Nelson Family Blog: Minnesota in October

We are in full October mode in the Nelson household. Emma and I watched the premier of Hocus Pocus 2 on October 1st, and that put us in full Halloween mode. We spent the rest of the weekend decorating the front steps with Halloween decor and lights, and putting pumpkins everywhere. We both love fall and Halloween.

We also had an evening recently that through the Parks and Rec department they had a kickball night at Keuhn Park. The kids had a blast playing kickball with some other kids, and at the end the parents played against the kids which was also fun.

Elliott and John continue to go fishing on nice evenings, and they are moderately successful. Elliott is still showing an interest in fishing, so we are trying to keep encouraging that.

Last weekend I went to a Thomas Rhett concert with Katie, while John and the kids went to an Augastana Volleyball Game. Katie and I had a blast. We went downtown first, and had some drinks at the distillery, and then we ate supper at Blarney Stone. We also did a little shopping downtown, and then headed to the concert. We were in the very top row of the Denny, but we really enjoyed our seats and had a good time. The openers were decent, and then Thomas Rhett was really good. He played for about two hours straight, and Katie and I had a lot of fun!

On Sunday, we had church, and then John and I both had to teach Sunday School (John was a fill-in). Then, we went to Hinners to watch football and eat some lunch. Then, in the evening we had a 4-H meeting, and then we met up with Jim and Barb and Jeff and Samantha and had some supper. It was a busy, crazy weekend, but it was fun!

This past week has also been pretty busy. We've been staying busy with all the homework and piano lessons like crazy, and then this past weekend we went to Minnesota for the weekend. Just the kids and I went to Minnesota, and John stayed home to work on some projects and get things done at home.

The kids and I left Sioux Falls right after school on Friday, and we got to my parent's house around 6:30pm. We ate some supper with mom, and then Elliott went to ride in the combine with Ryan and ride with dad to the elevator. They are harvesting corn right now, and the kids enjoyed being around to see everything and get their rides in.

On Saturday, Mom, Emma, Elliott, and I headed to Mankato for the day. On the way there, we stopped in Gaylord to see Grandma Mary. She was really happy to see us, and it was really nice to catch up and visit with her. Then, we went to Rachel's house. The kids enjoyed playing in the house for a while, and then we decided to go get some lunch.

We ate lunch at La Terraza, and then since it was such a beautiful fall day, we decided to take the kids to a couple parks. It was a perfect day. The colors were stunning in the trees, it was about 70 degrees, a little breezy and no bugs. The kids had so much fun playing together. They brought their stuffed animals along, so they were having a blast playing with them on the playground.

After visiting two parks, and going for a walk on one of the trails, we left to go to the Water Circus at the Riverhills Mall. It was pretty fun, and the kids were really impressed. Basically, it was a show made up of tricks and stunts. We had juggling, balancing, hula hoops. comedy, aerial stunts, and tricks on roller skates. It was fun to watch the kids watch everything. We also bought them overpriced food and light up toys. It lasted about 2 hours, and then we were all ready to leave. We got back to Rachel's around 7pm, ate an evening snack (since the show started at 4:30 and we never ate supper) and then we headed back to mom and dad's house. The very tired kids watched a little bit of a movie, and then passed out hard.

Sunday was also a fun day. We spent the morning on the farm, picking apples, and also destroying apples with baseball bats (just the bad ones). We also found brand-new baby kittens on the farm, which the kids all loved. We also played some basketball and with toys outside, before heading over to Ryan's place to ride in the tractors some more. Emma and Elliott each took turns riding to town with loads of corn (and getting a lot of candy and pop in return). They both also rode with Ryan in the combine a little and then they just had fun riding around in the Ranger and 4-wheeler.

I rode a few rounds with dad in the DMI. He also let me drive for a few rounds, which was pretty fun, and pretty easy with the GPS system. Basically you just have to turn at the end, otherwise it drives for you. It was really fun to have a little taste of harvest again, and spend some time with family.

John was productive back at home. He fixed the fence post that had rotted out, cleaned and organized the garage, and helped clean around the house while we were gone. I think he missed us all by the end of the weekend though, and we missed him too!

I'm still having an extended weekend with the kids. They don't have school today or tomorrow, and I took those days off too. Today, we spent the morning cleaning rooms and the house, and then I went to the gym while the kids stayed home and Ipaded. Then, we had eye doctor appointments, and Emma now needs glasses. She's in good spirits about it, but I'm sure it's going to be quite the adjustment. We ordered her a cute black pair with cheetah print on the sides, she's pretty excited about it.

After the eye doctor, we got some juice stop and then headed back home. Emma made us biscuits and gravy for supper (with a little help) and then we finished it up with fresh apple crisp. Yum! It was delicious. Now, John and Elliott are fishing, and Emma and I are enjoying some peace and quiet and relaxing.

I really love this time of year, but before I know it, October will be half over. This year is going too fast!!