State of Fall Break

We are in our second week of Fall Break and have been taking it real slow.  We hit the library, we did a little shopping, we hung out at home and enjoyed the down time.  Josh and the kids camped out in the living room this weekend because it was just too cold to do it on the back porch, though they did tell ghost stories out there.  Anna broke out her glow-in-the-dark skeleton pjs for the event.  They also made cookies - a Legoman, a scarecrow, and a witch on a broom.

{Someone} left this spooky surprise on my pillow.

He/she must have been inspired by the second book of Harry Potter that we finished up, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.  We celebrated that audio book completion by watching the corresponding movie.  The kids are pretty pumped about Hogwarts, so it's not surprising that their Halloween costumes for this year have officially been declared to be Harry and Hermione.  We've got the robes, wands, glasses, and Gryffindor tie. The only thing we are missing is a Gryffindor scarf for Anna which is in the mail ... from China. :S  Hoping it gets here in time!

After watching the movie, we stopped by a local roadside pumpkin stand and picked up these beauties.  The first of many I am sure we will acquire this month.

While there, the kids ran around a hay bale maze and checked out the giant hay bale displays of pumpkins and a minion and, our personal fave that fit with a scary scene from the Harry movie we'd just watched, a giant spider.

After this windy rainy weather moves through here today and tomorrow, we are looking forward to hitting some Fall Fest fun at Bottom View Farm.  And then this weekend, if the rain will stay away, we are looking forward to camping at Edgar Evins State Park with some friends.

As for me, I am hoping to spend this second vacation week well by FINALLY finishing up Anna's birthday letter.  You'd think I would give myself a head start on those bad boys.  But no, I wait til the last minute ... and the next couple weeks of passed minutes.  :S

Speaking of Anna's birthday, she got to enjoy her Birthday First event this past weekend - participating in a painting class.  She was in heaven.  And she had a good friend join her, EmmaLove, 

for whom Anna was in splotchy-faced tears after we dropped her back at home, she was missing her so much already. :(  Anyway, before the post-painting class crash in which Anna called the day "The Worst Day of her Life," she was all smiles 

and worked up

a festive holiday piece.

Besides all this, a visit to our town's annual SquareFest, much awesome football watching, and a quick stroll down the Station Camp Greenway in the cool breezy Sunday night air, this concludes our State of Fall Break report for now.