It's Fall!
The past week has felt a little more like early winter. We have had our first snow and about 6 straight days of no sun. Finally today the sun is out and it will get a little warmer for the weekend. A few weeks ago we made a trip up to Iowa and we have been going non-stop since then. Gracie moved quickly into her competitive softball and also started basketball almost two weeks ago. We are wrapping up the fall softball season this weekend at a tournament near the lake. I'm looking forward to the nicer weather compared to the last two weekends.
Fall in Iowa
We took our one free weekend of the fall and spent it at my sister's. We took the kids to Center Grove Orchard and ate at our favorite place, Hickory Park, in Ames. We packed in a lot of activities in the short time we were there, but it was so good to go back and see our favorite Iowa people and places.
Packing everything in the truck...Gracie looks so excited.
This place makes me so happy. Time well spent and we had a pretty good day to be outside. I think the temperature was close to 70 in the afternoon. We got to take River with us because Kaia was feeling a little under the weather. Unfortunately Annie had to stay home with her. I'm so glad that we could take River, though! He had so much fun!
We used to take the kids every year, and the last fall that we lived in Iowa, they went every Wednesday after school with our neighbors. So much fun stuff to do there and they have added even more.
The Jumping Pillow and the giant slide are staples and are still there.
They didn't seem quite as big to the kids this time, though.
Gracie definitely wasn't as impressed with some of the fun things as she used to do, but I think she still enjoyed the day.
Apple sling shot
I don't know that we had actually ever done this before. The kids tried to hit the targets.
Nick took a turn
Owen's turn. I think he just tried to launch it as far as he could.
Hayrack ride out to the corn maze!
Gracie and Owen as ears of corn.
They look so much different than they did 5 years ago in the same face holes.
River and Owen
Tractor Pull
I don't think this was here the last time we came to the orchard.
It took all of them, but they pulled it.
There was also a huge field of sunflowers. They were beautiful
Gracie and Owen on the tractor
Picture with River
I think Nick even had fun.
Gracie's favorite part....caramel apples.
Their store was still there and I probably purchased too much stuff, but it is all so good!
I could have stayed there all day.
And then we went here...
Gracie shared a little of her shake with me.
Owen thought River was pretty funny until...
this happened approximately 5 minutes later.
They were all pretty wiped out after a few hours outside at the orchard and a big lunch at Hickory Park.
Now we're awake again.
What a fun weekend! I wish we could have stayed longer and it was too bad that Kaia wasn't feeling well. However, I'm so glad that we got to go up and stay with Annie. We also spent a couple hours visiting with Grandma and Grandpa Britton in Polk City. So great to see them before they head back south for the winter! We had to leave fairly early on Sunday morning to get back for a softball scrimmage in Columbia, but I would do it again.
Owen and Custer basking in the sun.
It wasn't terribly warm, but the sun felt amazing that day.
Fall softball
It's almost over and then we will have some time off from softball until they start winter workouts in January. The scrimmage was good and then the following two weekends Gracie's team was in Columbia for tournaments. It has been strange with so many girls competing for school teams and unable to play all together until the end of October. We have also had a couple girls unable to play because of quarantine - exposed to someone who had COVID. Luckily no one that we know has become sick from it yet. There are still a couple girls on the team who have yet to play a whole tournament with us.
Gracie in her blue uniform. She had to change numbers this year because one of the other girls already had her #1. She seems unbothered by it though.
Running home.
I haven't taken many pics yet. I was too cold bundled up under blankets for both tournaments. The sun is very deceiving in the picture. It was actually not warm and really windy. Nick had a heater in the dugout for the girls during the games this past weekend.
Owen's school pic finally came!
I can actually see his freckles.
Since Gracie is in chorus this year at school (instead of band; they have to choose) she gets to be in the musical which is performed in December. They are doing Aladdin and she earned the role of Jaffar! She's pretty excited to perform and I think they will start adding after school practices next week. Luckily it won't conflict with her basketball practices because those are in the morning at 6am.
This will probably be the strangest Halloween that we've had in a very long time. Parents are not allowed at the school parties and we will not be trick-or-treating since we'll be out of town at a softball tournament. Owen doesn't seem as disappointed as I thought he would be. He still has a costume to wear at his party and take for the weekend if he wants to dress up. Honestly, I have failed to also buy pumpkins, so there has been no carving this year. I have had good intentions to take the kids to pick them out, but just haven't done it. I am making it a goal to do better between now and Christmas.
Comments