.

The Bird Costume has been properly documented.

It's really not a proper moment unless our fabulous photog pal Meggan takes picture of it!  Let's see - Yoda, first birthdays, Matine in cute hats, now the Bird Costume!  Check out's Meggan's Photography Blog for the darling pictures of our little Bird!

Warning: another Livingston Saturday Night (with costumes)

I warned you.  This commentary will not be PG.  A night out in Livingston, no matter how "mellow" you are is never PG.  I think this is why we live here.  It's a beautiful blend of small town homeyness (I didn't say wholesomeness) and freak!  God bless the freaks of Livingston.  On Saturday night, I flew my freak flag proudly.

The Livingston Current (our very great local paper) throws a kick-butt Halloween shindig at The Depot.  Free beer, snacks, and The Fossils played.  Need I say more?  Well, you know I WILL say more - much more. 

I have to give ALL credit to my costume to my mother and Jim.  Much to my very organized, always planning ahead mother, I waited until that afternoon to start my costume.  Those of you who know my mother understand that this very act goes against everything in her being and almost sends her to the loony bin.  I try to plan ahead more, but it just isn't in my DNA.  I got the planning gene from my dad .... Mom was a really good sport and went along with the last minute costume, sewing sheets and pillows, even going with me to the Thrift store to buy a baby mattress that Jim would engineer to my body. With only a few frustrated under-breath comments and limited eye rolling - THE BYNUMS (and all their handiness) made me into a Bed Bug for the evening.

Jeff, Chris, Jeannette and Levia came over before we went out... finalizing our last minute costumes and having a few cocktails.  The gals and I were Bed Bugs, Jeff was a Spelling Bee and Chris was a damn fine Flasher.   Matine slept soundly in her bed at Nona and Jim Pa's (thanks again parental units)!

God bless a man that will wear a skirt and panty hose... if only we all had such nice hips!

her little lights lit up ... pretty funny.

 Trying to fashion a pillow to Levia's head with a belt.  Not one of the greatest ideas we have ever had.

the three of us were "Bed Bugs."  Pretty cute idea we thought and we each had our own spin on the concept.

 As a side note, Jeannette looked HOT with her bed hair and crazy make-up... we actually think she should pull off the look more often.  If only she didn't work in the middle of field and wetlands on Wyoming ranches most of the year ....

for those friends that we could actually recognize throughout the night ... they looked great.

the three Bed Bugs.

 Now, I guess we didn't anticipate that people must literally live in HOLES and not EVER watch the news or read a paper.  The pervy, idiot citizens of Livingston thought that I was A WHORE...  Yes, they thought I was just a "woman on a mattress."  Classy eh?  How many women for hire do you know that wear bug antennae?

the costume was a lot of fun - the bathroom was a bit of a challenge and I had my own space on the dance floor!

The Shanafelts looked creepy good. I wish my flash didn't drown out the details of their make-up.

Only in Livingston could a white guy get away with painting his body brown and going as "Venus Williams - Venus with a Penis"

The hostess of the evening, Reilly-  a striking, glittering wonder!

more carnage

this is just the back side of Chad's 100lb costume... he just stood on the dance floor with dry ice smoke flowing from him.

 For all of you fly fishermen(women) out there... Can you guess what Chieko (far right) was?  Hint:  she had blue wings on the back. 

Chieko, the Blue Winged Olive, Paramore as some sort of funny thing, and Jeannetto!

 Anyone who knows Randy knows that he can't arrive in anything tasteful... that would wreck his image.

The Tea Bag - yes you can assume the gross kind.

Barry the Muscles in a dress... quite a sight, I must say.

Candy cigarettes and Chris ...  makes me laugh.

William Wallace didn't assume I was a cheap chick on a mattress!

Ah, my girls... I have missed you! It was so nice to be out!

 So, there's always a few "creepers" around that never reveal who they are under their masks.  Never trust someone in a mask.  This person kept this mask on all night and would just be standing behind you dancing.  As Matine would say "eeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwww."

who are you??????????????

This was a woman .... I think.

And this was a man .... I think.

These guys just looked awesome ... much better than my pictures show. 

We danced, we laughed, we soiled my wearable mattress with beer, we danced some more, and walked home.   It was a good Halloween! 

pumpkin patchin'

We had a wonderful Saturday morning at Rocky Creek Farm outside of Bozeman last weekend.  Matine got to pick out a little pumpkin, pet some goats and sheep, spy on some pigs and chickens and go crazy with other kids in a very cool "hay fort." 

 It's nice having family to share it all with.

hot chocolate!  delicious!