If you step into Bailey's room, it will be no surprise to you that Bailey LOVES stuffed animals. She saves her money for one of her favorite stores, Build-a-Bear. When we were cleaning Grandma's house a couple weeks ago, my cousin Bridget discovered a huge Rubbermaid tote with beanie babies, which she gladly donated to Bailey. These pictures may not end up in a photo gallery someday, but they will be some of my favorites in my scrapbooks.
For Halloween, the town of Mount Pleasant provides a couple different opportunities for kids's to wear their Halloween costumes. Trick or Treat on Main is an evening where downtown merchants pass out candy and other treats. Even though the weather was rainy and cold, we could not pass up the opportunity to trick-or-treat around The Square. Not to mention, Bailey could not wait to wear her costume, the 60's girl (or Sharpay from High School Musical as she liked to call herself). The traditionalist in me could not pass up carving pumpkins so we carved our pumpkins the afternoon of Halloween. That evening Bailey and I trick-or-treated with her friend, Lilly and mom, Tiffany. We went to a couple neighborhoods before heading indoors to the E3 Center where Faith Christian Outreach Church has a carnival for kids.
Pumpkin Carving
Healthy Henry County Communities is a wonderful organization in Mount Pleasant that organizes free family activities. This hike around East Lake Park provided a great opportunity for Bailey and me to get some exercise, learn about Halloween safety, participate in fun activities and snap some great photos.
Learning the grapevine with Snoopy 
Lucy's Lemonade Stand
Pumpkin Bean Bag Toss
This December marks 12 years since I marched through the UNI Dome to receive my Bachelor of Arts from the University of Northern Iowa. Since leaving campus, there are a group of my closest friends from UNI that have made it a point to get together at least once a year. We call it Panther Reunion. On October 16 and 17, a group of us reunited back in Cedar Falls for UNI's Homecoming. We had the opportunity to visit some favorite hot spots while we were students, including a walk through Noehren Hall where many of us met. We also hit the hot spot on The Hill for lunch, Sub City. Although the campus and The Hill have changed a lot since we were there 12 years ago, I hope the tradition of Panther Reunion never changes.
The hallway in Noehren Hall where I lived my sophomore year
Jennie Gaffney (Williams) and me
The weekend of October 3rd, the Matthias family gathered to go through Grandma Matthias' possessions. This old farmhouse has many memories of family gatherings, so it was bittersweet to be there for the 1st time since Grandma's passing in August. Along with the sentimental memories, I also received some physical items that will always remind me of Grandma. Fortunately my cousin Lucas lives in the house and we plan to continue celebrating the Christmas holiday together. We know that our angels, Grandma and Carrie, will be celebrating with us.
Bailey, Olivia and Sydney entertain themselves while the adults work
