Halloween 2019

Whew! Many Halloween activities and four buckets of candy later, Halloween is officially in the books. We maybe overdid the Halloween thing a little this year, but I loved every second of it.

Last weekend, we spent another weekend cramming in some Halloween activities. On Saturday, we spent the morning raking leaves and jumping in leaf pile while John had another family photo shoot. It was pretty chilly out, but the kids loved it.

After lunch, we headed to Hy-Vee to celebrate Halloween there. They do a really good job putting on a fun Halloween celebration. The kids got to decorate sugar cookies and pumpkins, hug a pop machine for a free pop, and then trick or treat throughout the store. It was really fun, and we beat most of the rush, which was really nice.

After Hy-Vee, we went to the Kuehn Community Center, which was also having a Halloween Party. There were games, inflatables, candy, and prizes. Once again, the kids had fun.

After all that, we were ready to head home for a while and recover, until the evening when we met up with Johnny and Kristina, and their kids and did a couple Trunk or Treat events. There were so many people and the weather got pretty chilly. So, by the time we were done with the trunk or treating, we were ready to eat some supper and call it a day!

Sunday was a typical catch-up day. We also went to visit Judie at Ava's House. Judie passed away yesterday- on Halloween. It's sad to see her go, but it's nice to know she's no longer sick or suffering here and she's happy in heaven. Her funeral is going to be on Monday, and there has been a lot of family around, which has been nice.

Yesterday was Halloween. I took the day off, just for the heck of it. So, I enjoyed dropping the kids off at school (I never get to do that!) and then I did a lot of baking. Today is the Fall Festival at church, so I made 2 dozen cupcakes. I also made some soup and pumpkin bread. It was a busy afternoon.

Jim and Barb came by to help hand out candy while we took the kids trick or treating, which we have done for the last 6 years. We all enjoyed some supper, and then John and I took the kids out. It was quite chilly this year, but the kids did really well. They basically ran from house to house, and they each got an entire bucket full of candy. It was crazy. We have so much candy, I have no idea what we will do with it all.

Jill and Peg came to join us later in the evening, and it was really nice to visit with them and see them. The kids were super pumped to see them.

Then, just like that, Halloween was over. We finally got the kids settled down and put to bed, and then that was that. I love Halloween, and I am always a little sad when it's over. But, now it's time to switch the focus to Thanksgiving, and then Christmas! :)

Leaf Jumping 

Trunk or Treating 

Happy Halloween 

Halloween Festivities

We are in full Halloween mode over here. We've been watching some Halloween movies (Hocus Pocus, It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, and Halloweentown to name a few). We also had a super-duper Halloween day last Saturday.

We started Saturday morning off with some crafts, and we decorated some Halloween cards and then mailed them off to family. Then, John ran off to shoot some family photos, followed by a wedding, so the kids and I had a day of fun.

We started at the Washington Pavillion for Spooky Science, which was basically a Halloween themed trip to the Kirby Science Center. It was really fun. They had all kind of tables set up with science experiments and activities for the kids, as well as candy. The kids loved it. We stayed there for about 3 hours, and it was super busy with other families as well.

After the Pavillion, we headed to Pet Stop for some Trunk or Treating. Once again, the kids loved it. There were about 14 different trunks decorated, and they were all handing out candy and had games for the kids to play. The kids also got to vote for their favorite trunk which they thought was really cool. The weather was totally perfect as well. It was sunny, 68 degrees, and just gorgeous.

After trunk or treating, we headed to Fizolis for lunch. The kids ate really well, and then we headed to Stensland for some ice cream for their 3rd birthday celebration. They were giving away balloons and free mini dips for the kids. It hit the spot.

Next, was a birthday party for one of Elliott's daycare friends, Blake. We went to the Sanford Wellness Center where the kids got to swim, and then eat Pizza and ice cream cake. They were in total heaven.

Finally at 5pm we were ready to head home again. We played outside for a while to enjoy the beautiful evening, and then I got the kids snuggled on the couch and we watched Toy Story 4. I had two very tired kids at the point. They were exhausted. And so was mama.

