A little adventure

Last week Doug took a couple of days off from work and so we took the kids out of school and headed south for a little fun in nature. We have been trying to do this for years but every time we plan to go the weather really does not work with us. This time we were determined to go and we weren't going to let anything stop us. Although it was cold and rainy at our house, further to the south it ended up being a gorgeous day and perfect for this kind of adventure. The kids had to miss their Halloween parties at school, but I think we all agree that it was worth it.

 

Two nature loving boys.

 



This area was our favorite and the acoustics were amazing. We could have spent all day here just hanging out and playing in the sand.

 



This boy however was racked with disappointment. Apparently, despite all of our descriptions to the contrary, he thought that we were going to be going into actual dark deep caves and spelunking or something of that nature. So, with that kind of attitude lurking about it was necessary to put him in a little pre-teen time out so that he could find his happy place again. I am sure some deep contemplation took place in this rock crevice.

 



This boy was truly in his element. Leaves to crunch, dirt to roll in, and rocks to climb.

 

Sparky loves science and nature and is a walking encyclopedia and he never misses an opportunity to educate whomever is around. Here he is pointing out various water life in this pond and teaching his little brother all that he knows.

 



Hey, here's a cute nature girl.

 



This tunnel in the rock was as close to a "cave" as we actually got.

 



In the end, the adventure itself was enough to cheer this boy up. He ended up having a great time and is ready to go back again.

 



Thanks for the adventure my love. You are welcome to take a day off from work anytime.

Phone pictures from our apple picking adventure

Once again our beloved cousins drove up to go apple picking with us. It has become a yearly tradition and everyone here in this house absolutely loves it! The apples were a little off this year with the crazy hot and dry summer that we had, but we were still able to fill some bags and have a great time in the process.

Tiger just loves Mary. At some point in their relationship they played a game where Mary was the mother and Tiger was something else. Whatever Tiger was in the game is irrelevant because ever since that day Tiger has referred to Mary as his mother or "my mother Mary." It is adorable.

Apple picking isn't apple picking unless you climb the trees, for everyone knows that the best apples are at the top.

A picture of my love and I just to document the fact that we were both present during the outing.

After an hour of picking everyone was getting a little apple crazy and that exhibited itself in the form of piggybacks and general goofiness.

Tiger was apparently completely worn out from all of the "rigorous" walking and needed to take a little break.

Fortunately there was a mud puddle to be found. We tried to get the kids to bob for apples, but none of them were having it.

Hey, here's a cute little apple picker.

A picture of me, completely unedited and in all of my glory, just because I don't ever take pictures of myself.

My three little apple pickers. Note to self for next year. Golden Delicious apples turn mushy as soon as you pick them which means they are not very tasty for eating, but they make some tasty applesauce.

Brothers who love each other.

Brothers who throw apples at each other.

All of the kids. Yes, it was another fine apple picking experience and proof that there are some great things about Fall. We can hardly wait to do it again next year.

Feeling Lackluster

Last month was total and complete insanity and I was so excited for the month to end, sadly I did not know that this month would not be my favorite either. I went from going and going non-stop to being stopped in my tracks with my yearly headache marathon. I don't know why my body decided that I needed to have a headache marathon every Fall, but going into the 4th year of this I would just like to say that I am not a fan. I could feel the headache swimming around my head and kind of peeking out every now and then during the last week of September, but I was foolish. I was just too busy to recognize what was around the corner and now here I am, going into day number 11 and wondering how long this marathon is going to last. One month? Two months? Oh please, not three months. This headache is a royal bummer and it has taken away all of my energy and desire to do anything.

P.S. Laundry is the worst! If I ever decide to rename this blog it is going to be "I Hate Laundry". And then I will forever owe my kids quarters for using the word "hate".

P.P.S. If you were going to get a puppy, what kind would you get? You know, just for the sake of argument.

P.P.P.S. What are your favorite blogs to read? I need some new inspiration.

Some Photo Booth action to get you in the mood for Halloween