The Pumpkin Patch

One of my favorite things to do in the fall is visit the pumpkin patch with my family. While we were in the Quad Cities, we rarely went alone. Aunt Julie would go with us and we have gone a few times with the Ruff's and the Bachman's. I was sad that we wouldn't be going with anyone this year, but we still had a great time.

Alex wasn't too jazzed up about going this year, so while he and Jeff were at the archery range shooting bulls eyes, I took Josh and Mattea to May Farms Pumpkin Patch in Byers, Colorado. It was about 40 miles away, but it was a sunny 70 degree day and the trees were golden and beautiful along the way! I had a nice chat with my Mom along the way, so that was nice, too... always multi-tasking!

The kids fed the ducks & fish, we spotted a couple cats that Mattea insisted on holding, Josh navigated us through the corn maze, we petted the farm animals, we took a hay ride, the kids took a ride on the barrel train and we finally went to the patch to get our pumpkins. Every year when we go, we each pick out our own pumpkin. The rule is that you have to be able to carry it yourself. Since Jeff and Alex weren't there, we decided to get their pumpkins, too. So, just picture this... Mattea HAD to wear a dress and tights, which of course, got covered with prickly hay and later discarded... so now, she is wearing her shoes without socks and every 10 steps, something gets in them and she drops to the ground, whining, and insists they need to be cleaned out. This was happening the entire time we were in the corn maze and searching for our pumpkins. After we chose our FIVE pumpkins, Josh and I had to carry them all to the weigh station and then out to the truck. Oh, it was quite a sight, I'm sure! But, even though I ended up sweaty and a bit crabby, we had a delightful time!

Couch to 5K

For whatever reason, I have given myself the challenge of getting in shape and running a 5K. Crazy, right? Yeah, I kinda think so, too. But, with our busy lives, I don't seem to take time for myself which means I am far from being fit like I was back in college... and I miss it.

I'm not a big dieter. I would rather make exercise a part of my life and take it from there. In the past, I have gotten on exercise kicks and they never seem to "stick" much past a week or two. I'm happy to say that I just completed Week 3, Day 2 of the 9-week Couch to 5K program. It's basically a way to get a couch potato like me off the couch and out walking/jogging until I am able to run a 5K. The workouts are intervals of walking and jogging, so I bought myself a digital watch with a timer to make sure I'm sticking to the plan. I like the way that each workout pushes me and gets more difficult. I actually look forward to doing it and the fact that it's only 3 days a week fits nicely into my week. Indy goes with me most of the time, but as I increase my jogging time, he might have to stay at home. At 11 years old, he doesn't much care for that speed... he ends up lagging behind quite a bit. But, for now, it's nice to have his company while I huff & puff my way along.

I am hopeful that I can keep this up. I put an exercise ticker on our blog page, so I have visible affirmation of what I have accomplished so far. It keeps me motivated. I literally update the ticker as soon as I walk in the door from my workout!!! The weather is still nice enough to be outside, but my elliptical machine will be my backup during the winter months. I really want to get back into shape, get back out on the volleyball court and generally be more active. I CAN DO IT!!!

Happy Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary to me and my sweetie!!! Today, Jeff and I are celebrating our 13th wedding anniversary. WOW!!! We've been together since the 1900's. Ha ha ha!!! (Dad, I know that made you chuckle!) Unfortunately, work is getting in the way of us having any fun celebrating today, so we'll have to wait until our Friday night date.

Mattea the Computer Genius

Yesterday, I showed Mattea how to use the touch pad on our laptop. She mastered it very quickly for a 3 year old!!! She really had a great time playing her "Dora Saves the Princess" game.

All I Want For Christmas Is My One Front Tooth!

Well, Josh's tooth dangled and wiggled and he refused to let us yank it out. He lost it this morning when it literally just fell right out of his mouth. I don't need to tell you what he was doing at the time, but let's just say we were grateful it didn't land in the porcelain throne!!! It's not that gross... I'm talking #1 here, people. Sheesh!

Anyway, here's a picture of my cute boy minus his top front tooth. He looks so stinkin' cute... I can't wait for the other top one to come out! : )

Mattea's Question of the Day

So, the other day, Mattea came up with a question out of the blue. She said, "Mommy, how did I get made?" I thought... holy cow, how do I answer THAT question? So, I said "From God". I didn't know if she'd accept that answer and of course, she didn't. "No", she said. "Like, how did my fingers get here and stuff?" She was really amazed at how she came to be. So, I told her she was a miracle and left it at that. I think this question may have come about because we had written a letter to Mattea about the day she was born. They read them to the kids at preschool. I was curious whether those letters would draw out any interesting questions. I told Jeff about it later and his male response was "Why didn't you explain DNA and chromosomes to her?" Ahhhhhhh! SERIOUSLY.

A Visit from the Harron's

Tim, Katie and the boys came out to visit us over Labor Day weekend. It was SO awesome to have them here. The weather cooperated and we had a really nice time. They arrived on Friday, August 29th and stayed till Monday, September 1st.

While they were here, we played kickball, sat around the fire pit and had s'mores, walked to the park, went to Heritage Square and went hiking. Heritage Square was like going to the fair... there was a street juggler, kettle corn & turkey legs (plus lots of other food), a magic show, quaint shops, rides, go-karts and an alpine slide. We hiked at Golden Gate Canyon Park. The kids all did pretty well considering the trail we took had some aggressive inclines!!! Jake and Justin liked seeing the mountains, too. The boys spent a lot of time down at the creek behind our house. They caught crawdads and minnows and got dirty! I think that was their favorite part of the trip!!!

We were all sad to see the Harron's go home on Monday. However, the boys and I will get to see them again at the end of September, so we are looking forward to that!