Oct 31, 2021

Halloween 2021

We bucked tradition this year - the kids opted not to dress up or go trick or treating.  This being our first year NOT in a neighborhood would have made it more of an outing to go to one than we wanted to put effort into. Ha!  So we unanimously voted to go buy candy for ourselves and stay in and watch scary movies instead - Lasa's pick was Muppets Haunted Mansion, the big kids' pick was A Quiet Place, and the parents' pick was Ghostbusters.  I worried all month when we weren't prepping costumes that the littlest would change her mind at the last minute, but she held fast to her decision.  We picked up hot dogs and roasted them over a fire.  Anna tested out her pumpkin catapult she built ... and even sneakily pulled together a last minute costume that she surprised us with - Luna Lovegood.  Candy and popcorn were consumed.  Movies were watched.  It was a really nice night!  I could get into this as a new tradition. 

Oct 30, 2021

October Things

We kicked off October with a Preds game.  It was such a great time, made even more amusing since we had Lasa along for the ride; her first ever game.  Her commentary was constant and hysterical.  She was alive to alllllll the energy in that arena. 

I just love watching Anna and Addie together.

Hints of Halloween on the front porch.

Another year, another traditional Jackson's Orchard visit.  This year we went with Redeemer kiddos, but my teens were good sports and came along for the day, too.  Thankfully, a couple other youth were there with their siblings as well and mine ended up having a great day.


It ended up being too muddy for them to run our scheduled hayride to the pumpkin patch, which was a TOTAL bummer.  We took the apple wagon pic anyway.  They did make it up to us by letting the kiddos do the petting zoo instead.

 
Noah continues to log as many minutes as we will allow.  So far he's accumulated about 15 of his required 50 hours.  This day, I let him drive us home from KY.  I had an ulcer by the end of that trip.  Giving your baby the wheel is HARD.

Josh is into chestnuts here lately since planting his own chestnut trees.  He ordered some chestnuts too to try his hand at scoring and roasting them.  Worked out well!  They are really good.  These were my first ever.

We are also into bamboo now, which was fun to harvest from our property.
 
Also on our property?  Persimmon trees aplenty.  Josh is keen to harvest a bunch and make jam.  Persimmon is also quite new to me. We shall see!

Speaking of natural things around Sweet Rock, Anna gathered all these leaves for a lab experiement for school. So pretty all together and labeled like this.

Our pretty Valley girl.  Upsetting update, she has what we think in an abcess on her jaw.  We are prayerfully watching and waiting to see what comes of it.

We finally ripped out the ridiculous wimpy landscaping in front of the house and started putting in our own ideas... some arborvitae which should get good and tall and some lovely maidengrass so far ...

Some pics from the Fall Fest at Lasa's school...

Random thing found tucked in and sleeping on the kitchen counter one morning.

I have been dying of insomnia here lately ... trying several meds my dr prescribed only to find out they make it worse.  Which makes the insomnia seem even more daunting.  Trying something new in the coming week.  Wish me luck!  In the meantime, the early, early morning views take the edge off.  Sometimes.

I couldn't help but take this shot one Sunday in the nursery.  Cranky Hudson finally sacked out - sloth-style - on Cayte.  Precious moments!

Lori and I daytripped down to the other side of Nashville to visit our friend Kari who just moved there.  It was such a sweet visit.  I am sorry I didn't take a pic of the three of us.  I did, however, snap this one of Anna and Naomi when we were at The Grilled Cheeserie that day for lunch.

Noah hit up Bloody Acres with buds again this year.  When I asked him what was the scariest part, he said it was Barrett and Bryson.  HA!  Apparently, they had the most fun messing with Noah and had terribly vivid and frightening screams to add to the experience.

A new sky that Lasa said looked "Jesus-y" to her.  So funny!

Some gorgeous Anna art that I just had to frame.

I got the fall-ish hankering to crochet again and whipped up a scarf for Anna while I sat in car rider lines this month. Now, I wanna make a cozy for my new hot tea habit I just picked up after my Community Group Women's night got me hooked on Cinnamon Spice. Yummmm!


Speaking of Anna - look who is reading her first Jane Austen stuff.  Be still my heart!  And how is she old enough for this?  Wanna hear more impressive Anna stuff?  She just finished memorizing the entire first chapter of James, a challenge from youth at church. Noah is working on the first chapter of 1 John.

Speaking of old - behold my collection of daily supplements I take.  Other proof I am old, the number of times I have wiped out in the last month.  Three.  Three times.  Can't hardly walk anymore. Josh blames it on my flip flops.

Pics from Biology I.

A local fall market we checked out.  Didn't find anything we wanted, but felt like we needed to buy SOMETHING.  Cotton candy for the win on the way out.

And finally, Noah wrapped up his second hockey season.  Another undefeated run.  In his last game, Noah scored four goals!  He played goalie twice this season but would not like to have to do that again.  Ha!  I think he looks so tough and adorable at the same time.

And none of my kiddos are going to trick or treat this year for the first time EVER.  Not even a costume ... except for this one Anna created for the robot vacuum.  It really was creepy roaming around like this!

You'll catch up watching two Halloween movies Halloween night and busting open bags of candy and popcorn we grabbed from the store.  Big kid holiday traditions for the win! Three cheers for the six year old who leads the charge on this new holiday idea!