Is October Over Already?

Hit the Pumpkin Patch in October.  Went to one and it was jam packed like a Disneyland parking lot...isn't that crazy for a pumpkin patch??  Maybe it was the "Field of Screams Haunted Corn Maze" that was a big draw. I heard a guy in a scarecrow costume jumps out at you in the maze, laughing maniacally and holding a chain saw.
No I am serious.
And doesn't that sound like good fun?  NOT.
Got back in the car and headed down and around the road to a different patch that was crowded, but family-friendly.  I can handle that.
It was a gorgeous, fall day and strolling around was very pleasant.  We waited for a while to get on the tractor-pulled hay ride, but it was worth the memory.

See the happy faces?  That makes the half-hour wait worth it!! I remember this part well because we were getting pretty hungry at this point and the folks in line in front of us had bags of popcorn they were crunching on.  We were totally salivating and had to divert ourselves by watching the Pumpkin Hurling Game going on behind us.

This was a great day with the Daytons. You shoulda been there...

 It was a cold, crisp fall evening at the Dayton Household....

We hosted our very own Harvest Party.  Adults: 2,  Kids: 4 , Candy: 1 million pieces

The pumpkin that had sat alone on the porch, attempting to look harvesty, was about to be carved.  I think it was glad since it didn't have any mini-haystacks or crafty scarecrows to keep it company out there.  It stared all day at some shriveled up pansies in a pot.

Julian and Mother did most of the slimey work.  Claire offered to help, but using an ice cream scooper so as not to touch the stinky slime. (Apologies to the Pumpkin) Father thriftily recommended roasting the seeds for a snack later.  Mother, of course, had a recipe. 

Audrey insisted on a quick photo with Pumpkin, apparantly relating to his demise.

Things turned out quite well for Pumpkin, I'd say.  He looks brilliant!

Leaving the savory behind and moving onto the sweet....
caramel dipped candy-coated apples.

Each child waited patiently for their turn dipping and dripping the caramel.  Mouths watered and fingers twitched to pilfer candy bits.

 One wanted a Nerd coating, another Reeses Pieces would be his fancy.










And then there is the child who wants it all....

At the close of the day, the Daytons had had a spot-on good time.  Oversugared, but together.  

And the pumpkin seeds were roasted to perfection to boot.

Your Face is My Canvas (...that sounds so artsy, doesn't it?)

I never need a reason to paint the kids' faces. Yes, I really love to do it. To begin with, they have simple tastes like puppy, butterfly, or lion.  Next, they see what I have created as a work of art.  This is quite an ego boost when your kids throw themselves on you and dramatically proclaim your creative genius.  I could have painted the most lopsided lion, that really looks like a stepped-on dandelion, and they will think it is completely wonderful. 

Not that I have ever made any bombs, mind you. Just sayin.

The Pensive Pooch

A Bored Butterfly

Baby Batman

Ah that's more like it!

Yes!

Workin' at the Dog Wash yeah...

 We took Charm to the Self-Serve Dog Wash and it was quite a good time.  Charm LOVED it; it was like one big Petting Fest for her.  She stayed completely still and never shook one time.

 Ethan lost interest quickly in our big old dog and really took to this pipsqueak of a creature. I do not care for rodents with long hair that people call dogs.

 Claire and Audrey drying Charm off, which she thought was the massage portion of her doggie spa day.

At home smelling as fresh as a daisy...

 Dad, Maida, and Julie in Hawaii on a horseback ride

Playbarn

My sister is building a barn on her property. They are doing all the work themselves, with a little help from a forklift/backhoe thingie.  But peeling the bark off all the logs entirely?  Incredible.  Yes, I understand they don't use a potato peeler to do it, but still incredible nonetheless.  I am a Project Shortcutter and would probably leave the bark on; I would then pretend I was going for a more rustic look. Well there's your difference between the Country Sister and the City Sister.

Anyway, as I first looked at this picture what popped into my head was what Audrey would see, which was a GIANT PLAYSTRUCTURE. Note the beams that would later hold monkey bars, the ladder that would later have a slide, the ropes for swinging...
Oh...is that a chainsaw on the ground? Hmmm I don't know what Audrey would think of THAT in her park!