Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween

Have I ever mentioned how awesome my mom is? Well, she is. I'm pretty sure she is the best. She's the one that came up with the idea for Christmas in October this year...which has been a hit as far as I can tell from all the feedback you guys have given me!

She also came up with the idea for us to take Brody to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Disney this past Thursday night.  This was Brody's first trip to Disney World, and it was my first time celebrating Halloween with a big mouse. It was also Brody's first time riding any sort of amusement park ride.  Yes, the night was epic.

Sadly, the night was also dark AND filled with vivid lights.  "Sad" because I just don't have enough experience with my camera to know how to take the amazing pictures I was hoping for of Brody's first time at the Magic Kingdom.

On top of being sentimental, I'm a photo junkie...I wanted more and I wanted better quality! These were the only salvageable shots I took that night.

Riding the train to Magic Kingdom

Brody's free ride {from Wynni} to the castle

Ahh! Lot's of pumpkins!

Mickey's "Boo To You" Halloween Parade

Brody's very 1st ride...It's a Small World.  He was mesmerized.

My all-time favorite ride...Peter Pan. Though I didn't remember it being so short!

Waiting in line for the Winnie The Pooh ride.

Brody was very unhappy when he had to get off of Winnie The Pooh.  He was clutching onto the safety bar trying his best to keep JimPop from taking him off.

The Tigger my mom bought for him to make him forget he had to get off the ride. Call me a bad parent, but I think it's okay to spoil your child a little at Disney World. It's a magical place, right?!

The Tea Cups.  The boys enjoyed this one while us girls watched from the sidelines. {We are prone to motion sickness}

My favorite boys and my favorite picture of the night.

The only family pictures we took that night. I'm so bummed! I can't blame my parent's though....if I can't figure out how to take a good night picture with my camera, how can I expect them too?!

So I'm begging all of you...how do you take good night pictures with your DSLR???

Oh Snap!shots of the Week {4}

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If this is your first time linking up you can check out the details about this party here.

There are some really great blogs participating, so be sure to mingle a little and check out at least two other bloggers linked up this week. 

I have added a "like" button below each picture.  If you see a picture you like, please press the button.  The picture with the most votes or "likes" will get a special mention on my blog next week! {Feel free to send your friends and followers over to vote for your picture.}

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This week it was really hard to choose my favorite photo.  We are in Florida and have done so many fun things already, resulting in soooooo many pictures that could qualify as my favorite.  But since I already shared some of my favorites this week here and here, and because I plan on sharing the pictures of our time on the beach and at Disney in a post of their own, I am settling on these two pictures of Brody feeding the ducks and birds at the lake.

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You guys took some really great photos last week. Here was everyone's favorite...

This darling photo was taken by The Buckeroomama.

Buckeroomama, this badge is for you!

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And since I promised to show you my favorite each week...

This cute little farm boy belongs to Mindie at Bacon Time.
Very vintage! Feel free to grab your badge, Mindie.

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Now it's your turn to make us say OOOOH! and AAAAH! Who knows, maybe your picture will be featured next week!

Christmas in October

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Don't forget to enter my current giveaway {click here} to win an adorable candy corn or Hershey kiss knit hat for baby.

Also, be sure to stop by Friday to link-up your photo at Oh Snap!shots of the week.

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Happiness is...{Christmas in October}

Since we aren't sure if we will be in the States for Christmas (a story for another time), my parents created a mock Christmas for Brody the other night. My mom made a Christmas dinner before we all gathered by the tree to watch Brody unwrap his gifts from "Wynni and JimPop."

 He was thrilled to get new Thomas and Friends toys.

 And he loved this little train set that his Uncle Josh and Aunt Anna brought back from overseas.

 Brody felt like a big boy as he helped the guys put together his new Thomas train table.  My parents bought the table, tracks, and train to stay at their house so that he will always have something to play with when he visits.  This is nice for us too because it means we don't have to pack many toys when we come down to Florida.

 And once it was all put together he made sure to test it out......He has been testing it ever since.

It was a lot of fun celebrating Christmas for Brody in October. Now we are left to enjoy the Christmas tree and decorations....while making plans for Halloween. {okay, it's kinda weird}

Adoration

We are in Florida once again, where Brody is soaking up all the adoration of his grandparents.

Brody and his Wynni

Brody with Grandma and Grandpa Johnson

Brody with his JimPop

Yes, that is a Christmas tree in my parents' house....in October.  More on that later!

Giveaway: ADORABLE knit hats for baby!!!

Oh my goodness, I cannot tell you how excited I am about this week's giveaway! I think my uterus is literally doing flips right now!

Melody from Oh Baby dot com has so graciously offered to sponsor this giveaway, and I could not be more thrilled. Melody is one of the first sellers I did business with on Etsy, and she remains one of my absolute favorite sellers to work with.  Her business practice is phenomenal as she goes above and beyond to make sure you get the product you desire...all while giving you the "mom and pop" shop feel.  When you buy from her, you've made a friend!

Check out this Bumble Bee hat that I ordered from Melody for Brody's 1st Birthday Bug Bash invitation last year. 

