Pumpkin Patch Extravaganza

The Chesterfield Berry Farm underwent a make-over last year-
now it resembles some sort of autumn/harvest/Halloween village.

The best thing about this sign is the mention of the "Scary Fun Barn:-
Lest you think that the Scary Barn won't be Fun, as well as Scary.
It's both people. So fun it's scary . . . so scary it's fun . . take your pick!

Eating lunch is way more fun when it's freezing outside and you overpaid
for BBQ chicken, beans, a hot dog, some cole slaw, and a couple cans of soda.

This is so cheesy, I just had to take a picture.

It took quite a bit of cajoling to get Parker into the moonbounce.
Suddenly, he thinks he is "too old."

Some of us aren't too old to have fun, though....

Nice shades, Farmer Joe.

This insane pumpkin patch came with a map.
Without it (and a pen) we would still be wandering around in those stalks.

I told you the kid needed braces!!!

Down to business. Time to ride out to the Patch.

Oh look, I actually DID come on this outing.

This is the Ute pumpkin, obviously.

Yay pumpkins!

One More Time with Feeling

Okay during the last 3 weeks, I think Parker had no less than 3 birthday celebrations,
I had one, Jeremy had one, we had a joint one,
and then there was our friend's baby's birthday
somewhere there in the middle.

So, last weekend we were barely able to muster up
enough enthusiasm for another birthday party;
this time with 5 middle-school boys.

There are a lot of "your mama is so fat..."
and "your mama is so dumb..." jokes.
I had no idea.

After a couple hours around our house hopped up on pizza and cupcakes,
we took them to Richmond Ice Zone where they could cool off.

Parker did awesome, this was only his 3rd time,
but he was tearin' it up out there.

Ah, boys.

First day of (gulp!) Middle School

What a cool kid, eh? Especially with those rad shoelaces!
He had a great first week in 6th grade.
He made 3 new friends right away and is fitting in just fine in his new school.
All the 8th graders seem like giants in comparison,
but he'll hit his growth spurt soon enough.
I was only a LITTLE misty-eyed when I dropped him off the first day.

End of Summer Wrap Up

So, the summer's officially over- happens every year after my birthday.

I was 31 this time. Shouldn't I have gotten 31 cupcakes?!?!

Celebrating growing old with style!

Over the summer break, Parker played with Legos
for about 6 hours every day.

We went to the zoo and saw some awesome animals,
like these baby tigers taking an afternoon nap.

Or these penguins, that seemed more than willing to pose for this picture.

Parker's favorite animals at the zoo are always the ones he gets to touch.
(And the ones with the stinkiest saliva, probably.)

Like this giraffe, who licked Parker's hand for about 10 minutes.

Jeremy is getting old, too- he turned 31 in August.

I got him a new watch. Just look at the gratitude in that expression!

Isaac, Katie, Lily and Hudson to visit one Sunday afternoon.
We took them to the awesome park designed for kids in wheelchairs,
and Lily had a blast zooming around everywhere.

And SOME of us took naps.

Parker is the big ONE ONE

Parker's birthday was yesterday!

He got a LOT of Legos.

He spent ALL DAY building those things.

Well, he did take a couple breaks to enjoy his birthday dinner
(homemade chili) and his birthday dessert
(homemade lemon pound cake).
And we took a trip to Ironbridge Sports Park to race go-karts
and hit some balls on the driving range.

What's that, you ask? A sunburn?
Oh no. That's just the RASH Parker gets when he gets so excited
about something that he can't stand it.
What, YOUR kid doesn't break out in a rash?!?!

It must be all the adrenaline or something.
This was the worst we've ever seen it!
Guess that means he was having a REALLY good time!

Happy Birthday, Parker!
(FYI, the rash disappeared about 2 minutes after the go-kart races were over.)

Hangin' Out in Utah

Parker & I spent 10 days in Utah- the longest stretch of time
since we moved in 2001. It was kind of momentous.

To celebrate, Dad made homemade Butterfinger and root beer ice creams
with the old ice cream maker. I think the thing is something like 50 years old.
Maybe it was discovered when Utah was settled. I don't know.

Parker at the Utah Planetarium, exploring Mars.

A lesson in car repairs...which Parker doesn't seem too convinced of.

At long last, Parker got to ride in one of those motorized jeeps.
Every kid in America always wants one of these things,
and most parents roll their eyes when they see them going for $100 at the store.
Addie's jeep came from the thrift store, lucky girl.
I think Parker bent his legs in half and just ignored the pain so he could fit inside!

As if it wasn't cool enough to watch a movie at the Planetarium,
they also gave us these awesome and extremely flattering sunglasses.

Dynamic trio: Addie, Parker & me!

One night just us siblings went out to dinner. It was a blast!
We couldn't stop laughing the whole time.
We can't wait to do it again, when the other 2 brothers can join us.

This was the night where Candace bowled in slow motion
with a 6 pound ball the entire night and yet she beat ALL of us.

The kids chillin' at the aquarium....

Did you know Nemo's dad lives there?

Also spent some time at the man-made beach in Herriman.
This is the day my freckles came out- the ones I hadn't seen in years.
Or maybe Candace's freckles are just contagious.

Chefs Addie & Parker, at your service.

Attempts at a sibling picture....eventually we got a normal one.
But obviously it was not as interesting as this one.

Parker & Grandpa after one of their rides
into the sunset on the motorcycle.