Weird and Exotic Pumpkins

Fall is here in NC although the 80 degree temperatures outside may not be too convincing.  Our little family always loves fall because there are so many great, fun things to do around town.  One of our traditions is to head to a local pumpkin patch and have a little fun.  We've checked out several in the area, and this year we went to one we had never been to before, Ganyard Hills Farm.  

We arrived, and we're always a little taken aback by how much pumpkin patches cost.  So, as Ian and I were paying our money, we were really hoping that it would be worth it.  And of course, our pumpkin patch trips never disappoint, so neither did this one.  We started off checking out some of the little kid activities at the entrance.  The amazing thing that we noticed this year was that our boys were some of the oldest going down the tube slide and playing in the huge corn pit.  How did that happen?  The boys had a great time, and I did indeed find a few corn kernels at home that had fallen out of the kids clothing!

Next, we wandered off in search of a corn maze.  At first, we headed into what we thought was a corn maze.  Turns out we were just wandering in a corn field, but Dad, the crop expert, found some corn to show the boys what it actually looked like on the plant.  We passed through a cotton field on the way to the hayride which we found out was the way to the actual corn maze.  The hayride dropped us off at one side of the corn maze and drove off to the other side to pick us up.  Fortunately, this maze was not too tricky and the boys quickly led us through to the other side.  

We hitched a ride on the hay wagon back to the farm.  Since we had checked out the rest of the patch it was time to pick out our pumpkins.  We saw the field with the regular pumpkins, then we saw a big patch labeled "Weird and exotic pumpkins".  The sign did not lie, it was filled with the strangest assortment of pumpkins that we had ever seen from the lumpy and bumpy to the black and misshapen.  We all had a ball wandering through the field searching for the perfect pumpkin for each of us.  We came home with a lumpy, warty green one, a small green and orange one, a perfectly white pumpkin, and a smooth yellow one.  Can you guess which person picked each pumpkin? (answers revealed in the pictures)  Now, as Halloween rapidly approaches we're looking at the difficult prospect of carving these beauties!

(monkeying around)

(lounging in the corn pit)

(smile...)

(...or just make a silly face)

(Which way should we go?)

(losing ourselves in the maze)

(So this is how you pick corn, huh Dad?)

(Ian-warty, Benny-small, Benny sized one that he could hold himself, Katy-white, Evan-the only yellow one in the patch, or so he claimed)

Communing with Nature

Last fall, our little family went on our first camping trip ever.  We went with a bunch of other families from our church and had a great time.  However, since we had never gone before and were honestly not quite sure how we would like it, we borrowed all of our gear.  We also were lacking in several key things.  I forgot pillows for the grown ups, Ian didn't have a sleeping bag, and we didn't have any sort of air mattress.  I think the grown ups had one of the miserable night's sleep that we've had in a long time.

So, this year, we decided to take the boys back out for the camping trip, except this year, we were getting our own stuff.  Ian scoured Amazon and we ended up with a new tent, air mattress, and sleeping bags.  We were ready.  We drove up with a thunderstorm looming and we knew we would get rain sometime while we were there.  I was a big nervous about being out there in a muddy mess.  Plus, if the campfire got rained out, Evan would be devastated, Evan is a big fan of fire.  We did get a little rain overnight, but since we were dry in our fancy tent when it happened, it didn't end up spoiling anything during our trip.

We arrived that afternoon and put up our tent.  Turns out, Ian might have overestimated on the tent size a bit.  I think we could fit a small army in there, but it was certainly nice when it came time for sleeping.  We could partition the boys off in one section, come in and out without disturbing them, and sleep in our own section.  It was pretty nice.  Plus, the air mattress was on our side, so I slept much better than I did last time.

Once our tent was set up it was pretty much time for dinner, so after a quick dip in the lake to get covered in mud, the boys got started on setting up the fire.  The fire is always Evan's favorite part of any camping trip and there were some other kids there that felt the same way, so everyone had a lot of opinions on how to start the fire.  They were building caves for their sticks in the fire and adding pine cones, pine needles, and whatever else they thought would start the flames.

