Happy Halloween!

These are the cards we sent out this year.  The photo is from last year's Halloween costumes.  We are having our big "Hippen House of Horrors Film Festival" tonight!  I'm so excited!  There are 15 entries- most from here in this town, but at least 5 from other places in the U.S. of friends that we've had as we've moved along the way with Seth's career.  People are coming for the film festival at 8, or they can come earlier and join us for trick-or-treating or dinner (I'm making a bunch of soups).  I love Halloween!  Did you know?  haha

My Number One Favorite Dress!

Do you see this adorable picture of my parents from the 70's?  I loved my mom's dress in it (she bought it to wear to her brother's wedding). My mom use to let me wear it in high school in the 90's.  Guess what she surprised us with in her luggage when they got here? That same dress as a gift for my girls!  My number one favorite dress!  I can't believe she still has it!  I cried seeing Kenzie try it on.  She's wearing it to church today.  I'm so happy!  :)

Why I Come Alive Every Autumn

I took these photos yesterday on my morning walk through my neighborhood with my walking buddies.  Believe it or not I did not use a filter or alter these photos in any way.  The sky was just beginning to burst with light through stormy morning clouds and it was breathtakingly beautiful!  These still couldn't capture how vibrant the colors are here!  This is why I come alive every autumn.  Every time I look out my window and see this beauty I know it's my Father's way of telling me he loves me.  <3 p="">

POLTERGEIST :)

I have a strange daughter... after watching "Poltergeist" with us a few weeks ago, Makenzie decided she wanted her closet to feel like the kids' closet in the movie and she put a soft box light in there so it would glow around the door edges. Haha. Seth posed fun for this pic. Coincidentally she hasn't slept in there since (sleeping in the guest room/art studio). She just wants us to have a haunted closet as every good Halloween home should. I'm a lame mom and don't let her run that expensive light through the night especially in a room that no one is using. Lol

Magic Only Pip Could Provide

My new favorite photo. Yesterday after church the woods behind the parking lot called to us for an adventure. Pip said that once we crossed the little stone wall we'd receive powers! ... So of course we had to cross even though she saw goblins and trolls guarding it and we had to duck twice and hide behind a tree once. There was a little break in the wall that we jumped and instantly grew powers. Pip could turn invisible and defeat any bad guy and she said I could fly and shoot fire balls. I snapped this picture of her when I sat down on a rock and she said there was a troll behind me that she needed to defeat.  When we crossed the wall again to go home we had to give up most of our powers, but the good news is that next time we go we'll get new powers of farming and raking leaves. Hahaha. I love her imagination!

Here's a photo of the rock wall.  You'd never know such magic lay just beyond, would you?  :)  I think I'll make my whole family jump over it the next time if it will give them all powers to rake leaves.  I love the beauty of all the trees around us, but raking is my personal dragon to slay every fall.  

After posting the little story and picture of Pip on my facebook page I had a relative send me this photo of her that he tweaked in Photoshop.  You should have seen how happy it made her when I showed her this.  It's just what she was picturing!  I actually took a picture of her seeing it.  I'll post that below.  

Her reaction to Kyle's special effects!  Completely priceless.  I love her magic!