Pumpkin Carving!

The boys

Andrew hard at work on Katherine's pumpkin

Katherine loved her Minnie Mouse pumpkin!

Some of the finished products

Family photo op!

We went back to the beach and pool this morning when it warmed up a little bit.  The kids wanted to get one last visit in.  Funny story....we had all the beach toys in a garbage bag for lack of a better thing to carry them back and forth in. We put them outside the room yesterday when we got in from the beach.  This morning I ran out to get a cup of coffee and the bag was there.  When I got back 15 minutes later it was gone!  We looked everywhere; I even went and looked in the dumpsters. I am sure it was mistaken for trash by the housekeepers but the kids were pretty disappointed.  Luckily it was just cheap toys not their puddle jumper or good floaties.  We still had fun playing in the sand though.

Andrew and Mandi have a pumpkin carving every year and we were excited when we realized it was this weekend!  It was pretty cook seeing everyone carve their pumpkins.  Some were intricate designs and some were more traditional. Luke picked a scary bat/ghost and I did that one.  Katherine picked Minnie Mouse.  Paul and Andrew tag-teamed it because it was pretty involved.  Mandi had games for the kids and snacks for everyone.  It was a fun time!

We head home tomorrow.  It has been so nice to be away and we definitely do not regret our decision to come.  It has been well worth it!

Beach Time!

Amazingly enough Luke ate almost this whole pancake!

Katherine had her own tea party in the store

Riding the duck

Making our way to the beach

It is a little chilly here at night and the early morning so we have to be creative with our beach and pool time. We started our day at The Donut Hole for breakfast.  As many times as we have been to Destin we had never eaten there.  Since it is late in the tourist season we thought it would be a good time to try it.  We still had to wait about 20 minutes but it was great!  I understand why people make it on their priority list while visiting the panhandle.  After that we headed down 30a.  It is absolutely beautiful here -- it is so different from the high rise condos of Destin.  It is quaint and quirky and does not seem as tourist-driven; although I know it is.  We stopped in Seaside and toured the little town.  The kids loved all the little shops.  There are some great kids shops that they played in.  By the time we finished there it was warming up enough to go to the beach.  The water is gorgeous and not too chilly.  Honestly, Katherine is content to sit in the same spot and move sand from one place to another for hours.  Luke ventures out into the water and squeals each time a wave hits him.

We spent a couple of hours there before heading toward the heated pool at our complex.  That is great!  I actually prefer the hot tub and spent quite a bit of time in there.  Andrew and Mandi came over  mid-afternoon and we hung out until time for supper.  Luke had a new Lego set that he has been waiting to work with Andrew.  We went to a pizza place down the street for supper and hit the bed pretty early.  We are loving our time here!

What We Needed

Beautiful!

Selfie...

We have had our little beach trip planned for a couple of months now and have been looking forward to it so much.  Memaw passed away Tuesday morning.  She has been under hospice care for a little over week. When Paula died in June we say a noticeable decline in Memaw.  After Tony died she took a dramatic turn within a few days.  She was taken to the hospital where she told her doctor and long-time family friend to "let her go home (heaven)".  The decision was made for her to have hospice care at home.  We have been very fortunate that she has had 24/7 sitters since shortly after Pepaw died in 2006.  Those same sitters have taken care of her ever since.  Although our family has suffered such loss in the past few months we know that Paula, Tony, Pepaw and now Memaw are together again and rejoicing in Heaven!

Her funeral was planned for Wednesday afternoon at 4:30.  Katherine's school closes at 5:00 and Luke was out of school.  I arranged for a friend to watch them for me to attend the service.  To add even more on us both kids woke up sick Wednesday morning.  Luke had a tummy ache and Katherine had a high fever. Mom was in Tullahoma with Nanny for an outpatient procedure.  The kids seemed to improve throughout the day so I decided to take them to the service.  Katherine's fever was at bay with Motrin and Luke hadn't had any other tummy problems.  Honestly, they did great.  It gave me a lot of opportunity to talk to them about heaven, funerals and answer lots of questions.  The service was very nice with two pastors sharing stories and good memories of Memaw.  After the entombment the family went to supper.  I have been watching old episodes of The Wonder Years while I am on the treadmill lately.  At dinner I found myself narrating the scene like Kevin Arnold does in the show.  It is amazing how the landscape of our family has changed so much in a few short months.  As I looked around the table at in-laws, cousins and friends I had an overwhelming feeling of peace and the feeling we are venturing in to our "new normal".

Paul and I struggled with the decision if we should do our quick beach trip.  When it was all said and done we decided we desperately needed this time away - even if it was only a few days. We got up early this morning and made our way to Florida.  This is the first time we have traveled without Mom or Bill and Paula. I was a little leery of how the kids would act without someone entertaining them the whole time.  They did wonderful!  We made a couple of stops but managed to pull into Santa Rosa Beach around 12:30.  We are looking forward to some relaxation and fun!

Goofing Around

Today started Luke's Fall Break and my vacation.  I usually take a week off in the fall to take care of all my appointments - eye, primary doctor, etc.  Luke went to Extended Care while I did all of that.  Katherine went to school. I picked Luke up this afternoon and we went to pick Katherine up.  They love to go look at the toys in HomeGoods so we went to look around.  It helps that I like it, too :) I had them pose for a picture.  They really have so much fun together!  We left there without anything which is even better!

