Okay! It is the last day of November and I can't in good conscience still say it's Fall (Y'all) once the calendar flips the page tomorrow and we enter the December holiday season. Hahahaha. No, but seriously. I need a hard deadline to fully accomplish anything these days, so I'm semi-arbitrarily proclaiming today as the day! Lol. In full disclosure, this post is a bit like Jeopardy's "Potpourri" category -- in other words, I'm cramming everything in here that hasn't been covered yet, so we're talking a full on grab bag of odds, ends, and miscellany. Consider yourself warned. Hahaha. Without further adieu, I now present the happenings of Fall 2023...
LPGA 5K
Back in September, we (minus the girls -- who couldn't get up that early in the morning) participated in the annual 5K sponsored by Scott's work. Technically, none of us actually did the 5K, but that's just details. Hahaha. Seeing as to how we weren't exactly in any kind of racing shape, we opted for the fun run 1K instead. It was a good call. Hahahaha.
SPOOKY SEASON
October 1st marked the advent of "Spooky Season," so obviously I had to send some care packages to Ethan and Grace to celebrate its arrival. Lol. Ethan's box just so happened to arrive WHILE I was video chatting with him on our weekly call, so that was extra fun! Haha. I'm not sure what he was most excited about -- the notes from the family, the candy, or the rolls of Bounty paper towels we used to "cushion" the package all come to mind -- but I personally was entertained by watching him open up and then begin to make the Halloween crafts that I had sent along just for kicks. Hahahaha. (Grace was appreciative of her package as well even if I don't have any pictures of her doing the unboxing. 😜)
Not joking -- I think the name brand paper towels may have been the winner for him. Hahahaha.
These little crepe paper pumpkins were fairly easy to make...
...and made a lovely addition to his desk/study area when he was done. Hahahaha
The spiders were a little more complicated, but that didn't stop him from whipping a few out over the course of our phone call.
(Don't let that face fool you -- he loved the spooky season decorations.)
GRACE goes to GARDNER'S VILLAGE
My mom traveled out to Utah at the beginning of October and it was fun to see pictures of Grace with her Granny and cousins out and about enjoying time together. The witches at Gardner's Village are always a draw during the Halloween season and I just loved this pic my mom sent of her with Grace and Pearce. 😍
CRAFT TIME
Many, many years ago, a 5 year old Ethan and an almost 4 year old Grace created the first of what would become a veritable army of painted pumpkin cans. It seems like almost every year since then, more have been added as they've gotten older and other kids were added to the mix. Isaac, however, had somehow fallen through the cracks and NEVER made his own pumpkin cans before this year. When I realized that, I obviously had to rectify the situation and promptly rescued several empty tin cans from the recycling. After cleaning them out and then spray painting them with a base coat of white, I let Isaac go to town with a paint brush and various shades of orange.
He opted to keep some of the cans white to make ghosts and just drew a face on with a sharpie.
(And I'm also now realizing I never snapped a picture of his finished pumpkins before they were packed away for the year. Doh!)
Along with the outside decorations we already had (the spiders/web and "tombstones"), I exercised my crafting muscles by suspending into thin air these cardstock bats with googly eyes that we made a couple of years ago. You could argue that hot glue and string are not exactly the pinnacle of crafting, but the end product was all that I was hoping for and more -- I can't tell you what a kick I got out of seeing these bats "fly" whimsically around overhead whenever the wind was blowing. Hahaha.
PUMPKIN PATCHING
No Spooky Season is ever complete without a trip to the pumpkin patch, amiright?? Adding to the fun this year was seeing Ethan also enjoying a pumpkin patch of his own. He and his companion hit one up on a P-day and sent the pictures to prove it. Haha.
(I think this one is my favorite of the bunch. LOL.)
A week or so after we got the pictures from Ethan's outing, we found a pumpkin patch of our own that was the perfect fall venue for frolicking and fun. It was rather chilly that day, but the boys were running around enough that they didn't quite feel it. Jane, on the other hand, was not dressed warmly enough for the outing and was ready to go home much sooner than we actually did. She was also too cold to pose for any pictures for me, so all I've got to document our afternoon are shots of the boys. Womp womp.
Cutie patootie.
These slides were a big hit...
...as was the zip line.
The apple blaster was also a hit. Literally. LOL.
(I was in love with this gorgeous field of zinnias.)
Legit question -- does anyone actually ENJOY doing a corn maze? {insert thinking face emoji}
Isaac and his poses. Hahahaha.
