Pumpkin Patch

James and his class

James and Lilly help make a Scarecrow

Our Hay Ride

We've had a busy day already and we haven't even been trick or treating yet!

This morning we went to the pumpkin patch with James' school. Nana came up to be with us for Halloween, so she went with us. Once we got there, we played in the corn box (like a sand box, but with corn!), listened to scarecrow stories, visited the petting zoo, made a scarecrow, went on a hayride, picked out a pumpkin from the patch, and had a picnic lunch! Needless to say, we had a great time. James and Lilly really enjoyed the entire trip.

As soon as we got back in the car, Lilly fell asleep. James is napping as I am typing this. I am on my way to pick up Trevor from his Math Olympiad team practice and then we are off again. We are going over to our neighbor's house for pizza and trick or treating. There are about 5 families that are going to have pizza and then hit the streets. There should be about 12 kids in our group plus the adults. Trevor loves trick or treating in our neighborhood because he always scores a pillowcase full of candy!

Home Again

We made it back from our camping trip. Everyone had a great time, even Nana. The leaves weren't as pretty as they have been in years past. But, it was good to go away for the weekend. The weather was nice during the day and cool and crisp at night. Todd said the fishing was pretty good, too. It's always nice to spend some quality time with the family in the mountains, especially in the fall.

More than anyone, Trevor and James love going camping. They are in heaven the entire time. James told me today that he "wants to move to the woods!" I just laughed! I am glad that they enjoy being out and about. They are two peas in a pod!

Gone Camping!

Great Smokey Mountains National Park


Fall is my favorite time of the year. I love to look at the leaves changing colors and watch as they fall from the trees. Each year, we try to take at least one or two trips to the mountains during the fall to go camping and see the beautiful landscape.

Trevor is out of school Monday and Tuesday of next week and we decided to take advantage of it by spending the long weekend in the mountains. Todd left today and headed to the Great Smokey Mountains. He is meeting Greg there to set up camp and the rest of us are leaving in the morning to meet him. We have a favorite spot in the National Park that we like to go. It is the Deep Creek campground. Todd said that they got a campsite on the water, so it will be nice. I love to hear the water flowing in the night while I am in the tent. It is so peaceful and relaxing.

James calls our campground "Hot Creek". He is so funny! He is beyond excited about going camping. He loves it. It is really a big deal to him. I am so glad that Todd is involved with Trevor and James and takes them to do the outdoor things. They enjoy being outdoors and doing all of the camping, hiking, fishing, etc. activities that they can. Nana and Pup are even going with us this time. I'll be sure to post some pictures when we get back!

Math Olympiad

Trevor was selected to be on the Math Olympiad team at Bradley Middle School and today was his first practice.

The Math Olympiad team is an international program where students from all over the world compete against each other solving problems, foster mathematical creativity & ingenuity, strengthen mathematical intuition, and provide a joy of meeting challenges. Sessions include a mix of team problem-solving exercises, strategy instruction and individual tests.

The students were given an "application" if they were interested in participating. They had to complete the form and write a paragraph or two on why they should be chosen for the team. I was very impressed that Trevor was interested. He completed his application and wrote his paragraph. His reasons on why he should be chosen were very persuasive. My favorite reason that he stated was that it would help him get a good job in the future! The team sponsors (faculty) must have liked it, too!

I am so proud of Trevor for several reasons. The first is the fact that he took the initiative to get involved. The second is his determination in following through with the process. Last, but definitely not least, is that he was chosen to be on the team. There are a limited number of students that are selected to make up the team. Trevor is one of them!

Visit from Grandma and PaPa

Trevor takes a break from riding

James is riding out!


Lilly and PaPa take a much needed afternoon nap

We had a nice, long weekend with a visit from Grandma and PaPa. They came up Saturday afternoon and stayed until tonight. The kids were all excited to see them. The last time that they visited was in August, so it had been a while since we had seen them.

Todd and PaPa took Trevor and James to ride dirt bikes on Sunday while the girls went grocery shopping. Sunday night, we grilled out hot dogs and hamburgers and watched the final game of the ALCS (Red Sox vs. Indians). Today, it was off to school for everyone and while we did our daily routine, Rick and Wanda went to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville. Trevor had a baseball game tonight and we all went to watch him play. His team won 16-1 and he had a great game. He got a few hits, a stolen base, and scored a few times. After the game, Grandma and PaPa drove back home.

We enjoyed spending time with Grandma and PaPa. The kids were excited to see them and show them all the fun things that we do! They love the company and visiting with family, especially their grandparents!

Macaulay Fall Festival

James and Lilly in the bouncer

Doing the cake walk

James at the ghost game

Looking through the goody bags

We had our annual Fall Festival today in our neighborhood. James and Lilly had lots of fun bouncing in the inflatable jumper, playing games, looking at costumes, and eating candy. We participated in the cake walk and Lilly even won! James picked out some Halloween cupcakes for our prize to take home. They also got goody bags filled with candy, pencils, rings, bubbles, and more. They had a ball!

I tried to get them to wear their costumes and they didn't want to. James even told me "It's not Halloween yet!" Can't argue with that one!

Elmo Makes Music

James and Lilly share a snowcone

Lilly rations out the cotton candy

James and Lilly pose with Elmo

We had a wonderful time at Elmo Makes Music!

We started off hitting the cotton candy and snow cones on the way into our seats. James and Lilly were taking it all in. Once the show began, they were so intrigued. James was a little more on the serious side, just watching everything. Lilly was trying to sing along and dance to the music. She would swing her little butt back and forth and move her arms up and down. She had the biggest smile on her face that I have ever seen. She is always such a joy!

The show was fun and entertaining. The kids had a blast and I had a blast watching them!