HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Flash and Captain America wish you a safe and Happy Halloween!

We enjoyed another fabulous Halloween! We started the evening at a great birthday party for our friend, Anne Hamilton. The boys got to wear their costumes to the party so they were already dressed and ready to go when we got home. We headed to a house or two in the neighborhood and then off to Muzzy and Boppa's for the festivities!

For those of you who don't know...I get my kookie ghoulish tendencies from my Momma. So we always go over there for Halloween because she does it up right!!! We ate our traditional chili with all the fixins. Got all dootied up and went Trick-or Treating. My Aunt Judy, Aunt Laynie and Cousin Renee joined all of us for the evening. The boys loved all the attention they got over their super-hero costumes with built-in muscles.

On their 1st Trick-or-treat mission

Mrs. Netta's house next door

Cousin Renee greets them as a black cat at Muzzy' house
Candy, Candy
And More Candy!

Shannon and I used to dress up every year...better yet we used to let my mom dress up in whatever she concocted. We've been King Tut and Cleopatra, Minnie Mouse, Mr. Potato Head...all sorts of stuff. This year we decided to join in the fun again.

Meet the Red-neck-wife-beating-tattooed man and his trashy-beauty-pageant-common-law wife!

(Disclaimer:While Shannon has put on a couple of extra LB's recently...he was adamant about me stating that he WAS forcing his belly out in this shot and the cigarette was NOT his. So he has not gone to the dogs completely.)

I got to experience wearing way too much make up and fake eyelashes, as well as a migraine from wearing a crown all night. Beauty really IS pain!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN FROM THE BAKER FAMILY!!!

Pumpkin Carving

Pumpkin Carving was a quiet event in the Baker house this year. No formal gathering of friends and family...just us. In case you haven't noticed...my vein of creativity has run dry recently. So...no monogrammed pumpkins like last year, sorry! Just plain ol' Halloween. OK so Shannon and I have our own little competition for our finished products. We let Sam and Fulton be the judges this year. You'll never believe it but...it was a tie. So I need to settle the score. Comment below the post where it says "comment" and let us know which one you like best. Neither are spectacular but it's just something that needs to done!

Who will you vote for?...

The Spooky Pumpkin Face
The Spooky Bat

All competition aside... we always have fun carving pupmkins! Sam and Fu decorated theirs with markers

After baths they ran outside to see their jack-o-lanterns all aglow!

Fu had to get one more look of the "Booky Hoween" outside before he went to bed

Our trip to the Pumpkin Patch

Sam and Fu found a great spot to pose for their annual Pumpkin Patch picture! Fulton shows off his oh so perfect pumpkin!
Sam found a great one too!

We made our annual trip to the TRUMC Pumpkin Patch. Sam and Fulton didn't spend near as much time hunting for the perfect pumpkin as they usually do. Our trip was made in record time. With Halloween being my favorite holiday, I savor every moment that I spend preparing for it! So...this was rather depressing for me! Shannon just doesn't get it!
As usual, we left with a momma, daddy, and two baby pumpkins and two pumpkin for carving. I can't wait!!!
More to come...

Pine Island Halloween Carnival

Flash, Captain America, and the Wizard Witch pose in front of the ominous clouds over the lake

Not only has Little Bo-Peep lost he sheep...She is not a fan of the camera and is clearly not happy!
Fulton does a trick with his sword...he's practicing to be an act in next year's carnival
Nana and Papa with Sam and Fu
HELP I've Fallen and I can't get up! The Bouncy Slide should post an age max! Instead of helping me get up, Shannon just stood there laughing and taking pictures! @#$%&!~
The cotton candy brigade (no, I didn't with-hold it from Fu...He's not a fan of the confection!)

Every year The Pine Island Club hosts the annual Halloween Carnival. And EVERY year it Rains! We end up trudging through the wet grass or not going at all. Well this year we were pleasantly surprised because it stopped raining early in the day and ended up being a beautiful night. There are so many fun things to do. They have rides and bouncy things, games, carnival food, a haunted hayride and costume contest. We love going and look forward to it each year. Sam and Fulton and Kirstin and Madeline stayed entertained the whole night and didn't EVEN want to go home. (Believe me...we heard it all the way from the dam to our driveway!) It was a great night!
More Halloween stuff to come!

