Pumpkin carving time

Last night we carved the boys pumpkins that they got from the hayride at the Nature Preserve. These were by far the biggest pumpkins we have ever gotten from participating in an activity! Perfect for carving! The boys were all very anxious and had picked out their designs themselves. Blake was nervous about touching the pumpkin guts, but after seeing everyone else do it, he decided it wasn't so bad.

scooping the guts

checking out the inside

watching Daddy do his work

This pumpkin had already been scooped out, but they decided to put the guts back in and scoop it back out again. Parker was covered up to his elbows in pumpkin...he even had it in his hair!

Jacob's pumpkin

Blake's pumpkin

Parker's pumpkin

Daddy and the boys did a great job!

Botanical Gardens

We attended the Fall Festival at the botanical gardens. It was a beautiful day and the boys and I enjoyed our time there. They spent most of the time going through the caterpillar obstical course. Blake said that inside they had stairs and ramps and stuff they had to maneuver around to get through to the other side. Parker went in, got scared and cried to be let out, so we hung out while Jacob and Blake went through over and over! One thing I did not get a picture of was the orchid conservatory. They released hundreds of butterflies and it was amazing. The boys and I enjoyed trying to identify the different types as well as seeing if any would land on us! It was very magical!

heading in!


finished

bowling for a prize

Jakey's turn

Parker did great!

Pumpking bug toss

Inside the willow maze

Underneath some pines

exploring the field

coloring their butterfly projects

beautiful butterfly!

Corn Maze

running to the pumpkin patch

inside the hay maze

playing checkers next to the picnic area

practicing his lasso skills

inside the maze (about half of the kids)

Most of the group!

At the beginning of the month, our homeschool group took a trip to a corn maze. We spent the entire afternoon there and pretty much had the place to ourselves. Another mom and I got seperated from the group, but managed to find our way out (the maze was huge!) while the other half of our group (which included Blake) needed to have the staff come and "rescue" them. We waited for about 40 minutes before they emerged! Then it was on to the petting barn where they got to milk a pretend cow, feed some corn to chickens, pigs and sheep and also pet a very adorable and soft bunny. After the barn, we took a hayride around the maze and then they got to pick a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch. It was a great afternoon and we were all exhausted by the time we got home!

*Jacob is absent from the pictures b/c he was having a great one-on-one weekend with Grandma and Poppa!

Bags of Apples

In our house, we have lots of conversations around what is healthy food to eat and what is not. This isn't to say that my kids don't eat junk food, but we really strive for balance. I hope that as my kids grow, they will begin to appreciate where their food comes from (and I don't mean the supermarket!) and how it makes them feel after they eat it. With that being said, Blake and I got into a conversation about Halloween and how I think it is great to have healthy treats versus candy. A little while later, Blake asked if we could go to the store and get two bags of apples. When I asked him why, he said "so we can pass them out at Halloween!". I am not going to lie...this made me very proud!

Bug, Bug, Stinkbug

I love how the boys take ordinary, traditional games and spin them into their own little creations. Just this afternoon, they were playing "bug, bug, stinkbug". It is the same as duck, duck, goose, but instead of the "goose" chasing the person, the stinkbug does! I thought it was very clever!

Middle Child Syndrome

Jacob suffers from classic middle child syndrome. As hard as we try to make things fair, he always feels like he is getting the short end of the stick. Thankfully, he has an older brother who is very understanding, so when we need to make things a little lopsided for Jacob's benefit, he doesn't balk about it too much. However, things still are never quite perfect enough for Jacob. The other day, we were coming home from the Nature Preserve and Jacob says to me "wouldn't it be great if there was no Blake or no Parker and just a Jakeybug!" I had to laugh. I suppose he was feeling especially left out that morning (not sure why). We will see what adding a new baby does to the dynamic. Peter and Jacob have a special outing planned this weekend. They are attending a Panthers-Saints game. Jacob has been begging to go since we moved here and when Peter got tickets through work, Jakey got first dibs on going. I am hoping this throws things back into balance with him...for now ;)

MIA

It seems this pregnancy has finally caught up with me. I have been suffering from nausea (all.day.long) and fatigue, which means no blogging lately. I am hoping this passes by the second trimester....this is the first pregnancy in which I have been so nauseated. Until then, you all with have to be patient with me!

Working on a big project

We are currently working on a big project that should take the next 9 months to complete ;) You guessed it, Blumie number 4 is on the way, expected to arrive around June 10th. For those who are wondering: yes this was planned (although secretly!), we will NOT be finding out the sex (hoping for a girl this go around, but expecting another boy), and we will be having another home waterbirth as well. This will be our last offspring so I am going to try and enjoy this pregnancy as much as possible. I know all to well how quickly this time will go by. So far, I am feeling pretty well considering the first trimester can be the worst.

And on another note, I have, yet again, lots of pics in need of uploading. The rest of the week is going to be a busy one for us, so hopefully I can get them up over the weekend. Now I am off to rest while I can :)