This Time of Year

 This fall has certainly been a fun one for us. Before covering our latest holiday adventures, here is a miscellany of pictures from around our house.  It's quite a hodgepodge, but it'll give you an idea of what goes on around here. 

 

Fall craft featuring Caelum in double pajamas

There's been a lot of raking, and a lot of jumping in piles of leaves.

The boys are enjoying their first real fall.

Loving the hammock in the yard

Caelum playing in the bucket.

Brothers on a truck

In full firemen gear

Owen showing us Caelum's teeth

At the Fun Depot: Asheville's hometown version of Chuck E. Cheese

It had a Veggie Tales viewing booth.  What a ridiculous idea, but of course our boys wanted to do it.

"Moo moo" Night = Owen zoning

Homemade kite

Did not fly well, but still fun

Aren't random, completely unrelated pictures more fun than Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas decorating ones?

Best Friends

In October, my dear friend Lora from California was making a trip back to Memphis for a wedding.  She braved the LONG car ride with her two little boys to come and see us.  I really appreciated her willingness to do so and we were super excited to have our best bud around again.

Arden with his caterpillar friend

 Unfortunately, everyone (except Porter) got sick while they were here, but we still managed to have a good time and had one day when everyone was healthy.  We went to the Nature Center for the first time and saw lots of animals.

Owen first asks permission of the goat.

Then gingerly approaches to pet him.

 

Bold little Porter

Caelum is in his element when pushing a wheelbarrow

  

Looking at the black bear

 

Lunch break

My mom sent some early Christmas/birthday presents, and the boys had just woken up from their naps when the huge boxes were delivered.  We opened one of them, the wagon, and Lora and I put it together.  Then it was off to the park.

Lora taking on the task of bathing four boys

  We had one really sick day when everyone felt lousy, but the boys made the best of it.  They took turns riding down our (steep) driveway in the wagon, until my heart could not take it anymore.  Then they pretended to be deer.

Caelum as a deer

Porter investigating

Lora and I also managed to sneak off for coffee and dessert one night, while Zach kept an eye on the four boys under four years old.  Thanks again for coming, Lora, and next time we'll try to stay healthier!

Hickory

 Sometimes, so much happens between blog posts, that you don't know where to start.  It gets a bit overwhelming, particularly during action-packed autumnal months.  So, I'm just taking it a little bit at a time.  Starting with our trip to Hickory Nut Gap Farm..

It was a beautiful fall day, and the farm was a 20 minute, windy drive through the peak-colored trees. The farm had lots of activities, plus horses, cows, goats etc. We spent the whole morning putzing around the farm.

Owen bravely hopped in the stinky hen house and held a baby chick.  

In one of the barns, there was a huge pile of hay with a rope hanging from the rafters.  Though the boys did not quite get the "hang on and then let go" concept, they still had fun jumping around in the hay.

We picked pumpkins from the pumpkin patch. Owen picked out an enormous pumpkin.

There was a little country band there with not so many listeners.  Owen plunked himself down in the back row, then gradually moved closer and closer.  Eventually the singer was talking specifically to Owen and trying to get him to sing along.  Owen was delighted.

Here's Caelum with "Caelum's pumpkin."  He loved that thing.  Now that Halloween is over, we baked it up and ate it in some pumpkin whoopie pies.

This was a fun maze because it had farm trivia questions posted along the way.  Depending on your answer and the corresponding turn, you either made some progress through the maze or ended up in a dead end.

We tried to get a nice family picture, but that did not happen.  Look at that blue sky though!

I was sure we'd really miss Underwood Farms, our go-to pumpkin picking/petting farm animals place in California.  This farm was a fantastic replacement.  Yay for new traditions!