Shortly after the movie started, we called it a night. Sunday was a little more relaxing. We went to church (Emma sang!) and then just enjoyed the day at home. We watched the Vikings, finished a puzzle, and then did some cleaning and playing. It was nice to just stay home.

Today, we went to the Museum of Visual Materials for a Halloween Party for the kids. There were games and crafts set up for free, and the kids really enjoyed it. After an hour or so, we were all ready for some supper. We hit up Godfather's for supper, and now we are finally home enjoying the evening.

We have more Halloween things planned for this weekend. I love this time of the year.

Ninja Emma and Pirate Elliott

Birthday Party Fun 

Melt my heart

Yay Fall!!

The Ninja Turtle and Supergirl are ready. 

Fall 2019

Wow, it's been over a month since I blogged last, I guess we have been busy. Let's try to catch up.

September was a really busy month for us. We had Spa Day at church, a wedding for one of John's co-workers, the 25th Anniversary celebration at church, and a trip to Kansas City which kept us busy pretty much every weekend in September.

Our trip to Kansas City was really fun. John and I just went by ourselves and we had a really good time. We stayed at a cute air B&B (in a sketchy part of town) and spent some time exploring the city. The first day, we went to the Atkins Nelson  Museum which was really impressive. They had original Monets, Da Vinci's, and even a Picasso. It was a really impressive art collection. In the evening, we went downtown to the Power and Lights district and enjoyed some delicious BBQ. We also hit up a bar that had live Jazz. It was a really fun downtown experience.

The next day, we started off by visiting the Waffle House for a delicious breakfast. Then we moved on to  exploring the National WW1 Museum. It was a sombering, but also amazing experience to see so much and learn so much about WW1. I learned a lot about that war, and all the events that led up to. It really was interesting to learn so much and remember all those things that happened so long ago.

After all the depressing things about the war, we needed a drink. So, we headed over to Boulevard and took a tour of their Brewery and then enjoyed some beer and snacks in their beer porch. It was a fun tour, and the beer tasted delicious.

When we were done at the Brewery, we headed back to our Air B&B to get ready for the Twins game at Kauffman Stadium. Neither of us had ever been to Kauffman Stadium, so we went a little early to explore and see the park. It is a beautiful baseball park, with lots of fountains in the outfield, and really good food. They also have an amazing kids area to help keep kids busy and entertained during the game. We might have to take the kids with us when we go back again.

Best of all, the Twins won the game! We had really good seats along the third base side of the infield and we got to see a lot of players up close and there were a lot of baseballs thrown our direction. The game got rained out int he 7th inning, but they had played enough innings that it counted as a game, and a Twins win. And then it down poured for the rest of the evening. So, we headed back to our "home" for the night and relaxed for the rest of the evening.

On Saturday, we went to another Twins game in the afternoon. Unfortunately, they lost that game, but it was still fun, and another beautiful time at the ballpark. After the game, we did a little shopping, and then found some more delicious BBQ. It was a quiet evening, but we enjoyed walking around and exploring the city.

On Sunday, we pretty much got up and hit the road to come back home. We had a 6 hour drive ahead of us and we were ready to get home and see the kids. The kids were happy to see us when we got there, there were lots of hugs and love to go around.

Last weekend, we went camping with the Hinners. We went to Yankton and had a great weekend camping. The weather was a little chilly, and it was really windy, but overall it was a really good weekend. The kids all played together well, we did some fishing, and we had a beautiful evening for a campfire and some nice visiting around the fire. It was a successful trip!

We were supposed to go camping this weekend, but right now it's windy, snowing, and about 33 degrees out. So, gross. No camping for us.

My parents are also on their way to our house right now. We haven't seen them for almost 2 months, so they decided on a quick visit to town. So, I better get the house in order for their visit. Here are some photos from the last month.

Wedding Ready 

Out with friends 

25th Anniversary Celebration 

More cross country 

Emma and Poppy

Picasso 

BBQ

Exploring downtown Kansas City 

Kauffman Stadium 

Camping in Yankton 

Picnic in the park