Fall Break--Part 1

Almost every year we have gone somewhere for fall break. This year we stayed home and I let Meg, Ben and Sam each choose something that they wanted to do.

Ben had Monday, "Day One" of fall break. He choose to have "Pajama Day." We stayed in our p.j.'s all day, went and got take-out McDonald's for breakfast, made crafts, watched movies, and did NOT practice the piano or do any chores. This was one of those days I HAD to just let it go. It was hard, but I succeeded and we had a FUN day. Here we are eating McDonald's breakfast. . .in our p.j.s

Making a craft. We did one of the little bead designs that you iron together. Yes, I'm STILL finding beads around my house.

Mom's choice--writing in our journals that night for FHE. In order to make this a little more successful for my kids, I have found that if I do a fill in the blank type of journal page, it's a lot more successful. We wrote about the summer activities.

Meg's choice was Tuesday, day two. She chose Incredible Dave's, an indoor amusement park. Molly had school and I had asked a friend to watch Molly for me after school so that we could stay all day. We started by playing with some of the big blow ups, and then did the obstacle course. But the highlight was the bungee jumping.

Meg "schooled" us all how to do it since she has done it before.

Ben mastered the double back flip.

Sam loved it!!!

After bungee jumping, we hit the bowling lanes.

Sam once again told me that the day was fun, but it be would more fun with dad. I asked Rusty if he ever says the same thing to him when I'm not with the group, and the answer is. . ."no."

I don't know if you can see the score, but I barely won. Ben was a CLOSE second.

Wednesday was spent doing chores and getting ready for the camping trip, which was Sam's choice (see next post). It was really fun being with my kids. With them getting a little older, it gave me a small taste of what it's going to be like when we're more on a "peer" level.

Fall Break-Part 2

For at least four months Rusty had planned on taking the kids camping, and since we weren't able to leave for fall break (Rusty's new law firm is taking a lot of his time--later post to come) he decided to take a couple of days and go that week. The problem came when we read the forecast. It was going to be a beautiful 70-degree-weather day (the first day), but the second day was 100 percent chance of rain and high of 49 degrees. They went anyway. The chosen destination -- Red River Gorge. It is beautiful there, and my friend even further motivated me with one of her posts.

Here is a description of the trip in pictures (I was so happy Rusty used the camera and did an awesome job in documenting the camping trip).

It's not an easy feat getting four people ready for a camping trip with all types of weather. The van was packed to the hilt.

Leaving. . .

A picture of Natural Bridge

The path leading to the bridge.

Day One--Rusty went with our good friends, the Miller family. They have boy and girl twins Ben's age, and Meg, Ben and Sam LOVE to be with Max and Dominique. This narrow corridor leads to the top of Natural Bridge. The group was able to hike, build a fire, grill hamburgers, make s'mores and enjoy the outdoors the first day.

Posing on a rock with Natural Bridge in the distance. It's a good thing I WASN'T there; I would have freaked out having my kids that close to the edge. Dominique, Meg, Max, Ben and Sam (notice the rolled up pants on Sam, like the girls).

Getting ready to make s'mores.

Day Two--the rain hits. It rained a solid 24 hours, but the weather didn't slow them down. They went on a LONG hike.

Sam needing a little assistance.

Thank goodness for lap tops and portable DVD players. They watched a movie in the afternoon under the pavilion to get a break from the rain. They did tell me that it was FREEZING however.

Because they couldn't cook outside, and because Rusty heard that Miguel's Pizza was the best in Kentucky, they went for an early dinner. . .

. . .before camping out at the Hemlock Lodge for the next two and half hours. The kids parked it in front of Disney Channel while Rusty and Brian "nursed" the fire.

It was so cold, and after a day of rain the tent was a little wet, but not the gear (Rusty takes pride in his camping skills and obviously REALLY earned that Eagle), so they decided to sleep inside the van. Rusty pushed the two captain chairs together to make a bed for Sam. Sam didn't budge the entire night.

Rusty, Meg and Ben tried to sleep in the back of the van but found it a little crowded, so Ben moved up into the passenger seat and laid it down. He didn't budge all night either.

Day Three--even though it had rained and was super, duper cold (Sam's verbage), the kids LOVED camping. They drove around and saw the entire area and rock climbers the next day before coming home.

Pumpkin Patch Take Two--With Molly

Just a few days after our Huber Farms pumpkin patch outing, Molly's preschool had a field trip to a "home-made" pumpkin patch. It was set up so cute and we had a blast. I did however, (after having to hold her a lot and remind her countless times to quit whining) ask her teacher if Molly was fussy all the time, or just when I was around. She said it was just when I was around, and that they thought about asking me not to come to the next field trip. I took her suggestion to heart and sent Rusty to the next field trip, which was the fire station. After being there a half an hour he called me to say, "Molly's crying because she wants me to hold her; what should I do?" Ummm, let me think, hold her!?!? So, hopefully, Molly's attitude will change. Otherwise she won't have any parents participating in her field trips.

