Field Trip to the Farm

Tuesday the 21st was fall field trip day for Crosby and Rhett.  I was sad that I couldn't go on both trips--I wish they had been on different days.  Rhett's 5th grade class went to the Discovery Center, and Crosby's Kindergarten class went to Rutlege-Wilson Farm.  Everyone had a great time.

C was really looking forward to his first school bus ride!  It just happened to work out that they had bus safety day on Monday, so he learned a lot and was prepared for the ride!  :)  

C's teacher had the class divided into groups, and I was asked to keep up with Crosby and three of his classmates.  That sounded simple enough, but as soon as they got off the bus I realized it was going to be more difficult than I thought!  Ha!  They pretty much ran full speed in four different directions for the entire day.  We had a great time though, and I made it back to the bus stop with the kids I was responsible for.  :)

The classes rotated through different stations of the farm, and our class did the hayride first.  This was Crosby's favorite part.  

The decorations were fun to look at along the way, like the giant hay bale spiders and chickens.  The kids were cute looking at everything.

Next we went to see the animals...pigs, goats, chickens, a donkey...

Later we had a farming lesson in the barn classroom.  I thought the red barn was pretty.  We had such nice weather that day.

The instructor told the kids about farm products and also introduced them to their guide pony for the blind, Firefly.  Everyone got a turn to pet him, which was very sweet.

And the playground area was wonderful!  The kids loved it!

I loved getting to spend the day with this sweet boy.  He is such a joy to me.  And I enjoyed getting to know his teacher and his friends better, too.

A great day on the farm!

October Days

My favorite month is going by too fast!  The fall colors are beginning to show, and I'm loving the cool mornings and warm afternoons.  

The boys playing catch one afternoon.

Alexee planted these flower seeds way back in the summer, and they finally bloomed last weekend--very pretty!  She was happy to see them in bloom.

Last Friday afternoon Rhett was invited to a classmate's birthday party so we dropped him off there then Alexee, Crosby and I went shopping for "Beanie Boos".  I didn't even know what Beanie Boos were until then, but I learned they are a popular toy among their friends so they wanted to use their allowance to purchase some of them.  They were both happy with their choices!  Rhett had fun at the party, and he had a make-up soccer game Friday night.  He's liking soccer--he told me tonight that he didn't want the season to end.

Saturday was a little bit crazy.  Here's what I thought the schedule looked like:
9:00 Crosby-soccer
10:00 Crosby-football
11:30 Rhett-soccer game 1
1:00 Crosby-soccer (make-up game)
3:15 Rhett-soccer game 2

So we had a rushed Saturday morning, C played soccer, we hurried across town to the football field...and saw his team packing up to leave.  The football game was actually at 9:00 also so we missed it.  I felt so bad for getting things messed up.  Ugh.  So we went home briefly then went to Rhett's game.  We found out at C's first game that the make-up was actually at 2:00 instead of 1:00, so that gave us a little time to run back home and eat lunch.  Lane had to go to work that afternoon, but my parents drove up to watch the last two games, came by the house for a little while then treated us to dinner!  It was a busy but good day!

The boys played hard and did great!  Alexee was a supportive sister.  She turned lots of cart-wheels on the sidelines and played with her new Beanie Boos. 

We were so glad Mom and Dad joined us!  Mom was trying to create a shield from the wind--the soccer fields are kind-of up on a hill and the wind was chilly!  Each game I added more layers, but I don't know that I ever got warm. 

Monday morning I went to a baby shower for a new friend.  It was a really fun time together.  I'm thankful for the sweet girls I've met here, and I can't wait to meet M's baby girl, Lucy!  The shower was at this neat little bakery--such a cute place, and the cake they made was delicious.

The first quarter of school ended last Friday, which is hard to believe.  Things have definitely seemed extra hectic lately--the weeks just fly by, but I'm thankful for every minute of it!

Lunch Dates and a Lost Tooth

Last week:

I had fun at school lunch with these two cuties on Wednesday!

after-school walnut gathering

Friday I helped with the spirit-week activities at Rhett's school.  They had a bounce house, popcorn and popsicle sales during the 4th-6th grade recesses.  I was glad to get to see Rhett then! (These are the only picture I took--it was too busy.)

It rained all weekend, canceling the soccer and flag football games on Saturday so we had a quiet day.  This gave Crosby time to make paper airplanes and play super hero dress up.  :)  Alexee and Rhett spent the majority of their day Face Timing friends in LR.

