Fall Recap

We seem to have a lap-cat.

Or maybe she just doesn't want to miss out on ANYTHING.

Kind of like this little girl as well.

Our final weekend of camping at Pammel Park.

 And of course, Halloween.

Pumpkin Ranch

Molly mentioned she wanted to go to a pumpkin patch.  

I remember those places costing a ridiculous amount of money which doesn't even include the pumpkin.  

But then I started to think this could be the last year I'd have a kid asking to go to a pumpkin patch, so I let her invite her best friend.

We started in the corn maze but got bored so we decided to cheat our way out through the corn rows.  

We walked through the food truck area and naturally had to stop for snow cones and kettle corn.  

The corn pool was fun, but packed with toddlers and probably swimming with strep throat and Covid. 

The girls decided they were too big for the zip line, and not interested in waiting in line for the jump pillow or horseback rides.  The slide had a nasty bump that hit your back weirdly and toddler town was clearly a no-go.  

And fortunately for the bank account, the girls had ZERO interest in hiking out to the pumpkin patch for a pumpkin.

Some things you just outgrow.  

So odds are, this was my last year as a mom taking my kid to the pumpkin patch.  

It turns out I blinked and no longer have little kids.  

I've said it again and I say it a thousand times, the days are long but the years are short.

Wordless Wednesday

Friday Night Lights

Who would've guessed our shy little Moo would be our social butterfly. 

Last week was the pink-out football game at the school and look who's looking pretty in pink.  

It's no secret football has nothing to do with Friday night lights in 6th grade.

These are the days you feel your first moments of independence. Where you hear all the classmate drama, smell the overpowering smell of grilled hamburgers in the air, feel your toes and fingers may freeze brittle and break, yet know you have a $10 bill stashed in your phone case to blow at the concession stand. 

Oh goodness, these are the days...  

And in true Maisie fashion, she had ZERO interest in being at a football game on a cold Friday night.  

She makes a great chauffeur though, and a happy one as long as she has her music in her ears!

Asterisks, North Korea and the Budget

Jayson hadn't emptied his 'take home' folder since the beginning of the year.  I found all sorts of surprises in there last night.

I LOVE his use of the asterisk in the below writing.

Notice North Korea was his topic of choice...

And the stories continue.  

Unfortunately, he's convinced his 'biological parents are rich but sadly blew the budget'

Ross is helping him learn double digit multiplication.  

According to Jayson, it's called the standard algorithm.  

This kid makes life extra interesting.

The Campout

Molly's been craving tent camping ever since we sold the camper last spring.  

I can't say I blame her.  

There's just something about family time, fresh air, different snacks and drinks, and being one with nature.  

So we reserved a site at Pammel Park and made it happen.

Molly hauled most of the equipment out of the basement and set up her own tent as well as all 4 disco bed cots.

Maisie relaxed.

But she got the urge to get a few push-ups in after the tents were set up.

Setting up camp for 6 people is intense. 

One has to consider the fact that people eat way more food than they realize.  I pre-made chili at home and brought hot dogs for chili dogs.  Everyone liked it except Molly's friend didn't eat chili and Ross wouldn't try it and refused to eat a hot dog without barbecue sauce so he went home and everyone except Molly's friend woke up with significant gas in the morning.

Jayson explained how RecRoom is now selling gift cards up to $200 in the US ONLY, and how he hacked into the school website and made a call to the FBI to report suspicious activity keeping us all on the edge of our seats around the campfire Friday night.

Guzzling Solo cups of pop out of 2-liters just feels like the right thing to do at a campsite...

. I think Maisie is mid-swallow in this shot.

They know I don't buy pop at home.

And it wouldn't be a good time if we didn't have dancing.  

I think this may have been a tik-toc- not positive though because the smoke was rolling into my face.

Camping in October also requires one to consider the temperature.  This means pads for those sleeping on the ground as at least 2 lawn-and-leaf bags overflowing with flannel sheets and old comforters. 

Maisie woke up Sunday with 3 numb middle toes which had also turned white. 

We propped her foot up on a piece of firewood in the morning and let the campfire thaw her out.

We could have EASILY stayed home, watched a true crime documentary, and gotten things done around the house.  

Instead, we overpacked clothes which all need to be washed because everything smells like smoke, hauled 2 truckbeds full of cots, tents, food, drinks, firewood, bedding, warm clothes, chairs - did I mention all the bedding..., I lost my left contact through the night which made me empathize with Jayson's vision, and almost lost Maisie's toes.

And now we're home, with the washer and dryer getting a workout, the smell of campfire still lingering in our hair, and memories of that October weekend we tent camped in Winterset. 

The Dance

Is there anything as nostalgic, anxiety-inducing, or awkward as gearing up for a freshman dance?  

Who's going with who, where will you eat, who's in your group, will you be asked, and if you are, will it will brutally awkward...

Maisie didn't physically go to her freshman homecoming dance this year.  

Instead, she stole the best parts of a high school dance and spent them with her best friend.  

Maisie had 3 dresses to choose from.  The dress she's wearing in the below photo is not the one from the actual dance night.  This was just a trial dress-up day.  

I couldn't resist taking her picture.

The night of the dance, they dressed up with full hair and make-up, took photos together, went to the Dollar Store to try on funny Halloween masks, recorded themselves doing a fun snack challenge, danced outside under the stars to their favorite songs, and laughed their heads off while stalking their classmates through Snapchat who were at the dance hiding out in the bathrooms.

I think she may be the smartest freshman I know.  

Frisbee

                          This frisbee is supposed to be indestructible. 

                                  Indestructible frisbee, meet Jasper.

I always thought dogs bring the frisbee back to its owner so it can continue playing frisbee…

Not Jasper.  He likes to bring it back, but not let you get it. 

Side note: Ross is not fighting Jasper with flames. So is that an orb shaped like a sword in the next 2 photos?

Either way, I think it’s time for a new frisbee.

My nature and God post

 I've come to realize if it's meant to be, it will be.  God gets the final word in most things and His timing can't be rushed.

I didn't plant pumpkin seeds this year.  But the biggest and most beautiful pumpkin vine took off ON ITS OWN along our goat fence this fall.  

The way the small vines twist and spiral, almost desperate for something safe to grasp onto is often how life can feel.   

Yet hidden in the shadows of the leaves and the vines is where we find the fruit of the plant.  

You have to really look for them, because they almost seem hidden.

And although it's probably too late in the season, God decided to let a tomato plant grow in the goat yard this fall as well.  

My pink rose bushes always seem to do amazing during the summer and fall.  

My yellow roses have been on the struggle bus, and I almost cut the plant off this summer when it seemed dried out.

But within the past week or 2, these beauties have taken off. 

Just another example of trusting in Gods perfect timing.  

And being grateful for things big and small.