Pickin' Punkins

We went back to Applejack Pumpkin Patch today, the very place where just a week ago Jayden lost his lunch right after the tractor ride out to the pumpkins.  Thankfully today, we made it the whole time with nobody getting sick!  I love going to the pumpkin patch.  It's like it kicks off the whole holiday season - pumpkin patch, halloween, thanksgiving, christmas tree picking, christmas, new years - I just love it!  And I suppose it's time to start listening to Christmas music again - I'm late this year, but I blame it on the freaking hot weather.
I couldn't get the kids to wear their pumpkin hats this year.  I suppose it might of had something to do with the fact it was 90 degrees out today.  (pay no attention to Jayden's long sleeves...he chose to dress himself and if he does that he can wear his underwear on the outside of his clothes if he wants to (please don't tell him I said that...))





Jayden's favorite part of the pumpkin patch - the huge slide!





It's not Willow's favorite yet...maybe next year!



Jayden was also brave enough to try out the zip line this year!



One of the new features this year was this huge air filled jumper thing.  It was awesome. I totally would replace my backyard with one of these!  (or I suppose we could get a trampoline....)







The kids ran through the milo maze



And then I made them take a picture with the scarecrow - and doesn't it look like Jayden is pick pocketing???



Then it was out to the pumpkin patch!

First stop : See How Tall This Fall!





Then onto picking our pumpkins



Look a picture with me!  I was there!!!!!



And then after Royal lugs our pumpkins out to the truck, it just isn't a trip to the pumpkin patch without hotdogs!

Kid Quote :: 10

Jayden, 2 days ago, declared these his Mexican shoes.


Me : Why Mexican shoes? (he's had them for almost a year and never named them before)

Jayden : They make me speed.

and then he runs off shouting...."Arriba!  Arriba!"

Guess he's a fan of Speedy Gonzales now.  :)

Apple Picking

Ok, so I know we are totally late in the season to be doing this, but we have been so busy every weekend, we never found the time to squeeze it in.  Well, I called up to Regier Farm and Orchard today to see if they had any apples left and they said they were about out, so I called Royal and told him we needed applesauce and apple crisps for the winter and that if he could swing it, we were going this afternoon.  Jayden has been really excited about going to pick apples for awhile.  I'm not sure why, we've never done it before, but he told me it's what you do in the fall, and well, it's fall, so I guess we should go pick apples.

So, Royal picked Jayden up from school and then came home and picked up me and Willow and we drove up to the orchard.  We picked about 70 pounds of Winesap and Granny Smiths and the kids had a great time.  Willow walked around eating a Winesap the whole time and picked apples off the ground and Jayden helped pick all the low hangers and decided he liked the Granny Smiths the best.

Prairie Fire

Ok, so if you've been following my blog for some amount of time, you'll remember from back in September of '09 how I declared this race, my last half marathon.  Well, turns out, I'm a big fat liar.  I ran another half marathon this morning.  You see, I joined this running club called Moms in Motion, with the idea I'd have some fun women with whom I could run a few miles with on the weekend, the plan was that 5-6 miles was going to be my max mileage.  But it turns out, I'm more of a follower than I thought.  Everybody else was training for the Prairie Fire Half Marathon (some for the full marathon), but I wasn't signing up, I was just going to run some mileage with them each week.  Then one Saturday I showed up, having run only 6 miles the week before, and ended up running 11 with them - the conversation was good, my legs felt good, so I just kept running.  And after I ran that 11, I was like, I can totally do another 13.1!  My great friend and owner of Mommy Movement Fitness, Tonya, introduced me to my new best friend, the foam roll.  I rolled my legs out before and after every run and it totally helped my knees.  They were still a little tender after running, but nothing like before.  I was sure, this was my race to break my 2 hour goal.  I am the strongest I've ever been, I had been training with some great gals, one of which was going to run with me in the race, I was so sure I was gonna do it!

Then on Wednesday, I came down with some stomach bug and wasn't able to eat any food or hardly drink anything without an adverse reaction for 2 days.  Friday, I finally started feeling well enough to start eating some food and for the next 2 days I ate oatmeal, toast, crackers, and chicken noodle soup to try and re energize and rehydrate my poor body.  Saturday afternoon I was still pretty tired, my legs would burn every time I walked up stairs, and I was still pretty dehydrated, but I was pounding water like it was nobodies business. And then I got up this morning and headed to the race.