The flames were quickly started, and we skewered our hot dogs and enjoyed a delicious dinner.  The boys didn't care about their dinner though, they were waiting for dessert.  So, after everyone had eaten their dinner we got out the s'mores.  Evan especially loved toasting the marshmallows and devouring them.  I think he might have inherited Gram's love of all things burnt.  After s'mores, things started winding down the the kiddos actually happily went to bed in the tent.  Benny went first, and Evan stayed up telling stories with his Daddy for a few more minutes.  After both boys were sleeping, we were able to sit outside the tent and have a nice relaxing time chatting with some other parents, how fun!

The next day, of course started early with the sun.  I realized that we had forgotten the granola bars, so breakfast consisted of the same thing as lunch would be-peanut butter sandwiches. That's ok, the kids didn't seem to mind.  That day we enjoyed playing ball in a field, getting muddy on the beach then chilly in the lake, scavenger hunting in the woods, and of course, fire tending.  Everyone had a great time, and we were happily tired by the time the afternoon rolled around.  Unfortunately, we had to head home so I could prepare for my triathlon the next day, but at this point, I think one day of camping was plenty for us.

I know everyone is definitely looking forward to our next trip though.

(the taj-ma-tent)

(our fancy accommodations)

(fire!)

(sunrise over the campsite)

(kiddos at the fire)

(Next time we camp, will we have to hunt for our own food?)

Going to the Lodge

So, I really, really hoped that the boys would have a great first week at school.  For a little further insurance for a good week I told the boys that if they did well and behaved in their first week of school, there would be a big surprise that weekend.  They didn't forget the offer.  All week, the boys-especially Evan-kept asking what the surprise was, but Ian and I wouldn't tell.  Then, on Friday after a fantastic first full week, we finally had to spill the beans.  We were taking the boys to Great Wolf Lodge, the indoor water park.

They had definitely heard of Great Wolf from various commercials, and I had been wanting to go for a long time. Aunt Candice who was equally excited about checking it out, was going to bring Uncle Reid and meet us there, so it was bound to be a great weekend!

The next day we drove down to Great Wolf which was about a two hour drive.  Check in was quite a process, but it turns out that they oversold the type of room we got so they upgraded us to a bigger room with two separate bedrooms.  Turns out this was a double edged sword.  I had mistakenly told the kids that we had one of the rooms with kid bunk beds.  They were very excited.  Turns out, I had instead reserved the boring room with two double beds.  So, the upgrade to the bigger room did not have bunk beds.  The boys were a big bummed when I first told them, but when I told them they would have their own room and balcony they were a little appeased.

We couldn't check in to our room yet so we just headed straight into the water park which is what Great Wolf is famous for.  The boys' eyes immediately lit up.  While they had to get a red wrist band which meant they couldn't go on the biggest water slides (Evan was 1/4 of an inch too short), they couldn't have been happier because they wouldn't have wanted to go on the big slides anyway.  We put all of our dry clothes in a locker and were ready to play.

The first thing that we saw was their huge bucket sitting on top of one of the biggest slide/play structures.  Every five minutes or so, the huge bucket would tip, dumping tons of water on waiting people below.  It made Evan very nervous at first and he kept looking up as he was walking around, making sure that the big bucket wasn't about to dump water on him.  The first slides that we went to were in the structure under the bucket.  I followed the boys up there and immediately, I was being sprayed by water guns and splashed by various dumping buckets coming from everywhere.  we sprayed the guns at people for a little while, then Evan decided to go down the slides but Ben didn't really want anything to do with it.  Evan had a great time and we were all ready to go explore the rest of the place.

Over the rest of the day we floated in the wave pool, went to the little kids' area where we played with the mini sprayers and mini slides, the boys practiced leaping across a pool on lily pads, the grown ups checked out the bigger water slides, and the boys even found their own "fort" where they could spray and dump water on all of us as long as they wanted.  Oh, and by the end of the day, Evan had made friends with the water bucket and spent a lot of time hanging out just on the edge of its splash zone just waiting for it to dump.  It was his favorite part of the whole park.

Finally, our little group started to wear out, so we went to check out our room and get changed for dinner.  That's the great thing about our stay at Great Wolf, the fun continued after we left the water park.  The boys ended up loving checking out their own room, complete with their own balcony.  Then, we had our dinner at a buffet with unlimited mac and cheese and complimentary dessert.

