Texas State Fair 2016 | fall family photos

we did something totally different this year for our family photos.

we went to the fair.

after tagging a long with Brittany for a session she did out there for a sweet couple, I decided last minute to scratch all plans for our traditional holiday card pictures and do something fun.. because what better way to describe our family right now than one big carnival game, right?  we are so blessed, but it gets a little crazy at times.. and when its all said and done I wouldn't want to trade this crazy right now for anything! 

it was the last week of the fair and we didn't anticipate how many people were actually going to show up on a weeknight to get in their own Fair fix before it was gone until next year, but we made it work and these are some of my favorite photos we have ever taken.  plus, getting to take my kids to experience something like this for the first time was an absolute JOY!  

a couple things we learned about the fair:

-Baker LOVES corndogs.  like, a lot. she housed two fletchers on a stick before we could say "smile".

-no one likes cotton candy.  not even a little bit. 

well, except for pregnant Amber.

-Parker really loves the idea of riding all the rides, but once she's on them, the fetal position is where she stays.

-Jolie LOVED every minute of everything.  arms in the air, legs flailing, and uncontrollable laughter.

-the twins were in complete awe of everything around them and all the stimulus of the fair.

..trying to get them to look AND smile without something else catching their eye was basically impossible.

-THANK GOODNESS for papa + BB to the rescue.  this would not have been possible without roping Jordan's parents into tagging along to help us wrangle smiles and keep everyone together while we attempted pictures.

-I'm terrible at the games.  I failed to win the stuffed animals multiple times, while Jordan knocked that job out of the park for the both of us.

lastly.. we are making this fair visit with the kids a tradition.

a week's trip | back "home"

I've been meaning to sit down and recap our busy week away all day long and just haven't had the time to load my pictures and get the words down on the screen.  we just got home from being in Austin for the first time in almost 6 years.  my parents have lived in that area for about 11 years, so Austin isn't exactly home, but we used to visit all the time.. and in my married life this was the place I "went back home" to.. and its been awhile since we have made the trip. never with kiddos- so that was new but overall a success!  they watched movies or napped the entire time, so I have no complaints there.  we got to Nana + Duke's house on Tuesday afternoon and spent the entire week doing everything and nothing at all.  my mom cooked A LOT and the big girls loved helping her in the kitchen, we visited the Thinkery Children's Museum (which is AWESOME if you are ever in Austin it is a MUST for the babes!), my mom and I splurged for a mani + pedi date while my youngest brother, Sam and Jordan took the three girls to roam the aisles for hunting things at Outdoor World.. and probably the best part was when the big girls spent the night over at their grandparent's house all week while Baker stayed back at the hotel about 10 minutes up the road with Jordan and me.. and I think the g'parent's enjoyed it even more. it was a sweet time and a great visit.  

my dad fell in love with my crazy crew all over again, and my mom was basically wrapped around their toddler fingers. we never stopped the entire week and on the drive home no one made a single peep from the back and slept the entire drive in.  

  

I took about one million photos to document it all.  

time to recoup and start this weekend off right.. with an early bedtime:)

photo every hour | halloween 2016

five.

an early start to my morning (actually about 4:45am) and off to camp gladiator for the next hour!

 six. 

my favorite time to "work".  after bootcamp I usually have a couple hours before anyone wakes to blog or style a handful of stitch fix clients:)

 seven.

my work was cut short- she was awake so early this morning!  she's been having the worst sleep.. teething or she's getting sick.  and with the run that strep and all that mess has run through our house this last week it wouldn't surprise me.  but thankfully she's eating well!  almond butter oats is her favorite breakfast!  

 eight.

my favorite time of year!  we have the fair isle stockings from potterybarn and was browsing through this year's christmas catalog and found baby brother's stocking!  the fire truck!  just need a name.. we are down to TWO names and just cant seem to make it solid.

 nine.

 ten.

it was a really low key morning. Parker made an emergency trip to the doctor on Saturday because a hang nail had turned into a major infection over the course of a week and nothing I did was making it better.. after texting with our pedi and sending pictures she literally responded with "omg, go to the ER." SO, thankfully we avoided sepsis and started taking some heavy antibiotics and its already looking so much better, but we have to wear this gauze cast for the next week or so.   

 eleven.

we eat so much macaroni.  its probably Baker's favorite food and Jolie scarfs it too! they love the Annie's brand.. from a box. and frozen chicken nuggets.  because they love it and I have three kids and its easy. no same in that!

 noon.

mac and cheese was EVERYwhere. so we threw everyone in the shower.  you can still see it all over her face:)

 one.

nap time for everyone!  the twins dont always nap, but we are still recovering from a really rough week before, so naps have been a daily thing.

 two. 

everyone is asleep, so I finally got a shower! sans washing my hair, of course.

 three.

their favorite part of the entire night! getting their makeup done was the most fun.  Parker kept telling me to make sure I go every color and instructed me the entire time.

 four.

I am not one to EVER dress up.. but I borrowed something glittery from the twins' stash this year. Jolie thought it was so silly!  this hat from little blue olive and my tee from hello apparel was just perfect for Halloween. my shorts are non-maternity from american eagle.. did the ol' hair tie trick which works awesome with these shorts bc they are button fly and I can button them 2/3 of the way and they stay put.  no fiddling with a zipper the entire night. 

AND red lip..I am loving butter london provocative and layered with butter london gloss in pink kiss.

 five.

dinnertime!  had to get something good into our bellies before we hit the streets:)

 six.

all the babes!  we were ready to get some candy!  and I swear sweet tinkerbell had the best time.

 seven.

trick or treat!  it made me laugh because at almost every house the candy givers were guessing what the girls were dressed as.. and literally three people said "unicorn".. and I kept thinking to myself, well thats a way better idea- ha!  either way, we got many compliments on our costumes.. as flamingos or unicorns.. or circus clowns.  who knows. who cares.
maybe next year we will be unicorns:) or maybe next year the girls can tell me what they want to be!

 eight.

Baker was the most amazing trooper!  she insisted on walking and carrying her own bucket the entire night- almost three hours of walking.. I was impressed with how quickly she picked up going up to each house and dropping the piece of candy into her bucket.  she held the hands of myself or Jordan the entire night, but towards the end she was reaching for her sisters.  Jolie was running far ahead with the boys, and Parker stayed close to mom and dad.

 nine.

the loot!  they were dragging these buckets by the end of the night.. and I may or may not be more excited about all this halloween candy than they are.

 ten.

because pimento cheese is freaking amazing.  and I was starving.  baby needed fuel. cheese fuel before a long hard night of sleep.

I hope everyone had an amazing Halloween!