Happy Halloween!

We celebrated Halloween White-House style again this year with a big tent in the yard and ten zillion trick or treaters.  Our neighborhood is really busy on Halloween and we have our whole family over to have dinner and help manage the crowd.  Emily and Donald put in many long hours creating a fantastic Minecraft creeper costume - it was a little tough to walk in but looked great and was the ency of many a trick or treater over the course of the evening.  For Book Character Day at school, we went as Skippyjon Jones and Little Red Riding Hood.  I'm sure you can tell which is which by looking at the picture.  Hope your Halloween was full of good treats!

Two doctors at the White House!

I'm proud to announce that I defended my dissertation last month and there are now officially two doctors at the White House.  Hooray!  Ringo and John gave me lots of support in getting my paperwork finished up, as you can see from the pictures below.  Emily and Donald supplied me with some fabulous doctoral swag in the form of a Michael Kors purse to give me a little extra confidence during my defense.  I'll actually graduate on December 14th, but it was awfully satisfying to go ahead and change my email signature line to Dr. Amanda White!

I feel like a wizard in this getup.

Georgia vs. Kentucky

Donald and my ladybug girlfriends took me for my first college football tailgate to the Georgia/Kentucky game in Athens.  We had a fantastic time spending the day eating delicious tailgate foot, reverting to our high school selves, and trying not to freeze.  Can't wait to do this again next year!  Who would have ever thought that I would say that about a football game?  It's true - I didn't really know what was going on on the field, but the experience was fun, all the same! Good company always makes for a good time. The were even sweet enough to bring me my favorite, cookie cake and champagne, to celebrate my dissertation defense!

Chitlin Hoedown

When the weather begins to get cool, we know it's time for our annual trip to Yatesville for the Chitlin Hoedown with our friends, the Blounts.  This year, we took Abby with us to witness the extravaganza firsthand.  She and Emily enjoyed spinning the wheel and winning a much-needed stuffed animal and we ALL enjoyed some homemade barbecue and fried pies. Yum!  

And now it's time for a nap in the sunshine!

Modeling her new purchase.  We love hats!

Pumpkin Carving

Our friends the Westbrooks are kind enough to host an annual pumpkin carving party for their friends and family and we are thrilled to always be included.  We have a blast sharing a big dinner and carving pumpkins all over their house.  It's always fun to see all the children gather on the porch and show off their creations (or the creations of their devoted parents!). Every year, Emily puts lots of thought into her design.  This year she chose - surprise! - a Minecraft creeper.  Although I am not a fan of the game, I have to admit that he looked pretty impressive once we put a green glow stick inside of him.  Donald, the mad scientist, also brought along some dry ice to make the pumpkin unveiling even more spectacular.  A great way to spend a fall evening!

Throwback videos!

Donald and I went grocery shopping without Emily today and were smiling at the sounds of a toddler babbling in a nearby aisle.  We both remarked that Emily rarely talked like that - she stayed silent for a really long time and then suddenly began speaking in complete sentences!  We both said that it was difficult to remember what she sounded like when she first began speaking.  Fortunately, through the magic of the Blogger time machine, we get to hear her all over again!  Hope you enjoy these funny videos!

Days of the Week

Learning to Spell

Learning the Alphabet

Itsy Bitsy Spider

Apple Picking

To celebrate our friend Amy's birthday, we loaded up and took our yearly trip to Mercier Orchards.  Both the girls had a great time picking apples and we couldn't have asked for nicer weather.  After a ridiculous amount of fritters, pork rinds, boiled peanuts, and fruit, we headed home to sleep off our food stupor.  We also discovered a new favorite apple - the "September Wonder."  Emily has a tradition of bringing back apples for her teachers every year and they all really enjoyed the variety she picked this year.  Too bad we can't find them at Publix!  Guess we'll have to make another trip to Blue Ridge sometime soon.  I cooked the last of the apples in a pie to take to Homecoming lunch at church today!

Fall Days at Serenbe

After Homecoming at church today, we decided to take the girls to Serenbe to spend the afternoon.  It was too gorgeous a day to stay indoors!  We all had a great time taking a walk around the grounds and visiting with the animals.  We had the foresight to bring a bag of carrots with us, which turned out to be the best dollar we've ever spent.  All the animals enjoyed our gift!  After some glass bottle sodas from Fern's, we headed back home.  What a great way to spend a fall afternoon!

Soimeone left the henhouse door open and all of the birds were on the loose!

Today was the day for escapee animals - the donkey was out of his pen, too.

Turtle watching!

Learning to skip stones with Dad

Walking the labyrinth

The trampoline is always a highlight of a trip to Serenbe.

Time for a rest!