Shenandoah National Park

After the Pumpkin Patch... B decided on an impromptu visit to Shenandoah National Park to see the fall foliage. With soccer and everything else going on, he figured this free afternoon might be our only chance to make it down there. And our location at the pumpkin patch put us about 20-30 minutes closer than from at home. So we continued west.

The colors weren't the reds and oranges that we were hoping for, but still beautiful yellows and the beginnings of reds here and there. On the way towards the mountains, Buddy kept asking, "are these hills yet?" And when he spotted a mountain in the distance he said, "Whoa, look at that giant hill!!" I guess moving from Kansas to a flat part of Virginia has messed with our kids' sense of what defines mountains and hills. Oh, and Little Guy calls fancy fountain water features in man-made lakes "mountains" instead of fountains.



Our first scenic overlook.


Driving in the car.


Second overlook.


Family shadows (minus Buddy who had run ahead too far).


Same overlook, we hiked up a tiny bit to a rock cliff.
Notice the kids by the "watch your kids" sign. Apparently, when they want the picture taken, they know how to hold still and smile at the camera.



Our third and final overlook. Obviously, my camera didn't do this sunset justice. It was gorgeous.

Pumpkin Patch

Princess Sparkley before the pumpkin patch when we sent the kids out to get in the car while we gathered up the camera, etc.

After buying our pumpkins from a road side stand (which is still better than a grocery store) last year, I decided this year I better search high and low for a free pumpkin patch. I found one about 20 minutes away that included a free hayride as well. This is probably the first hayride in
Little Guy's memory.


The Hayride.


Picking Pumpkins.


Checking out the GIANT pumpkins.

Go Purple Panthers! Go Red Runners!

Princess Sparkley got to play goalie today! She told us afterwards the coach told her her position and she said "no." Then she laughed and said, "I didn't say the "no" part out loud." This was a position that terrified her, but she accepted the assignment and was super lucky that her team kept the ball way far away for the five minutes or so that she was guarding the net. PS is #8 in all the pictures.

Buddy's team may have actually won (they don't keep score). And he had at least one assist, maybe two or three. And he finally got his official jersey with a number... 23.

An update on Little Guy's black eye.

The kids did such a great job playing soccer, and it was such a hot day, Daddy treated them to ice cream after their games.

Little Guy's Black Eye

Little Guy took a tumble down the slide yesterday. Head first. Falling, not sliding. He landed right on the brow bone at the corner of his eye. It's a nice sized, purplish bump today.

Perspective

Our art lesson for school today was about perspective. So we goofed around with the camera a bit. Unfortunately, our camera isn't great and I'm not its best operator, so the pictures are out of focus and blurry and lit poorly. But the kids had fun and thought it was hilarious.

In the flamingo picture, we were trying to make it look like Princess Sparkley was riding a flamingo. It's really a photo clip holder.

The George Washington bust is about the size of a mug.

The purple skirt goes to a ballerina Barbie.

The dinosaurs are about the size of my thumb.

General Conference

It was General Conference weekend. So after soccer games, we headed home, watched the afternoon session on Saturday and that night I made pumpkin cinnamon rolls to eat the next morning. Sunday, I think only Little Guy and B stayed in their PJs all day. Buddy was the first dressed and as the day progresses, PS and I joined him.

We helped the kids make a fort under our big desk and they had one computer down there where they watched conference. B and I watched on our other laptop computer while sitting on the couch and we hooked up speakers to it so we were all listening to the same soundtrack. Otherwise, one computer was always a few seconds ahead of the other.

Go Red Runners! And Purple Panthers!

Buddy and Princess Sparkley both had soccer games Saturday (10/2). Princess Sparkley reminded me to bring the camera, but Buddy's game was first. And by the time I packed up all our stuff and moved to a different field for her game, I had forgotten all about taking pictures. So... next week, this will feature the Purple Panthers.

Buddy did great! He got to play both forward and defense and was a lot more confident about where to be. He seemed a little bit timid when it came to kicking the ball away from the other team headed toward him, but he stopped at least one goal attempt.

Princess Sparkley was also much improved in her game. Both kids played against teams that had at least one really good player that would get the ball, kick all the way down the field and outsmart the goalie (or just score, since Buddy's level doesn't have goalies). PS said after the game that she liked being a forward best.

Buddy is the kid in the pictures wearing a red shirt with no number (they didn't order enough) and red shorts.

Fort

Buddy and Princess Sparkley built a fort in Buddy and Little Guy's room last week. My problem with their forts, is that they crumble quickly, and spend a lot of time as a pile of mess.

Kid Recipes

Last week, when I planned out our menu, I used mostly Princess Sparkley's kid cookbooks to come up with things that would be fun for her as well. This was probably her favorite (and the only one we photographed)

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Buddy's 3rd Lost Tooth

On Saturday, September 25, Buddy lost his 3rd tooth. Both top, front teeth have been wiggly for awhile, but he insists that he only had to wiggle them twice a day. Saturday, the halftime snack at his soccer game was apple slices dipped in caramel. Mid-chew, Buddy starts acting strange like he's overheated or feels sick. Finally I ask if his tooth is still there. He says, "I don't know" in a scarred whiny voice. I look and it's gone. So I sent him over to see B who is standing up further back from the sideline. I sort of indicated that his tooth was gone but B didn't realize the tooth was out. He walks Buddy over to the track that circles the field and talks with him. He comes to the conclusion that Buddy doesn't want to swallow the bite in his mouth (not realizing the tooth connection). He talks Buddy into spitting the bit out into a bush. When they return, and Buddy goes into the game I ask B about the tooth. Being the great dad that he is, he returns to the bush and roots around until he finds the missing tooth among the discarded apple bits.