Fall Fun - Trunk or Treat

We added a new activity for this fall and headed out a few weekends ago to go "trunk or treating."  The event is held at a park nearby, and local businesses set up in the parking lot and hand out candy from the trunks of cars/vans etc. We got a ton of candy, plus coupons for local places, and it was a beautiful day (rare this fall) to be outside. The tumble bus and the fire truck were there as well, which were an extra treat for the kids to see. Matea wasn't so sure about the whole thing, but learned that she liked Smarties when she nabbed some off a table and took a bite (wrapper and all). Eli liked the whole deal right away of course, the minute the first candy hit the bottom of his bucket. :) We'll definitely be trunk or treating again next year!

Eli's ready to start getting candy! Our tiny dragon was dancing around he was so excited.

A daddy, a dragon, and a poodle went to a park . . .

Matea's first candy ever. A moment to make her dentist shudder.

I thought my kids just looked so stinkin' cute walking around.

If poodles were as cute and non-allergic as this one I'm sure we'd have a dog by now.

We found the perfect stump for climbing, and for pictures.

 

Fall Fun - Koetsier's!

Another fall fun activity that we did this year was go to Koetsier's greenhouse during their fall festival days. Jon and I took Eli last year, sans Matea, and this year I met up with my cousin Catherine to have a morning of fun with Joshua and Matthew (and Matea got to come along this year too). :)

The kids had a great time and really enjoyed themselves. Catherine and I got to gab (though not as much as I would liked as Matea was off and going every which way). Matea loved the corn sandbox, mostly because she kept bringing me corn kernels one by one and then tried to eat them.  I ventured pumpkin painting with her this year, and she did get some paint on the pumpkin. And almost as much paint on her face since she tried to eat the paint with every brush dip.  She just enjoys being around the other kids and discovering new things, so she had a lot of fun.

Eli was all excited to do pumpkin bowling (though we had quite the discussion on whether you bowled with the pumpkin or with a ball). And though at first I had to push to get him in to the inflatable train, once he went through with Joshua once he was hooked. Eli loves mazes and the little straw maze leading in to the "haunted" and dark section was another favorite of his. And the "free" popcorn was a hit too (he thought it was free since it's included with the admission price, but that's not the case!). Koetsier's is becoming a fall tradition, especially since it is indoors. What a great way to enjoy some fall fun even when the fall has been rainy and wet like this year!

Here's some corn from the box, Mom.

The pumpkins match my outfit!

Bowling (with a pumpkin as the ball, Mommy was right!).

Matea "bowled" too. Well, more threw than bowled (the pumpkin is still airborne!).

Peek-a-boo!

Intently painting.

Two boys hard at work creating masterpieces.

Matea actually painting on the pumpkin!

I don't think eating paint will help you gain weight, Matea.

The finished products!

 

Fall Fun - Klackel's!

On one of our few free weekends in October that it wasn't raining, we headed out to Klackel Farms for an afternoon of fun and apple picking. Eli had missed his school trip to the orchard because of being sick, so we had been promising we would go as a family. Klackel's has apple picking, cider and donuts, every kind of blow up toy you can think of, and all kinds of things for the kids to do. Mommy misinterpreted "partly sunny" though, and didn't dress us appropriately, so when it turned into "only very occasionally sunny" we got a little chilly. Next year I'm packing for all weather eventualities so we stay toasty warm. I'm also packing extra hair ties for Matea since hers snapped and we had nothing to contain her crazy mop!

Despite the colder than expected weather, we had an awesome day together, just the four of us. Eli LOVED the extreme slide, that was the highlight for him. I thought he was going to be scared of having to climb to the top of the slide on his own, but that wasn't a problem at all! He just wanted to go again and again, and so did Matea (but she couldn't).  

Climbing WAY up to the top!

Down he goes!

Daddy and Eli being silly together as they slide.

We also played in the sandbox and discovered that sand gets very cold when it's been raining and windy.

Brrr, this isn't a day at the beach, Mom. 

Eli went on the pumpkin train and kept the other kids in line. He had a big smile on his face the whole time! 

Eli loved the maze as well (he has a thing for mazes right now). We didn't get to go in the maze in the corn field, but we did hit the smaller maze and that was hard enough to find our way out of!

Hmm, how do we get out of here?

Matea loved the swings that looked like horses and were made out of tires. I think she would have been happy on those all day long!

I'm a cowgirl!

Matea thought riding with Eli was fun, but I don't think the feeling was reciprocated. :)

And Eli did the zip line and enjoyed it, but he didn't want to do it a second time. Once was enough.