And the big news of the weekend,  CROSBY LOST HIS FIRST TOOTH ON SATURDAY!   :)  It was just barely hanging on,  so I asked him to close his eyes and let me pull it.  I was surprised that he agreed, but it popped right out and he said it didn't hurt at all!  He was super excited about it and couldn't wait to show his teacher and friends at school on Monday.  Can't believe he's big enough to lose teeth.  Seems like I was just watching those cute little teeth grow in.

He slept in R's room that night but left the tooth fairy a note on his bed so she could find him there...

...and she did!  :)

Fall Picnic

We had a windy but otherwise nice day for the picnic last Saturday!  This is a little family tradition that I love and look forward to each fall (Alexee & Jeryn were babies our first year--time sure flies).  We've done this for seven out of the last eight years, and the one we missed was just because the weather didn't cooperate.  Typically we try to meet at a state park somewhere, but this year we decided to get together at the cabin on White River.  The kids love it there (and so do we!) so they were happy with the plan.

Mario, Lane and the kids playing football, badminton & softball

Dad and my cousin, Lance, fried fish and boiled shrimp.  We also had slaw, baked beans, hushpuppies and fries.  It was all so good!

You might be curious why the clothing ranges from sweatshirts and hats to short sleeve Batman shirts and shorts.  Crosby doesn't seem to care what the temperature is, he wants to wear shorts and a short sleeve shirt (preferably an Under Armor super hero one).  I had a backpack full of warmer clothes for him in the car, but he never admitted to needing them. As much as he ran around I guess he probably never had time to get cold.

Cute buddies!

There is a creek that runs into the river there, so it's the perfect place for the kids to play because it is very shallow and not at all swift.  They had such a good time paddling the canoe around.

The timing usually works out for us to get to celebrate Dad's and Mario's October birthdays at the picnic.  Happy Birthday to them!

So thankful for every person in this photo!!!

Mo, Grandad & the kids

Happy Birthday, Grandad--we love you!

H: Haircut, Haiku, Homecoming & Happy B-day

My favorite month is here again!  I LOVE October!  The weather has been so nice and the leaves are just starting to turn--they should be beautiful in a week or two.

***

Last week Bogart got a much-needed haircut.  Here's a before and after photo-ha!

One afternoon I made sugar cookies for the kids.  (Well, Lane and I ate plenty too)  I've posted this recipe before, but it is one of my very favorite cookie recipes so I'm sharing it again.  (I half the recipe and it still makes a lot.)

Alexee came home from school one day with a Haiku poem that she had written in class.  She told me she was in the mood to go outside and write more poetry!  :)  She took the paint set out to the back porch and worked on her project, and Crosby wanted to paint with her.  

Poetry by Alexee:

Fall (#1)

There is orange and brown

Leaves are so fun to play in

It is Halloween

Fall (#2)

It is cooler now

Trees sway in the magic sun

Fun is in the fall

Friday morning I made a trip to Lola's to pick up the cake for the family picnic on Saturday.  These strawberry cakes are really good!  It was way more cake than we needed, but we were all happy to share the leftovers.  I just happened to notice that Red Poppy Boutique was right across the street from the bakery so I also made a quick stop there.  I'd seen Red Poppy on Facebook and thought it looked like a cute store.  I hope to go back soon for some fall clothes shopping.

I got back just in time to drop the cake off at home then pick the kids up from school and meet some friends at the playground.  We had fun playing there, then Rhett went to a friend's birthday party.  We picked him up from the party, had a quick dinner out then went to the homecoming football game.  It was chilly!  We didn't take enough warm clothes and blankets.  Rhett wore my jacket and the kids fought over the one small fleece blanket that we'd brought.  We didn't stay long, but it was fun to experience our first home football game here.  It definitely felt like fall!

Saturday we spent the day in Flippin for our annual family picnic--I always look forward to it!  (Separate post soon.)  It was a great day.  Sunday afternoon I took A & C to Silver Dollar City to celebrate Alexee's friend's birthday.  Rhett spent the night w/my parents Saturday so he didn't go, but Crosby and I tagged along with the birthday crew and had so much fun!  We went straight from there to get R (met my parents half-way and ate a quick dinner).  I have to admit, I was TIRED Sunday night!  It was such a great weekend, but it was definitely non-stop activity.  

Super thankful for these new friends!  Such a blessing.

This game was a highlight--everyone won a stuffed horse, which they were so excited about!

***

So these pictures don't really tie in with the "H" theme, but they do go along with my "I love October" statement.  :)

Porch decor that Alexee & I recently got at the pumpkin patch. 

And I've been painting a little bit:  the gray one for a friend and the other for us.