I felt pretty good the whole race, I was running with my friend Monica - which running with her was like running with my dad.  It seemed like every time we turned a corner, she was waving and saying hello to someone she knew.  "Hi!  Oh, hi!  Hi!"  Quite entertaining. :)  Then somewhere around 10.5 miles, I knew I was getting really dehydrated, despite the fact that I was taking as much gatorade and water at each station that I could, and it was becoming a struggle to keep my breakfast down.  I'm really glad Monica was with me, she just kept me moving forward, even though I couldn't keep up the pace we had been running, which was going to put us really close to the 2 hour mark.  I crossed the finish line at 2:04:49.  So close!  But still my best time ever, so I'll take that.  I guess I'll just have to run another one....maybe....

Almost to the finish line!



Monica and I



My friend Amanda and I - we rode to the race together.

Jayden's First Field Trip

Jayden had his first field trip to the Pumpkin Patch today!  He has been so excited about it.  Today he got up, got dressed without us even asking him to, put his shoes on, stuffed his backpack with all the essentials - his school folder, little pumpkiny (a small pumpkin Willow painted for him at church), and snakity-snake, and then told me it was time to go.  He only had about 5 hours until he actually needed to be at school.

The plan was that Royal would come home from work for a few hours and stay with Willow so I could go with Jayden on his field trip.  Unfortunately, I have been sick this week and I was still feel a little under the weather today, so I traded with Royal and opted to stay home with Willow, so I could lay down and rest during her naptime.  But I did convince Royal to take the camera and take some pictures!









Sadly, right after the hayride out to the pumpkin patch, Jayden started throwing up.  So, he had to go home early.  Poor guy.  He kept telling Royal that he was fine now and that he could stay, but Royal brought him home.

And he's been here, on the couch, watching movies ever since.

Jayden @ School :: 2

2 weeks ago, it was Dad's day at Jayden's school.  I couldn't convince Royal to take the camera and take some pictures, especially since our smaller camera has bit the dust.  Thankfully Mrs. Burcham took one and posted it on her website.  Jayden loved Dad's day (who wouldn't???).  Both Royal and Jayden got to take a lunch to school and have a picnic and then Jayden showed Royal all around the school.


Then last Friday was Homecoming, and the whole school gets to participate.  In Jayden's class, each kid is paired up with a middle school student to each lunch with and go around the carnival with.  Jayden was not as excited about eating lunch at school this time.  He does not like his routine getting messed up and he especially doesn't like being put in the care of some "strange kids".  I didn't get much out of him about the day except that he said he didn't have fun.  However, he managed to win something at a ring toss game and much to my surprise, brought this home.



A 2 liter bottle of Diet Orange Crush.  Bad enough to bring all that soda home, but diet???  Eeeek!  For all of those that might be worried, I am letting Jayden drink it.  He won it after all!!!   It's just slowly being rationed out and the days he forgets it's in the refrigerator, I don't remind him.  :)

Then this week in Jayden's class they are working on the letter Pp.  Tuesday was Pirate day.  When I came to pick Jayden up, he looked like this.  I hardly recognized him!  Aarg! (and yes, he is wearing his dinosaur cape, he says it makes him faster when he runs during play break!)

Parade Time

While I might be missing Oysterfest back in Washington, this weekend here is Greater Andover Days.  So, we met up with our small group this morning and headed over to the parade.  Sadly, Jayden's best buddy Lainie and her family couldn't make it to the parade, and he was quite upset about it.  It was a chilly morning and we got out of the car and got him bundled up, but he was upset that Lainie wasn't going to be there and kept saying, "I'm too cold, I just want to go home.  I'm freezing.  It's too cold.  Let's go"  So, I wrapped him up in a fleece blanket and he flung it off and said, "I'm too cold.  It's just too cold out here."  Then all the sudden, 2 people on 2 horses come riding through the parking lot, right by our car where we were grabbing our blankets and chairs.

Jayden : What are those doing here?

Me : Those horses are in the parade.

Jayden :  They are?  Are they the only ones?

Me : No. I bet there are a bunch of horses that are going to be in the parade.

Jayden : I'm warm enough.

And then he runs off to stand by the side of the road.....

While the horses were a hit, it's was all the candy getting thrown at the kids that they were most excited about.  My kids were jumping up and down and yelling, "Candy!  Caaaanndy!!!!  Yes!!!  Caaaaaandy!!!!!"  And now I have a bag full of candy to hide somewhere.  We have so much I might not have to buy any candy to hand out on Halloween!  :)






Jayden loved the marching bands.  He couldn't help but start dancing around.  It. was. awesome.