Finally, we got to finish up the evening at the arcade.  Ian grumbled that Great Wolf Lodge was one of those places that should probably just have a trash can where parents could throw there money because the opportunity for spending money were around every little corner.  However, we limited our spending to a small amount at the arcade that night and had a great time.   Everyone enjoyed a little Skee Ball, and be boys enjoyed a few race car games.  The boys spent their piles of tickets on a few teeny prizes and we all happily headed off to bed.  Uncle Reid and Aunt Candice said their goodbyes and went back to their home to get some sleep after our exciting day.

The next day started off with donuts and continued with more of the same.  The boys hit their stride, Ian brought out the waterproof video camera, and we had another great day playing in the water.  Finally, we were all worn out and it was time to go home.  The boys and Ian and I all agreed, it was a great way to celebrate a fabulous first week of school and we would definitely have to find something to celebrate and head back again soon.

(We're here!)

(This family is ready to have some fun!)

(a view of the wave pool)

(The structure with the big bucket on top)

(Evan gets to know the big bucket.)

(Ben rides some waves.)

(Girls with wolf ears)

(little racers)

(Uncle Reid and the boys show off their prizes.)

(Happy Boys)

Another Year Begins

Oh, did we have a wonderful glorious summer!  We packed those three long months with so much fun that I have to tell you, I was a bit tired by the end of it all.  However, all good things must come to an end, and eventually, our summer did come to an end.

This was a big year too.  I was a bit nervous about it all.  Benny would be starting his last year of preschool-the oldest class in the school, how did that happen?  And Evan would finally be starting Kindergarten at Creekside, our big local elementary school.

There was a lot of preparation to make sure the year started off smoothly.  Ben's school had a meet the teacher day where he got to come in, see the classroom, meet his teachers, and hang out with his classmates, both new and returning.  Ben had a great time, as expected, and loved meeting Mr. Joe and Mrs. Myra.  There was also an open house for the parents where Ian went to meet the new director and the teachers.  However, it was the same night as the Kindergarten one so we had to split up.  I imagine that will happen a lot as time goes on.

Creekside was also doing its part to get us ready.  We got our supply list and headed over to Target to buy our supplies-always one of my favorite parts of going back to school.  Then, he had a meet the teacher day where he got to go in and briefly meet Mrs. Joshua-Wilson and her assistant Mrs. Viola.  They all seemed very nice, and he even got a tour of the school from our older neighbors, Izzy and Carolyn.  That day was followed by a parent open house (the same night as Benny's) and a day where they came in briefly to be assessed by the teachers.

Finally, after all the preparations, the first days of school had arrived.  I was so nervous about Evan starting school.  I was worried that he would like it and that he would have a nice teacher.  He was a little nervous, but more excited than anything.  They started him gradually so the students could all get used to everything.  He went with half of the other students on Wednesday, then stayed home on Thursday, then the whole class had their first day together on Friday.  On the first morning, Ian and I came to school and dropped him off, stopping to capture all of the appropriate first day of school moments.  I did very well and held it together the whole time, maybe because I had Benny with me.  When I went to pick him up in the carpool line, I was so nervous.  He got in the car, and lo and behold, he had a good day!  Hooray!  We finished the first day off with a celebratory dinner at the Cheesecake Factory where Evan ate so much that he almost exploded!

A few days later, it was time for Ben to start.  All of us were much more relaxed on that day because he was very familiar with the school-we were starting our 5th year there as a family!  However, I didn't know how he'd react to being dropped off.  Even last year, he was a little hesitant to go to school and would hang on my leg outside the classroom door.  He'd be fine once he was dropped off, but I didn't know how everything would go at first.  Turns out I had absolutely nothing to worry about.  He walked right back to his classroom and I had to chase him inside for a hug!  He loves his new class, teachers and classmates.  He came home and we all enjoyed a celebratory meal of breakfast for dinner-Benny's choice, of course.

So, our year was officially started, and so far so good.  Both boys are enjoying their classes.  I debated and debated about where and when to send Evan, but looking back I feel like I definitely made the right decision.  While he was definitely not ready last year, he was ready to thrive this year.  He still complains about the "days being so big" sometimes and hasn't yet made that best friend in his class, but he enjoys it and that's what counts.

