What a Crazy Couple of Weeks!

Ok, well, I hardly know where to begin.  My family has had a rough, hectic couple of weeks.  Since I don't know quite where to start, I will let the pictures do most of the talking, since looking back at them will remind me of what we've been through!

A week and a half ago, on Saturday, Danny played at a Master Chorale concert here in our home town.  He dressed up like a cowpoke, and despite his annoying cough, he played and sang beautifully.  The western themed concert was a hit, as this small town is gearing up for its biggest local event, Cattle Call Rodeo.  

Danny played alongside his banjo picking dad, and our good friend, Luke.  They were a great sounding trio. Check my Facebook page to hear one of their tunes, Blackberry Blossom.  It is a boot stompin' good time!

Luke and Danny have a fabulous time playing together.  

Hey, who's that handsome bearded cowboy?  It's none other than MY wonderful man!!

Now the next day after the concert, Danny's "cold" went from bad to worse. Much worse.  His cough became hacking, he maintained a low-grade fever all day, and he felt wiped out.  His second trip to the doctor and a chest x-ray later and he was diagnosed with pneumonia.  In order to not be hospitalized, he was given a heavy dose of antibiotics, a strict recommendation to lie down and rest as much as possible, as well as two shots of intense medicine to heal him even quicker.  His first few days at home were tough.  He felt bad, but he gradually felt a little better, then a little better.  He was still advised, however, to avoid going outside, avoid any kind of activity, and rest as much as possible.  So he did.  

As Danny lie resting, all of the Halloween and harvest events approached! The girls are seen here dressing our little dog, Button, in her pumpkin outfit.  She wasn't too thrilled about the hat.  

That day we made crafts and played  games at our homeschool academy's Halloween party.  Emma, our sweet little angel, is seen here painting a pumpkin candle holder.  

Cubby, or should I say Rapunzel, with her new spunky haircut, is also painting a craft project.  

While the girls were having fun at their party, I took the twins over to their pre-school Harvest Party.  The fireman, J.D., appears to be rescuing someone from atop the slide.  Nah, he's just looking super cute.  It's not a tough job for him!

Here's the three year old trio, posing for a lovely picture.  The fireman is clearly protecting the adorable Cinderellas from random flames and coy passersby.

Ahhh....Gigi and Ellie.  BFFs!  And no, believe it or not, Ayron and I did not plan this out!  

Yum!  A harvest lunch just wouldn't be complete without fried chicken, mashed potatoes and a scarecrow hat!  Boy do I love those two kids!

And a few days later, now, J.D. took his fireman outfit to a whole new level with boots, shorts, a fireman top, and two sets of goggles.  I guess you can never have too much eye protection, eh buddy?

Next on the agenda? Western Round Up!!  Every year since I was a youngster, my church would host a harvest type event around Halloween.  The chili cook off, salsa and cornbread contest, plenty of games, a mechanical bull and country music in the background, Western Round Up is a community hit. This is the first time we have attended for many years.  The only bittersweet part was that Danny had spent the last two months practicing to headline the country concert with his dad, Luke, and other friends.  His pneumonia kept him away from the outdoor concert, but the show went on!  So we got all decked out in our cowboy duds and had a good ol' time!

Gigi and J.D., who wore his banjo around to show that he was filling in for dad, enjoyed the country music.  There was some spontaneous dancing.  Moments like those are just another perk of having three year olds.  

My sweet western family poses here just before the hats started flying off and their hair went from civilized to "cwazy" as Gigi would say.  

Emma and Gigi roll some pumpkins here with our good friend Isabella.  Luckily, no winners were announced, everyone got candy for participating!  

The girls sang "Keep On the Sunny Side" with Luke and Grandpa Jim accompanying.  Their sweet voices stole the show....at least in my opinion. :)

On my, were the desserts delicious!  Cubby is enjoying a mini brownie with frosting and a candy corn on top. Heaven!

Emma is gearing up for her big solo on stage at the talent show.  She was asked at the last minute by our Pastor's wife to sing Amazing Grace.  Look below for the video.  Also, this is the grand beginning of her journey to long bangs.  She wants to grow them out, and it all starts here people!  Now it will be seen in awkward lengths until it finally gets to that blissful state of fitting in a ponytail.  Ahhh.....maybe next spring?!

J.D. and Grandma Susie have a very special relationship.  She can understand most of what he's saying, but even when she can't, her encouraging facial expressions and big smile keep that boy talking on an on.

Here is the talent show when Emma was asked to wrap it up with her now favorite song, Amazing Grace.  Watch below for the video version....

Adorable cowgirls....with relief written all over their faces after successfully finishing their songs for the talent show.

Sweet Grandma Susie with her loving granddaughters.

The day after Western Round Up was Halloween day.  Now you may recall that Danny and I were trying to downplay all of the evil stuff about Halloween.  So we had a pretty mellow day in preparation.

The girls are working on a fall leaf craft here.  

They went outside to gather fall leaves so that we could rub them onto paper.  They loved this project!  The simplicity and beauty of watching fall leaves appear on paper was the perfect craft.

Soon enough it was time to get dressed up.  Cubby, with her new chic haircut, decided to be a flapper since we already had the costume from last year's after Halloween sale.  Gigi decided to impersonate Ariel this time around.  

Here are the terrific foursome!  Ariel, a fireman, a flapper, and an angel!  Love it!

When I said, "What does an angel do?," this is what Emma did.  Love that dramatic little princess!

And Cubby was right on when I asked her the same question!  How on earth did that girl know what a flapper does?  Oh, that's right I was mimicking behind the camera.  I'm glad that's not on film!

Our good friend Elizabeth came over with glow in the dark wands with flowers, hearts and hatchets.  Oh, that hatchet was a big hit with Brawley's littlest fireman!

My sweet girls trick-or-treated at five of our neighbors houses, and then were ready to call it quits and hand out our candy.  We had a great night, playing games, eating yummy food, and laughing and talking.  Poor Danny had to stay pretty sedentary, but his spirits were good as he watched the kids run around in their costumes.  

On the next and final day of our two week adventure, Cubby and Gigi were lucky enough to meet the Cattle Call Queens!!  They learned all about the rodeo from their presentation, and had the opportunity to ask any question they wanted!  They had none, but I did.  What a smart couple of poised young ladies.  

And here are my two girls, in between the queens of our local rodeo.  What an honor it was to get to take pictures and get autographs from these hard working gals!  The fact is, the girls totally didn't have any idea who these girls were, or why they were wearing those hats, or why, for that matter, their hair was so big and poofy.  That was Cubby's only question, actually.  "Why is their hair so big, mama?"  I don't know honey, was all I said.  I just don't know.  

Anyway, the most important news I can leave you with is that Danny is on the mend.  I drove him out to the ranch yesterday to look around, and today he went on several errands around town, and came back looking like himself. Or should I say, looking like a scruffy version of himself.  

Finally, sorry this post was so long, we've had a lot going on, and I just had to share!