Once we got out to the orchard we were protected from the wind and the sun came out. Glorious!! And warm. We played and picked apples quite a while. Matea was fascinated by all the apples on the ground and just walked around picking up different ones at first.

Blue sky and a beautiful apple tree!

Look what I found just lying on the ground!

What is this thing doing on the tree?

Man, these things are really stuck on there!

And now, into the bag you go little apple.

Eli picked a few and then wanted to start sampling. :) So we all got an apple and started enjoying the most amazing fresh apples I've ever tasted! Yummy yummy yummy! We picked Jonagold apples, which delighted Eli ("daddy's apples!"). Now Jonagold are his favorite apples in the whole whole world. :)

Reach high Eli!

"Get a picture of my "M" Mommy!"

"And get a picture of where I'm eating. Right here."

Apples beware! Matea is on the attack!

Yummy. Matea ate it up, skin and all!

Trying for a picture with the kids. This is the best of the bunch.

Mommy and Eli in the orchard!

Matea wouldn't look at the camera, just Mommy. :)

 

After apple picking we made a quick stop in the barn and Eli fell in love with the bunnies. He held a bunny, fed the bunnies, and really wanted a bunny. Matea didn't know what to think of it all at first, then warmed up to the animals a bit. But when Jon had her near the black sheep the sheep said, "baaaaaa," rather loudly and Matea started crying. Jon took her to the side, and a few minutes later brought her closer again. Matea looked at the sheep and said, "baaa!" Take that sheep!

The biggest bunny I've ever seen.

This is how interested Matea was in the bunnies.

She didn't stay somber for long.

After cider and donuts we headed home (and it promptly started to rain, so we had good timing!). We'll be going to Klackel's again next year, but maybe a few weeks earlier in the season so we can get more of the sun in our "partly sunny" day!

This sums up what Eli thought of the day!

Mad Face

At dinner one night a few weeks ago, Eli was expressing his displeasure over something we had told him by screwing up his face and exhaling sharply out of his nose. We called it his mad face and he kept doing it for a bit to make us laugh. Then we hear sharp little exhalations from Matea in her highchair and look over to see . . .

Now Matea makes this face quite often, usually when she's upset at me for something. Here she is, mad that I unplugged the printer so she couldn't play with it . . .

I'm glad she's learning, but I'm not so thrilled that Eli taught Matea his mad face.  At least it showed Eli that what he does affects what Matea does. Still, not so happy when my kids whip out the "mad face" at me, especially when they do it at the same time!

33

Well, as of yesterday I'm 33. Since, for the last few months I thought I was turning 34, this feels like kind of a bonus age to me. I'm younger than I thought, woo hoo!

As I've been talking about being 33 the thought has been pricking my consciousness over and over again, quickly, fleetingly . . . Jesus was only 33 when he died. Then the thought is gone, the significance fades, the moment of "wow" is over.

But Mom has the kids this morning, I've got a cup of coffee in my new, personalized travel mug courtesy of Jon for my birthday (it's cool looking, yep), and I've been spending more time thinking about that.

33. To think of having my life end NOW? But I've barely started living! There's so much I want to do, to see, to accomplish. I can't imagine having to leave my family, friends now . . . at 33.

Yet, Jesus CHOSE to give his life, at only 33. For me . . . for you. He didn't have to, it certainly wasn't fair that he take punishment for things he hadn't even done, yet he chose to become a man, chose to become the sacrifice we need, chose to be separated from God so we don't have to be. Wow.  At 33.

Jesus accomplished all the goals for his earthly existence, he did what he needed and wanted to do.  In his time, in God's time.  And at 33.  

As we've been studying John in BSF, and James in our small group, I've been hit over and over with my selfishness. I don't have the inner core of joy because I choose to let my selfishness rob it from me. Every time I get miffed over silly things - Eli didn't listen (he's 4!), Matea took everything out of the pantry AGAIN, Jon is a few minutes later for dinner, things didn't go exactly as I wanted them to - it's MY selfishness withdrawing from my well of joy and peace. Jesus and I are having a lot in common the last few weeks - we're both choosing me.  A lot. But Jesus taught sacrifice, denial, loving others first, letting God's Spirit move you, guide you, lead you, to become new, not stuck in the old self and selfishness.

Jesus chose me at 33, so, at 33, I'm choosing him all over again. I want to get rid of the me and let it be all him. I want his joy, his peace, his love, his compassion to be flowing in me again. A stream that is pure and not polluted by my selfishness. Jesus gave EVERYTHING he had at the time he was my age. At 33. Wow.  I think I'll stay in that moment a little longer.