Ben is still running into class without a look back.  He loved his classmates, and has befriended all of the new students.  He seems to be the social butterfly of the group because parents are always coming up to me and saying how much their child talks about and likes Ben.  I'm glad that it's so easy for him to make friends and that he's so kind to people.

I'm so proud of both of my big boys!

(walking in to Evan's school)

(Evan and his teacher, Mrs. Joshua-Wilson)

(starting on his schoolwork)

(celebrating a successful day)

(posing on the first day)

(In front of the school-ready to go in)

(for comparison's sake-here's last year's shot)

(big boy posting on his first day)

(Here's last year's shot for Evan-it's amazing how fast they grow!)

Three Bears with Benny

For most of the summer, the boys and I got to spend all day, everyday together adventuring in one place or another.  However, there was one particular week where Evan was at his Schoolhouse of Wonder camp, and I had Benny all to myself.  It's always nice to have days when I get to spend one-on-one time with either kiddo.

One day during that particular week, Ben and I decided to go on a little adventure of our own.  We headed up to a little place called Three Bear Acres.  It is one of the best kid play places that I've ever been to.  Ben and I got to just play hard all day long.

(we jumped...)

(we played puppets...)

(we slid...)

(we swung...)

(we climbed...)

(we got a little wet...)

And we had an absolute ball!  

One Last Day at the Beach

As the summer was wrapping up, the kids and I weren't quite done with our days in the sun.  So, before school started, we scheduled one more beach day with their best buddies Nathan and Anna.  We didn't quite know how it would go to drive three hours to the beach with just two grown ups and four kiddos-not the best odds, but we were up for the challenge.

So, on that Friday morning, Nathan and Anna and their mom Kara arrived at our house before 7.  The kids were so excited.  We hopped in the van, loaded our mountains of gear, and were off.  The drive was fairly uneventful and with a couple of movies in the back seat, before we knew it, we had found parking and were at the beach.

While it was not a quick process for Kara and I to lug the bags, cooler, tent, kiddos, etc. out to the beach.  We took the kids out to the beach to start having fun while Kara and I were ferrying gear, and it worked out perfectly.  We were so proud that we were also able to get that big tent up all by ourselves.
Then, it was time to play.  This particular spot at Wrightsville Beach was perfect because there was a shelf of beach out in the water which stopped most of the big waves.  So, the kids were able to hop out on their boogie boards and play in the waves without being taken down by too many big ones.  They loved the chance to be at the beach with their buddies.  Evan and Nathan loved boogie boarding in the ocean and later, trying to catch birds on the shore, while Anna and Benny liked playing in the sand and splashing in the waves.  Anna was having so much fun that she even wore out at one point and had to take a quick nap in the sun with her mom.

We ate our picnic lunch under our tent on the beach and played all day long.  In the afternoon, the waves started getting a little rougher and we finally decided that it was time to call it a day.  So, we started the long process of hauling our stuff back out to the car.  I was trying to take down our tent, and two college guys next to me were nice enough to offer to help.  Then, I realized that I was probably not that good looking chick who they were trying to flirt with but instead I was that older lady next to them with the kids that needed help.  Oh well, I didn't mind the assistance.

Finally, we got all the kids hosed off and in the car.  We made a quick stop for some happy meals on the way out of town and watched movies all the way back to Durham with only one small hiccup when Benny didn't quite make it to the restroom and soaked Kara's car seat, ewww.  Oh well, if that was the worst that happened, I say that it was a pretty successful trip!

Maybe we'll do it again next year!

(our view for the day)

(the big boys try to catch some fish)

(the little ones pose in the shallows)

(what a groovy group!)

(Boogie boarding boys)

(Anna takes a little rest with Kara.)

(more wildlife hunting)

(playing in the sand)

(just walking on the beach)

(What a crazy group!)

And for a little flashback....here's a few pics I found of these kiddos from a few years ago.  They've grown up just a little...

(The two big boys took some gymnastics together)

(Take a look at Anna and Benny playing in a little more sand)

(Too cute!)

(They might have gotten a little bigger since this picture, but they're still best buddies!)