What I love about the Fall..

Fall is my favorite season of the year. My totally random list of reasons I love fall:
** I love the cool crisp weather. I love feeling the change from being blistery hot to a nice chill in the area.
** Auburn Football
** Pumpkin Fraps!
** You can say Autumn to sound fancy
** Christmas Shopping starts- I love Christmas.
** It's fun to put on jeans again. It is a like a whole new wardrobe appears. With any luck.. I am able to wear this 'new' wardrobe again.
** We burn fires in the fireplace as it gets colder. I love the sound of wood popping and the smell of real wood burning.
** We finally get into the school grove. We kind of flap around aimlessly in August trying to get back into the routine.
** New Hampshire in the fall is breathtaking!!! We lived in NH for 4 years. Our backyard was so incredible. We actually had to close our blinds so our house was not glowing orange inside.
** I loves watching the leaves change colors.
** It is fun to see the pumpkins, hay bails, and scarecrow decorations.
** Fall Festivals
** Apple Cider- YUM
** Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving - Don't you secretly wish the Great Pumpkin showed up? Poor Linus.
** Our whole family gets flu shots to help protect Grant from getting the flu (and ourselves). Good times at the Gilcrease house on those days!
** Church always has great events in the fall. I love the Western Jamboree, Dinner in December, Children of the World, etc.
** I smile knowing the kids from the Back to School Drive are enjoying their new back packs.
** Pumpkin Spice Yankee Candles
** Picking out the Halloween Costumes.. Halloween is fun! The kids love dressing up!
** Sleeping with the windows open
** Shows start up again.. no more reruns
** Thanksgiving... we always visit family for Thanksgiving. I love it!
** We usually get to Tampa at least once in the fall to visit the Gilcreases.
** Fall Weddings.. They are so beautiful!
** Youth Fall Soccer- So much fun

Ear Piercing and life...

I had to be 13 to get my ears pierced. I don't remember how old I was when I got my
2ND holes. I do know I was 16 when I got the 3rd hole in my left ear... through the cartilage.. Ouch! I remember that one vividly as I proudly wore the earring for 4 hours before my parents demanded it disappear. To be honest... I don't think they liked the 2ND holes anymore than the 3rd.

We had decided that our daughters (not son) had to be 13 to get their ears pierced too. You know.. the ole parenting style of "you can do it when I did it". Well, when Waverly was 9, all she wanted for Christmas was to have her ears pierced. THAT WAS ALL! After much thought.. I agreed. Skip, on the other hand, was very much against it. We finally convinced him that she was old enough to take care of her ears. It turns out, that was not the problem. He viewed ear piercing as a sign of growing up. I didn't see it that way to the same degree.

So.. on 12/26/06, the family loaded in to the van (RIP) and headed to the French boutique, Claire's. For those without tween girls.. Claire's is a money pit. Wish I had part ownership of that place. The very qualified young ladies at Claires (after they finished munching a snack) both got on either side of Waverly to proceed with the minor surgery. Now this is where it gets interesting.. Picture this.. Claire's is packed full of tweens eager to spend their Christmas money. Grant is bored stiff. Kendall is hiding in the furtherest corner because she didn't want to see Waverly get hurt. Skip has tears in his eyes (literally). Waverly is sitting in the chair crying. I am trying to convince the young employees that I am not making her get her ears pierced and that it was completely her decision. Here is a photo of the "HAPPY MOMENT".
Can you see the joy in this child's eyes?

Well, Kendall turned 9 this summer. She proudly announced that she is never getting her ears pierced. We were all a bit relieved. Well, about 2 weeks ago, she came home from school stating she was ready to take the plunge. Here we go again. We load up the car and drive to Claire's. This time, Grant was a bit more interested and watched. Skip was tearing up again. Waverly hid in the corner. Kendall sat in the chair squeezing a teddy bear crying. I was, again, trying to convince the nice employees that we are not making her get her ears pierced. Here is a photo of the happy girl:


Doesn't she look thrilled:


But.. the tears were gone in seconds. They are both now pierced. It should be the last piercing experience for the Gilcreases if all goes as planned. Skip is still a little sad but he is handling it much better. One of the fun memories we will treasure forever in an 'odd' way.