October 17, 2017

(click here for today's pictures)

• I woke up at 6:30 this morning and quickly went back to sleep. There isn't much better than a few extra minutes of sleep in the mornings. Campbell came in a few times before I did get out of bed. She would hand me school work each time. Robby said that she went to town on her school last night. She did and pretty soon this morning, Campbell, Keaton and Graham were finished with their school work.
• We barely got Whitman's breakfast before he had to get in Robby's car to head to school. Now, poor Whitman was not happy about not getting to ride in the red car. He is a bit devastated that we sold the red car (and his scooter).
• The rest of us worked together and then we all started on our school work. The kids went to town since we had a big afternoon. My goal was to finish school by 11:30 and we did make it by 11:45. 
• As soon as we finished school, we started to work on Campbell's snickerdoodle cookies to take to her CBS class tomorrow. We were able to get the batter in the fridge before it was lunch time. I read some at lunch and then cleaned the kitchen as the kids picked up the rest of the house (Reagan had already done most of it-when she is motivated, she is really motivated.)
• Before 1, we were walking out of the house and drove to pick up Nonna and Pops. Grannymom and Whitman were our next to pick up. Whitman came to the car and was asking Grannymom to ask "my parents if we can go to another pumpkin patch." He was so excited when he found out that we were indeed going to another pumpkin patch.
• We zoomed on down the road to Schaeffer's Pumpkin patch in Mayflower. Even though it was just Mayflower, it was still 50 minutes from my house. The Powells and Kamps were already there and by the time we bought our tickets, the Stotts arrived.
• The first activity was the hayride. Last year, some of the pumpkins were still on vines but I am not sure that these pumpkins actually grew were they were. However, there were rotten pumpkins around so possibly they were grown there. Either way, you ride a hayride to a pumpkin patch (a real patch) and then you hop out of the hayride and pick your pumpkin.
• Whitman only cared about dragging his feet in the dirt. I had to pick out his pumpkin and after I did, I saw a white one that I really wanted him to trade for but he would have none of that. Reagan found a neat squatty green and orange pumpkin. I am glad that she found one so quickly because last year she was the last one back on the wagon.
• Keaton was all about picking the biggest pumpkin that she could find with the longest stem. Pops even struggled to carry her monstrous pumpkin back to the tractor. Campbell was the slow picker outer today and honestly, I can't tell the difference between hers, Anderson's and Graham's pumpkins.
• After the pumpkin picking, the kids played on all of the land. There were slides, tether ball (a favorite of the big kids), sand (Whitman's favorite), see saws and many other things. If the weather was a just a bit cooler, I think that my kids could have stayed all afternoon long.
• As it was, when we did leave, we had to scurry on out of there and hurry home. We dropped Grannymom off at the curb and kicked Nonna and Pops out and drove home as quickly as possible.
• Once at home, the kids changed into their Halloween costumes, Robby and I worked on goody bags for the kids tonight, I got myself ready and then we unloaded the car as the kids climbed in. My fireplace now has 13 pumpkins sitting on it. 
• We arrived at the Pennington's house and shortly thereafter, so did the McGuires. Everyone took our customary Halloween picture out front. Jaymie came soon with supper and we ate. After eating the kids played some and the adults talked. No one stayed too late and on the way home, the kids asked why we left so early. We explained that they all had school tomorrow and it was like we were trying to explain a foreign concept to the kids. I guess my crew is pretty fortunate-tomorrow is Bible study for us tomorrow so we have an early morning too.