Before the big pumpkin "hunt."

Molly picked the best pumpkin (or the first one she saw).

Why-o-why does Molly smile like this? Because she's sick of her mom saying, "Smile Molly."

Molly's class. Molly was a little nervous to sit on the wagon for the hay ride. She's next to her church friend Anna, and her other church friend (in the blue coat) is Juliette.

I had to hold her the entire time during the hay ride. She has a way of talking me into it every time.

We played the parachute game after the hay ride.

BFF-Eva! Although there usually isn't a day that goes by that she's with Eva that she doesn't hurt her in some way. Eva's so sweet, she just keeps coming back for more.

Westport Road Bible Preschool Ms. Kelly's class 2008-2009 (I had bribed Molly with a piece of candy that I'm holding in my other hand to sit there with her class and smile).

Pumpkin Patch

We made our annual trip to pick pumpkins at Huber Farms. We wanted to go while my parents were visiting and only had one free night due to baseball games, dance, and piano. Of course, the forecast for this one free day was rain. It rained all morning, but then by 3:00 p.m. the sun came out. I called Huber's and they said that it was a little wet, but clear and 65 degrees. We decided to go. It was great because there was NO one else there to pick pumpkins. We took our time picking just the right pumpkin, posed for some pictures, enjoyed a yummy meal at the restaurant, and, besides having muddy shoes, the night was perfect.

Doesn't everyone who goes to Huber have this picture?

Molly enjoying a snack while waiting for Rusty to meet us at Huber's.

Meg, Molly and Grandma Thompson

Sam did not want to pose for this picture.

This is the I'll-give-a-half-smile-effort-for-mom-so-she-gets-off-my-back look. Molly loves this pumpkin shirt.

Sam looks so grown up to me in this picture.

Yet another tractor pose.

Because it was an overcast day, the pictures turned out so crisp. Sam had a REALLY hard time choosing just one pumpkin.

Meg, on the other hand, didn't want to traipse through the mud, and picked the first one she saw.

Molly didn't really want to choose a pumpkin, she just wanted to play with her monkey.

Ben chose such a big pumpkin he had to rest every few steps while taking it to the car.

A yummy country dinner--most things FRIED!

When we got home Meg and Ben needed to do some homework, Sam laid on the couch to watch and fell asleep like this. He ended up staying home the next two days from school because he had a virus.

Fall Baseball

Fall Baseball for Ben has been a little more successful than Spring Baseball. He struggled last spring when he moved from machine pitch baseball to kid pitch. The great thing about fall ball is that it is so much more laid back and the coaches really try to instruct the boys in many different positions, even stopping the game to explain how a play could have been done differently or more successfully.

Ben had the same coach as he did in spring ball and a few of the same players. His coach after EVERY game would give a play by play of the game via email. In his game descriptions you would have thought that Ben (all the boys in fact) was an all-star in every game. Here are some of the things he wrote about Ben.

BEN O’BRIEN got his first call to the mound tonight, and did well! He struck the very first batter he faced (turns out, it was his good friend Dominic!) and held his own in his first foray into the world of pitching. Ben became our TENTH Red Sox player to pitch for us this year…

BEN scored our final run of the night, after walking and working around the bases on wild pitches. D.C. walked, and Brayden walked, and with bases loaded and one out, BRAD singled home Ben with the fifth run of the inning, pushing our lead to an insurmountable 14-7.

TREVOR (1.000 OBP, two runs, three steals), BEN (second pitching performance), and SHAUN (10 pitch inning, 3 up / 3 down) all received game balls tonight…

Ben happy about his first pitching experience.

Ben and his good buddy Trevor (fellow church member and Cub Scout) was on his team this fall.

Grandma and Grandpa Thompson got to come to a few of our fall ball games.

Sam also had his posse with him during fall ball. Rusty was his coach again, and Sam got to try out several different positions. Here is Andrew, Sam, John and Tanner.

Sam HATED catching. Therefore, I think he only did it one or two times.

Meg entertained Molly a lot by reading to her or, because we were at the ball field about three or four nights every week (the season is only four weeks), she would do her homework.

Ben playing with Molly before his game and during Sam's game.

Molly loved fall ball for one reason--her friends' brothers played on Sam's and Ben's teams and, therefore, she always had someone to play with at the games. Here are Emma and Eva with Molly.

Molly and her bff's just chillin' at the ball park.

I put this picture in because it shows how Molly hauls EVERYTHING with her EVERYWHERE. She always has at least a few books, stuffed animals, dolls and of course, "the Blank."