THE GREAT PUMPKIN PARTY

The second of our fall traditions is to go to the Great Pumpkin Party hosted by my sister's church.  Games, inflatables, candy...what could be more fun?  We stuck mostly to those three things, although the church offers a science show, petting zoo, pony rides, concerts, and probably much much more.  Mason was a bit hard to capture, so I only got a few photos.  But isn't he the cutest little Triceratops you ever did see?  Of course he is.

At the end of the night and after several turns in the bounce house, the costume definitely came off.  That dinosaur head is no joke.  We also did something that was a family first - we took our turn in a photo booth.  So not only did we come home with plenty of candy and a worn out little boy, but a cool souvenir as well!

PUMPKIN FARM

Just a warning - this year we did a LOT of fall-slash-Halloween activities.  This is just the recap of the first.  And yes, it's November already.  I hadn't intended for there to be such a lag in me blogging our activities, but whoops...it happened.

The first of our fall activities is our favorite tradition, visiting Howell's pumpkin farm.  We have done this every year since Mason was born, which means this was our 4th trip.  Yes, I remember taking Mason there when he was just three months old.  I think Byron thought I was nuts at the time, but this year I even heard him say something about being thankful that I (ridiculously) insisted this become our tradition.  We all love it.  This year it was FREEZING but we still had a good time.

First up, the pony rides.  Mason rode our favorite horse, Mocha.  Why is she our favorite?  There is no good reason other than that's who he rode last year.

Up next were the swings and the wiggle cars.  I don't know if I have mentioned this but I am pretty obsessed with the wiggle cars.  I'm so good at them!  Okay, so the other drivers had the average age of four, so I guess I have an unfair advantage. Mason and I rode them for quite a while.  Long enough that I bet there are several families who get home and say "Why is there a weird adult in this video of our kid on the wiggle cars?"  Well, that's just me.

A definite favorite this year were the teeter-totters.  I don't know where this new love came from, but he didn't want to leave them!

We did actually buy pumpkins this year, but we still haven't actually taken the hayride out to the pumpkin patch to pick them.  I also didn't get any photos.  It was just too cold, I guess.  I love this little tradition of ours.  If it were warmer, I'm sure we would have done the corn maze and the corn shooter, too, but that will be fun to try next year!

IT ALL HAPPENED SO FAST

It started like this - I had been watching Mason for a few hours while Byron worked in the basement, and when he finished for the day, he came up and decided he wanted to do an activity with Mason. He grabbed some finger paints, a random plexiglass sheet we had in the garage, and headed out back. I didn't really think much of it until I heard a knock at the back food and Byron motioned for me to come out and watch. I could tell there was something fun going on so I grabbed the camera and ran outside. What followed was a very messy but very giggly little boy.

PUTTING THE LITTLE GUY TO WORK

We've been up to our eyeballs in basement progress (just kidding...more like dust) but I think we are approaching the home stretch and can start to envision what having the extra space might look like.  The phase we are at now is quite possibly the worst, however - sanding drywall mud.  It isn't really a difficult task, but I guess it is just more...unpleasant.  If any of you have ever done it yourselves, then you know how messy it is.  All three of us were down sanding one night and man, it was literally like walking in a cloud of chalk.  Thank goodness for masks that make the job tolerable.

So we keep carving out chunks of time to make progress, and steadily trudge toward completion.  But as I mentioned, we are all getting in on the action.  Byron manned the sanding block, Mason manned the vacuum, and I manned the camera (when I wasn't sanding, of course).  Be prepared to see one of the cutest helpers you have ever laid your eyes on!

BACK TO SCHOOL FEAST

I have seen other families host a back to school feast, and I've always said I was going to do the same.  This year, Mason is going to pre-school two mornings a week so I jumped on in.  Although this is more of a "to school" feast than a "back to school" feast since it's his first time, but oh well.

Because it was our first time, and I have a wild three-year-old, I kept it simple.  We featured a crown homemade by mama with a little help from the boy, and food that was just slightly fancier than usual (and I was pretty sure he would eat).

Salmon

Green beans with almonds

Tomatoes with fresh mozzarella

Fresh peaches

We also recited our 2014-2015 family theme, which for this year is "Always Be Kind."  There were several I could have chosen that would be appropriate, but due to a few recent circumstances, this one won out.  It has been fun and even a bit rewarding to talk about what being kind is with Mason and to watch him think of words and actions that are kind; even more so when he tells other people.  Every morning before dropping him off we ask him what our theme is and he knows it by heart.

Here's something I made, just to remind us all of our theme.  I just need to figure out how to hang it (we lost the original hanging hardware), but once I do, it will be on display by our dinner table where we can easily see it.

I'm excited to continue this tradition, making it a little more special each year.

FIRST DAY OF PRESCHOOL

Today was Mason's first day of preschool.  He is attending a three year old class that meets two mornings a week for a couple of hours.  It will be so good for this wild child - we have high hopes!  Of course we had to do the obligatory photos.  He already looks so grown up (and handsome); I can't wait to compare them to what he will look like at the end of the year!

I HAVE SOMETHING TO SHARE

I got an idea to do something that I've never done before.  I'm going to do a giveaway.  (Because, why not?)  I made a purse, because, well, it was already cut out and ready to be sewn together and I've been trying to complete more projects lately, but truthfully, I have no need for it.

I have made similar bags to this before, so a few of you may recognize it.  This one is lined in a simple white fabric, so although it is technically reversible, you probably won't want to reverse it.  The picture kind of makes the straps look short, but really they are just normal.  The bag is probably 16-18 inches across the bottom...hopefully that helps you judge the size.

If you want to win this bag, simply click on the rafflecopter widget below for a chance to enter.  My only stipulation is that the winner must live in the United States.  If you win, I'll mail the bag to you.  Plus it might be interesting for me to see who actually reads my little blog!  The giveaway ends on Saturday and I'll contact the winner on Sunday (or a day or two later...but I WILL contact you!)

a Rafflecopter giveaway