Happy 15th (Dating) Anniversary!

I know, I know...How incredibly CHEESY!!!!! Well, the truth is...we acknowledge this Anniversary every year. It's the Anniversary of when we started dating. But I thought because it was 15 whole years it was a little special. Hence, the slide show. I thought I would attempt to entertain you with a Claudia and Shannon timeline. Here goes!!!!

• September 1991---SAT Math Class AC Flora High School... Claudia Tronco passes a note to Anna Rock Kirkland stating that she has decided to like Shannon Baker and that she needs some help stalking him at various venues... ACF Basketball games, Young Life meetings, Band Parties, Etc.
• September 1991-January 1992---Claudia, along with her P.I. friends Mason, Anna, Meredith, Helen, and Kathleen, pursue Shannon with a vengeance but he's not catching on!!!!
• January 1992---Claudia learns that Shannon is taking Drivers Ed instead of the follow up to SAT Math, SAT Vocabulary. She realizes she only has a few good months left to be in class with Shannon before he graduates from ACF. She tries to get herself into a Seniors Only Driver's Ed class by begging a pleading and crying to ACF guidance counselors. (It didn't work.)
• March 1992---Cathy Tronco picks Claudia up from ACF and informs her mother that the cute boy crossing the driveway is the boy she's going to marry.
• April 1992---Greg Hunter informs Shannon Baker that Claudia has been stalking him for some time now. We are all beginning to wonder if he is blind b/c he doesn't even have a clue!!!!
• May 1992---Shannon graduates and Claudia is devastated!!!! She fears she'll never see him again when he goes all the to college at USC. What will she do??????
• June 1992---Michael Tronco and his band, Incognito, play at the Cockpit. The bass player, Johnny Hancock, is one of Shannon's best childhood friends. Johnny asks Shannon to come along for the show. Claudia and Shannon eat breakfast at Capitol Cafe with friends after band job. I think he's finally catching on b/c the only seat left at the booth was CONVENIENTLY the one next to Claudia!!!! But they didn't see each other again for several months
• September 1992---Shannon comes back to an ACF football game to see his best friend, Patrick Able play football. Claudia and Anna were cheering and just knew he was there to see us cheer! We chatted after the game. He might actually be getting it!!!!
• October 1992---Claudia takes the SAT and heads to the College of Charleston afterwards with Helen and Kathleen to see ACF '92 friends now in college. Kathleen and Helen said there was a surprise for Claudia when we got there. Hmmmm...what could it be??? Shannon decided to go to Charleston with Johnny Hancock to CONVENIENTLY visit the same group of friends. Later that week Shannon took Claudia on their first date. We went to see Hellraiser II...how romantic!!!! And ended up back at Capitol Cafe.
• November 1992-September 1998---Claudia and Shannon continued dating with only one 72 hour break-up in 1995. CRISIS!!!!!!
• September 11th, 1998---Shannon proposes marriage and Claudia says YES!!!!
• June 5th, 1999---Claudia and Shannon are married at St. Joseph's Catholic Church

Any who...It's amazing that he has put up with me all this time!
Note to Shan:

Nothing is better than being married to your bestfriend! We've had so much fun in the past 15 years. I sometimes think it's funny that I used to doodle "Mrs. C. Shannon Baker" in my SAT math notebook. It's hard to believe that we DID get married and now have two sweet little boys. Thanks for letting me drive you crazy all these years. You're awesome!!!! And I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!!!

HAPPY 15th (dating) ANNIVERSARY!!!

Happy Birthday to Talitha!

Happy Birthday, "T"!!!

Thanks for being a great S-I-L!

Baby Kate

Welcome baby Kate! Michaela LOVEs her new baby sister

Katherine Linda Potts

Born: October 15, 2007

To Kevin and Lorri Potts

Sam's Birthday Party

HAPPY BIRTHDAY (AGAIN) TO A VERY FABULOUS FIVE YEAR-OLD!

