Mega-fort

My kids have an awesome Dad. As an added bonus he is also an awesome husband.

I came back from the grocery store this morning to find the whole living room a giant fort. Sheets, blankets, comforters, duvets, 8 chairs, duck tape, and snacks.
This is not a mom activity. Only a dad could pull this one off.

It was a hit! We only took it down after dinner...they literally played in it all day.

Crafty

So Ben had a 35 minute nap in the car. I do not know how that possibly equates to extending his bedtime by 4.5 hours. But yes. These photographs were taken at 11:30pm.

Ben loves to do crafts in his room when he goes to bed. We let him bring up the supplies and he makes spaceships, party decorations, knight armor, pinata's, treasure maps...and on and on. Who am I to interrupt the creativity...what if Picasso's mother had broken up the party? (or maybe she did take the lamp out of his bedroom after 8:30...explaining why his work looks like it was done in total darkness...hmmm). Anyhow, I am glad he has found (yet another) thing he loves...and that I usually have an "I love you" card waiting for me in the morning....(Mommy, can you write "Mommy, I love you" on this paper- but DON"T LOOK AT IT!...it's a SURPRISE!)

The Haircut!

Oh those curls! I know I know. They were beautiful.

Yes. "Were".

I gave Jake his first haircut (I am getting pretty good aren't I!...I did not take any pictures of Ben's first Mommy haircuts...my poor little guinea piggie!)

The curls are gone, for now. These little bald babies I tell ya, when their hair finally starts to grow it wastes no time making up for lost time!

I think he is darn handsome, my Jake(ey).

Private

I am going to be making this blog private in the next week...if you would like to keep up with us this way please email me your email and I will add you to the readers list:)

Pumpkins in the Patch

Rounding out October is our trip to the patch! This year we braved the corn maze. I took Ben and cut through some corn rows off the path and got turned around. Then I realized Jon had the epi pens and I had the kid. That is a problem. I had to yell for Jon (who we were trying to scare...so much for that) to come and somehow find us. He didn't want to cut through the corn rows (because the sign at the start kindly advised "for the enjoyment of everyone" that we stay on the trail. He hesitated to leave said trail (he is very literal) until I was getting annoyed. He bumbled something about "cheating in the corn maze" and begrudgingly lead Jacob through the tall stalks....right into a big family group entering the maze. "HEY! That man is CHEATING!" a little loud mouth pointed at Jon coming out of the row, head down.

I laughed. He didn't.

Otherwise we had fun...Ben picked out the biggest pumpkin he could carry and then he picked out 3 for Jacob too.



Here is Ben and I this year...and in 2008...he has grown so old! Hopefully I have not.

Apples!

It almost didn't happen this year! We drove for almost an hour to a private organic family orchard that I had arranged to pick at for 10 am. Well...we stopped at a Mennonite bakery on the way there and were a teensy bit later that we had said. They were not home by the time we got there. We were disappointing but it was a beautiful day and we drove through more colourful countryside to get home again. It was on this alternate route that we saw a sign for "No spray Apples" outside of the most picturesque tree lined lane way. I must have stared at the beautiful field stone farmhouse for an awkward amount of time (it was 160 years old...in between my awkward gawking I managed to ask).

The kind old (and I mean OLD) farmer toured us around the orchard and hand picked each apple for us on his little tractor while he talked about growing apples a lot longer then them pestim-icides have been around! How is that for service. We got a bushel and a half out of our adventure and an experimental batch of applesauce (the one jar remaining means the verdict was a good one!)

First Love

Overheard...

"Leeah, I just love you and I love when you hold my hand"
"I love you Ben. I will never let go".

1st Place

Ben entered a picture he drew into a the art category of a local 1914 era fall fair at the pioneer village. When we arrived that afternoon with Grammie to see how the judging went we were excited to see that Ben's picture (in the 5-9 year old category...) won first place! His squash won second prize. He was the proud recipient of a first place certificate and a shiny looney (which Grammie miraculously turned into ten at the gift store...)