COLOR RUN
Isaac's school had a color run around the middle of October and I couldn't NOT come to watch it unfold. His grade was scheduled for a 20 minute slot late in the morning, and since we live practically next door to the school, it was no trouble at all to head on over and cheer him on. By the end, he was absolutely covered in color and wiped out from all the sprinting he kept breaking into -- 2nd graders aren't really known for pacing themselves. Hahahaha.
He's such a goof ball.
Gotta get those sunglasses on just right.
😂😂😂
Messy fun at its finest.
(I love that he thought a baby wipe would get rid of all the colored chalk [or whatever it was] from his hair.)
I just love that little face. 😍
That hair, though -- I kind of love the colors. Haha.
MISCELLANY --
Alright, we're getting closer to the end! This section is a hodge podge of items and events. Such as:
Gardening has become my most obsessive hobby as of late, and I just have to document some of the end-of-summer glory.
Is that a picture perfect rose, or what??
My best showing of flowers-from-seed this summer were by far the zinnias and cosmos. And they're absolutely gorgeous, too!
I'm high key obsessed with these varieties of cosmos. (Pictured here is a mix of Gloria, Sensation mix, Sensation Picotee mix, and Purity. The lavender interspersed throughout is lovely as well.)
(One of my new favorite succulents -- Echeveria.)
- Sophie got her driver's permit
Now we've just got to get in her 6 months of driving experience so she can get her license!
- Isaac was student of the week
(With some friends at recess.)
Isaac did an after school Lego club this fall and loved being with his bestie.
(Isaac really misses Grace)
- Goosebumps author signing
When I learned that R. L. Stine would be coming to our local library for a book signing, I couldn't wait to tell Alex. He went through a MAJOR Goosebumps series phase a couple of years ago and was excited to "meet" the famous author. Well, he wasn't the only one excited -- there were TONS and TONS of other fans flocking to the library that night, as well, to that point that we didn't even get to be in the room where he was speaking before the signing. Being slightly late worked to our advantage, however, when we realized that they were starting to set up the table for the book signings almost right next to us. As a result, we ended up towards the very front of the line with only a dozen or so people ahead of us when R. L. Stine eventually arrived. We didn't realize quite how lucky we were until we were through the line and headed to the car and saw how insanely long the line was. We're talking it snaked through the halls and out of the building itself and then around the courtyard and the sidewalk and then up the street to the end of the block and then around the back of the library a bit more. It was nuts. Seriously, seriously nuts!
Alex had forgotten the book he wanted signed at home, so I caved and let both boys pick something out from the merch table.
(That's him! And can you believe he's 80 years old??)
So anxiously waiting.
Alex was stoked with the quick "conversation" he had with the author. I'm pretty sure it was just an exchange of 'hi' and 'how are you this evening,' but it was apparently enough to make Alex feel like he had bragging rights to all his friends. Hahahaha.
(It was impossible to capture the full scope of this line!)
HALLOWEEN
Alright, people! We are finally at the end!!! Congrats if you've made it this far. Hahahaha. To finish off our Fall recap, I'm going to cover the quintessential Spooky Season event! If I'm honest, our Halloween lacked a little oomph this year -- probably because the boys were the only ones really participating in the festivities. Boooooo! The girls made it to the ward trunk-or-treat, but neither of them were in costume, and I'm not sure that Jane's "cool kid" skirt from her 4th Halloween really counts for the trunk-or-treat at Scott's office. (Although she DID provide all the Taylor Swift merch for decorating Scott's HR group's booth, so I guess that counts for something. Lol.) Alex decided to go as the ever-classic Harry Potter this year while Isaac went rogue and chose Luffy -- a character from a manga series/show that he's never even seen, but that Alex has been really into. Thankfully, the local thrift store really came through in the clutch for costuming purposes this year! Despite the fact that I know we've had Harry Potter robes for Halloweens in the past, I couldn't find them anywhere, so when I found a graduation robe while searching for items to create Isaac's look, I heaved a huge sigh of relief. Throw in the fact that I somehow miraculously found everything I needed to create Luffy, and you could say I was beyond grateful that I wouldn't have to hunt around at any other stores to get the job done.
I obviously had to make a few modifications and alterations to the items I found, but I think I really nailed the spirit of the look. Hahahaha.
(He was so excited when he got home from school and saw the finished product.)
Again with the poses.
Scott's work trunk-or-treat
(In case you were wondering, Scott dressed in Chiefs gear as a nod to Travis Kelce while throwing on a cardigan to represent Taylor. LOL.)
Halloween Night 2023
I'm giving myself a pat on the back for finally cranking out this post -- even if it IS almost December! Hahahaha. And with that I'll close by saying THANK YOU and GOODNIGHT!! 😂
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