Friday Night

We haven't been going out to eat on Friday nights as much lately. Just seems like there has been a lot going on so some weekend nights we have sandwiches or soup.  Tonight the kids asked to go eat at Chuy's.  We met Paul at Opry Mills.  It was a nice night so we sat on the patio. They actually had the heaters going so it was nice and warm. The kids enjoyed their complimentary push pops again.  After eating we walked around for a while.  The kids still need a few items to finish out their fall clothes.  I have to admit it is so nice to have Luke in uniforms at school.  I don't have to buy nearly as much for him.  All I bought for him so far this school year was 3 pairs of khaki shorts at Target, 3 monogrammed polos from the uniform store and a pair of tennis shoes.  I just picked up some khaki pants for the cooler days and had already purchased 2 long sleeve oxford shirts.  Mom got him a DA pullover.  So, I just really needed to get him a few pairs of pj's, some new jeans and a couple of things for church and dressy occasions.  Mom and Nanny went to Florida last week so she picked up quite a bit for both kids which was a big help!

One of the Best...

Luke helped me make the chili this year!

Katherine helped with the decorating

Jake and the other kids had fun playing in the hay barn

Enjoying the hayride

The guys roasting some dogs

Together again -- Conner and Luke

Caught these two doing a selfie!

Love how Luke has Hanne all hugged up!

Holly and me with our  baby girls!

K wanted to be bundled up after the nighttime hayride

The kids were worn out after the festivities

The hayride last night was great!  The weather was perfect.  It cooled down enough after dark that we needed the quilts for the second hayride.  We had a great turnout.  We had several friends who hadn't been able to make it for a few years so it was great to have them back!  Bill joined us for a bowl of chili and Baylor's dad came, too.  We had a good mix.  Every year we say how much work it is, but it is always worth it.  There were so many people that told us it was their favorite event of the year -- wow, what a compliment!

Busy Day, Saturday!

Nan did a great job with the party!

What better way to start the day than with a doughnut cake?

Posing...

We had a busy day today!  We started the morning with a birthday party for Mary Lu at a park in Nashville. I loved the breakfast idea. It is a lower key time of day and more people are able to come than if it were in the afternoon or evening when so many other things are going on. The kids had a great time playing on the playground and eating doughnuts.  There was fruit, sausage balls and coffee for the adults.  Each child got to plant a pansy flower in a pot with their name on it -- so fun!  We stayed there a couple of hours before heading to Gallatin to get ready for our next hayride!

Luke's First Field Trip!

The perfect pumpkin!

All the boys...

The best shot I could get of the whole class

Playing in the corn

Today was Luke's first field trip.  I was so excited that it was on a Wednesday so I was able to go!  All the K4 and Kindergarten classes traveled to Honeysuckle Hill Farm in Springfield.  For some reason Luke did not want to ride the bus so we met the group up there.  It ended up being a fairly warm day and it was perfect for all the activities!  It was fun seeing Luke interact with his friends.  We had a great time! We packed a sack lunch and ate at one if the pavilions. We took a hayride out to the pumpkin patch and let the kids pick their own pumpkin off the vine.  Luke loved it!  After lunch and the educational sessions the kids were free to play on the playground.

When we left there we did some errands.  Luke fell asleep in the car pretty quick after we left. He was worn out!

Crafty

Katherine is still enjoying her pre-ballet class on Monday nights.  We aren't really sure what they do in there but she comes bouncing out with a huge grin every week!  Tonight when we got home she got busy making "pictures".  She found some old pictures and glued them to construction paper.  Not really sure what we are going to do with her creations, but it kept her occupied for a while before bedtime.

First Fall Hayride!

We volunteered to host our Sunday School class for a hayride last night.  It was very warm -- in the mid 80's today.  Probably the hottest day we have had for a hayride ever.  Even though Sumner county schools started their Fall Break this weekend we had a great turnout.  There were over 50 people there, including all the kids.  We did two hayrides this year - one before dark and one after.

A guy in our class is a pit master.  He enters those bbq competitions you see on TV.  He came up early in the day and smoked whole turkeys and some bologna.  Some of the other guys from the class came early, too for set up and to help with the food.  The meat turned out awesome -- I see how he places in some of these competitions.  It seemed like everyone had a great time.  We cleaned up as much as we could last night and then went back today after church to finish everything up.  Bill is out of town so we wanted it to seem as though no one had been there, but since we are having another bonfire next Saturday we left the trailers hooked up and some other things so we wouldn't be doing double work.  Hoping next week is a little cooler!

Katherine's First Friend Birthday

Katherine was so excited to go to her friend's birthday this morning.  She has been to plenty of birthday parties, but they have always been for Luke's friends and she has just tagged along.  She has been talking about this party for weeks since she got the invitation.  She had fun picking out the present.  It was a big decision and took quite a long time.  Let's just say she wanted to be very generous with her gift.  I finally reigned her in.

When the party was over we headed to Gallatin to get ready for the hayride and bonfire we were having for our Sunday School class.

An Adventure for Backpack Bear

We went to Baskin Robbins for an after-dinner treat tonight!  Backpack Bear went along for the ride.  The kids had fun "feeding" him ice cream.  We turn him back in at the end of the week.  Can't say that I will miss this little responsibility!