But it's not just Melody's warm spirit and business etiquette that I am excited about. {I know it seems like it}  I'm excited about her adorable products.  I really don't have to sell you on this giveaway because her handmade hats, booties, and blankets do all of the bragging for me.  Check out my favorite products from her shop:

 Would this not seriously make for the cutest Christmas card ever? And I'm pretty sure if you paired it with these OH SO YUMMY booties, you wouldn't get any Christmas shopping done {because everyone in the stores would be oogling over your baby}.

 This hat/bootie combo set would be perfect for a newborn photo session.

 If I were a professional photographer, I would most definitely be ordering this one for a newborn photo prop. Just slip a little cutie into the "pod" with only his/her head popping out and plop the matching hat on top. Viola! Cuteness in a pod!

 Melody also sells handmade knit blankets in her shop which I think would make the perfect baby shower gift...and boy do I have a lot of those to buy in just a few short months! Is it just me or is everyone pregnant? {Give me a swig of that water!}

But enough oooohing and ahhhhing. {for now} 

One lucky winner will receive his/her CHOICE of one of the following hats:

Candy Corn Hat

Hershey Kiss Hat {wire ribbon on top reads: "With Love"}

I told you this giveaway is A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E.

So what do you have to do to win?

1. MANDATORY: Leave a comment below letting me know you are a follower of Happily Mother After. If you aren't a follower already, become a follower by clicking here then leave me a comment to let me know you are a new follower. Easy Peasy!
2. OPTIONAL: If you have a blog of your own, you can earn one additional entry by blogging about this giveaway on your blog and providing a link back to Happily Mother After. {You don't have to do a special post...just slip it into something you are already posting about.} Make sure to let me know you have done this by sharing the link in a comment.

***Ship-to address must be in the continental U.S.***

I will stop taking entries on Monday at midnight and the winner of the giveaway will be announced on Tuesday, November 1st. Be sure to check Tuesday's post to see if you are a winner. If I don't get a response from the winner within 72 hours I will move on to the "runner-up."  Good luck!!!

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Also, be sure to check out my brand new Party Page {click here} and link-up your child's birthday party, holiday party, or any other party you created. Go on, inspire the rest of us! {And BE inspired while you browse}  Remember, the party page is brand new, so check back often to see what new party genius has linked up.

Oh Snap!shots of the Week {3}

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*****************************************

If this is your first time linking up you can check out the details about this party here.

There are some really great blogs participating, so be sure to mingle a little and check out at least two other bloggers linked up this week. 

I have added a "like" button below each picture.  If you see a picture you like, please press the button.  The picture with the most votes or "likes" will get a special mention on my blog next week! {Feel free to send your friends and followers over to vote for your picture.}

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On Saturday we took Brody to the Cagle's Family Farm with his Aunt Jessi and Uncle Shane to enjoy their Fall festivities.  We enjoyed the pumpkin patch and took a hayride {Brody's first} out to an open field to roast marshmallows on a bonfire.  They also have a bounce pillow built into the ground for all of the kids to jump their little hearts out....Brody did just that.  Here are my favorite pictures from our day at the farm:

Last week, you guys voted for your favorite picture at the party.  We had a tie for first place!

 White Autumn by Naomi at The Incomplete Works of Anselm

Strolling with the Girls by Breena at Life As This Mommy Knows It

Great pictures, Naomi and Breena!

Feel free to grab this badge for your blog!

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And, since it's my party, I'm going to give a special mention to my favorite photo of the party each week.  This photo was taken by Becky at Rub Some Dirt On It.

So cute, Becky!

Feel free to grab this badge for your blog!

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1-800-{UPGRADE}

Brody and I have officially entered the 21st Century.  That's right....we both got smartphones today!  For those of you that don't remember phones before they had an IQ greater than your toddler, this is what they looked like:

My old phone                                        Brody's old phone

If I had a dollar for everytime I had to ask someone to look up directions or something else on their smartphone for me, I could have bought Brody's entire preschool class a smartphone a long time ago. 

So, needless to say, we were thrilled to enter into the 21st century with the rest of you, and leave the 90's far, far, far behind. 

My new phone                                      Brody's new phone

Jonathan, I can't wait for you to join us! :)

Pumpkin Vase

Last week I put together a little Fall gift for someone. I went to Pinterest for some "pin"spiration and saw a really cute vase that someone had made by covering a wine bottle with Hemp rope.  I went to the store, bought the Hemp, came home and decided I wanted the vase to be a little more festive since the theme of the gift was "Fall."   So I went back to the store, bought some yarn and created this pumpkin vase from a bottle of lemonade.

I wrapped the bottle from bottom to top, using Elmer's glue to secure it in place. I used a lot of glue at the top and bottom {every wrap around} and less glue in the middle {only every 4-5 wraps around the bottle}.  I didn't have to worry about being precise with the glue either because it dried clear. Easy peasy! Wouldn't it look cute with some branches in it?

I also decoupaged a small cardboard letter "A" for Autumn with some scrapbook paper.  The directions for making this letter are very similar to how I made the large letter "R" for my SIL's wedding {find it here}, but since the letter was much smaller I didn't have to do all the patchwork....much easier!  I also just painted a wooden leaf to decorate the letter instead making paper flowers. Again, much easier.

Then I filled a mason jar with the ingredients needed to make Cranberry Hootycreeks and wrapped up a cute set of pumpkin measuring cups that I bought at half price (which I forgot to get a picture of...they're hiding in the candy corn bag).  I think it turned out to be a cute little gift for the season.

What do you think?