We celebrated Sam's 5th birthday at the park. He wanted to invite his whole class. I have never done this before...and I learned very quickly why. Class+Playgroup+Family= A Whole Lot of People and Mass Confusion! I think I made 52 cupcakes and came home with about 8. HOLY COW!!!! I agree with everyone now...I am certifiably crazy!

Sam wanted a Ratatouille Party. So I did a little Chef theme. I made his invitations and favor labels. For their "chef" activity the kids (I) got to make ice cream sundaes and got Chef Hats as party favors. I think they liked them. They looked so funny running around the playground with them on.

Sam's Ratatouille Invitations

Sam's Favor Labels

He had a great day! All his little friends are so precious! He felt super special ALL WEEK!
We topped the night off with dinner at San Jose with Uncle Randy, Aunt T, Kirstin and Madeline.

Sweet Charlie!
Sam, Evan, and Duncan...Best Buds at KP
Here's the Ice Cream Sundae assembly line...It took an army!

Fu plays "pee-boo" on the jungle gym

Isabella takes a break and waits on some more cake and ice cream!

Duncan and Evan pose with their chef hats and sundaes

Now, we all know that no child needs this many presents...but there weren't any complaints from Sam!

WOW! Just what every 5 year old needs!!! A Nerf gun to shoot his brother with! Thanks MASON!!! You're the best! ;-)

Kirstin and Sam take a break from opening presents to pose for a picture

Sam got so many presents he didn't even mind letting Little Fu open a couple!

Happy 26th Birthday to Clayton!!!

Happy Birthday, "Major Barker"!!!!!

XXXOOO We love you! We hope the Corn Hole Champ has a great day!!!

Happy Birthday, Jenny!

Happy Birthday, Jenny!!!!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Happy 33rd Birthday to Me!

Shannon and the boys were so sweet! Shannon took them shopping to pick something out. Sam chose a lovely set of turquoise earrings and a necklace at Just the Thing. They were so proud! They also gave me a new Ipod Nano with my name inscribed on the back!!! I was so excited. The got me a cake and sang Happy Birthday to me. I was excited to receive many phone calls and cards as well!

Shannon made dinner arrangements with Brooks and David at Divino's. It was SUPER!!!!

Thanks to everyone who made my day very special!

And happy delivery day to my Mom and Dad!

(It looks like Shannon could have moved over a little.)

My Birthday dessert was apple pie a la mode. (Brooks and David still think it was a slab of Ham. Look at it...It does kinda look like it.)

The Fair

"Our State Fair is a great State Fair...Don't Miss it! Don't even be late!!"

(How many of you remember that little diddy?)

Fulton and His Dog in a stick

Family Affair on the Ferris Wheel

Sam and Mommy on the Chinese Dragon

Fulton and Daddy on the Bumble Bees---Poor Shannon can't handle it!

Fulton and His Lucky Duck

Sam and His Lucky Duck

Sam and Newton Grier

Ahh yes! Another year at the State Fair! Since most of you have been...you know the drill----
Well here's our drill---in this exact order.

1. Park at TNT sports -c/o Carter Ellis


2. Fried Mushrooms -Claudia & Shannon
   
3. Corn dogs -Shannon, Sam and Fulton


4. Pizza -Claudia


5. Ferris Wheel -The whole family
   
6. Various Kiddie Rides -Sam and Fulton


7. Various Big Kid Rides -Sam and Claudia (Shannon gets motion sickness)


8. FISKE French Fires -The whole family


9. Various Big Kid Rides -Sam and Claudia
   
10. Games -Sam, Fulton and Shannon


11. Cotton Candy -Shannon and Sam
    
12. Elephant Ear -The whole family
    
13. Candy Apple -Intended for Claudia but actually sits on the counter at home for week before I decide that I really don't want it or need it! Sam ate some of it this year though.


14. Bye Fair!!!! See you next year!

We saw sssssoooooo many people. We even bumped into the Grier Family and did our last lap with them.

This time of year just wouldn't be the same without the fair!!!! I love it!