Halloween on South Green

 

Happy Halloween from Little Bo Peep and her sheep!  We have been excited about our dynamic duo for quite awhile now.  What a special Halloween this was for us.  Canaan is officially walking now, so his little sheepish self trying to walk in his fuzzy outfit was out of this world adorable.

Hadley is really at that magical age, in so many ways.  Her costume ended up being a cross between a southern belle and Little Bo Peep.  Her hoop skirt malfunctioned on us a few times, but luckily we were able to snap it back together.  We had to have a few talks about why she couldn't "hook" her sheep.  Getting her in and out of her stroller, trying to maneuver that hoop skirt, gave me glimpses of her wedding day.  Lots of people waiting on her and helping her move around.

Oh, I could eat him up with a spoon.

 Granna and Grandad trick-or-treated with us, too, which is always great to have them around.  Granna pushed the stroller and the rest of us adults packed Canaan around until our backs hurt so much we couldn't take it any longer.  He just wasn't feeling the stroller on this night.  Miss Priss was telling us exactly where she wanted to go.

How many times did I say, "What do you say Hadley?"  "Fank you."  I love that Hadley still calls this kind of candy her potty treats.

 

 

I told you she got waited on hand and foot all night long.  We took advantage of the sweet church that hands out free grilled hot dogs every year.  Such a thoughtful thing to do when you have tired and cranky kids (and parents).  This tied us over until we got home to our chili and pimento cheese sandwiches. 

 On the final leg of our walk back home, Grandad put Canaan on his shoulders.  Granna tickled him and wagged his little tail, which brought great laughs from our boy.  Hadley got really tired and was pretty much begging to go home; a sweet reminder that she's still just a little girl.  It's nice to be reminded of that, sometimes, when it seems as if she's growing up every single day.  We couldn't have asked for a better Halloween; great memories for sure!  Happy Halloween!



Ballet Dress-Up

Well, we officially have a ballerina in our house.  Hadley's first organized weekly extra-curricular activity is the daintiest of activities; dance.  This makes her basketball coach of a father absolutely cringe.  But it makes me soooo happy.  He wants a 5'8" wing (for those of you who know about basketball positions).  I say the poor girl will be lucky to reach 5'8" since her mama is only 5'2".  Anyway, I LOVE what dance is already teaching Hadley.  It amazes me that she can learn simple routines in only 45 minute classes.  I have worried for some time now, that Hadley's fine motor skills were actually better than her gross motor skills, which is strange.  So I am so excited for her to get some organized practice each week, encouraging her movements.

Ms. Adrienne (Ms. A as she is affectionately called) told the girls they could dress up in their Halloween costumes, or just in whatever they wanted to wear.  Hadley insisted on being Cinderella, which wasn't surprising.  She is "eat-up" (a country colloquialism) with princesses right now and it is so precious.  She obviously loves all the Disney princesses, but also Sophia the First.  So we donned our tiara, tights, and ballet slippers to be the best Cinderella we could be.  Look at all those cuties!

 

Ms. A said the girls could bring treats for their classmates, so we stuffed goodie bags the night before class.  Hadley and I had our routine down of her giving me each item and me stuffing the bag.  She was proud of handing out her treats.

 

 Ms. A had been teaching the girls a fun Howl-o-ween dance, which the parents got to come in at the end of class and watch.  These girls were giddy with excitement over showing off what they had learned. 

 She's our little dancing queen.  We are loving this fun new activity.  Happy Howl-o-ween from my tiny dancer!



Just Piddlin'

Just Piddlin' Farm is one of our fall faves.  It's only about 5 minutes from my parent's house, so we always tie in a visit with them when we're over that way.  The owners of the farm blare praise and worship music from the barn, and it just gives the happy time even more happiness.

 

The corn box is a hit for everyone. We did have a hard time with Canaan wanting to eat the corn, though. I don't know how many corn kernels I took away from him. Hadley would, truly, have been fine to have just played in the corn box and done nothing else.



We finally did coax her out of the corn and into the hay maze.  Although, she was a little scared of how dark it was in those corridors.  So Justin managed to crawl through the very narrow maze with her.

 The second time, yours truly, went with her.  Not gonna lie, there were a couple of corridors that I wasn't even willing to crawl through.  Picture total darkness with hay literally above, below, and beside you.  And then I started to think about mice being in the hay.  Surely not.....but I was still worried.

After our mice-free hay maze visit, we took a walk out to the pumpkin patch.  Hadley was enthralled with the John Deere tractor.  I guess the little boys at daycare must talk about them all the time, because she can identify a John Deere sign or tractor from a mile away.

 We were searching for the Great Stinson Pumpkin of 2013.  Let me just tell you, Miss Hadley gets really picky when it comes to picking her pumpkins.  Whew. 

 Canaan got so excited watching Hadley coming down the slide.  He just wanted to crawl up it, which is such a pet-peeve of mine.  Slides are for sliding down, right?  I'm such the rule follower.

 My two favorite boys.  Pretty cute, if I do say so myself. 

   These two pumpkins are not for sale; they are price-less.  We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day for our annual Just Piddlin' visit.  We are so grateful to have access to such a wonderful farm and pumpkin patch.

Corn Maze

corn maze in the dark
way out in the country
flashlights and glow sticks
1.7 miles of twists and turns

cousins, grandparents, and great-grandparents
haven't we been this way before?
be careful....don't fall
can somebody else hold Canaan?

I bet this would make 150-200 bushels of corn

they're making a killing off this thing

I think I see the lights of the barn over that way
I am getting so dizzy
when I lay down tonight, I am still going to be going in circles

didn't we just come to this checkpoint?
what's the answer to the riddle?
two rights and a left SHOULD get us out of here

who's going to scare us next?
giggles, giggles, and more giggles

hidin' in the corn
a-maze-ing memories

Jackson's Orchard

The day after we got back from Gatlinburg, we headed to quite possibly our very favorite fall activity:  Jackson's Orchard.  Not only are there super fun activities for the kiddos, but the tasty food is not a bit bad either. 

The Cider Slider was what Hadley was most looking forward to.  It was nice that she was willing to go down by herself this year.  That way, Justin and I could take turns going down with Canaan, too.  Hadley wanted to race and said that she won every time; she doesn't like to lose.  We might need to work on that.

The petting zoo was what we couldn't get Hadley away from though.  These poor fattened animals get fed all day long.  I think we spent $.75 on them ourselves.  But Hadley's squeals and laughs when the goats licked her fingers were so cute.  And when the goat jumped on the fence and got right in Canaan's face, his shock and awe was hysterical, too.  I found out that my fearless little fella does have some fears!  Whew...thank goodness.

 

 





The duck slides and tires were sure hits with our girlie.  Although, she did want her daddy beside her the entire time.  Or maybe he just thinks he needs to be beside her all the time.  Whichever it is, I don't think he minds a bit.

Fried apple pies with ice cream were the perfect mid-afternoon snack for everyone.  We can't leave Jackson's Orchard without partaking of their delicious seasonal goodies.



 

We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day for our favorite Fall activity of all.  I've told Justin that, when I retire, I want to either run an orchard or a General Store. Who knows....maybe kids in future generations will visit Stinson's Orchard.  Maybe I should know something about growing fruit first, though.  I love that he appreciates, or rather tolerates, my cheesiness ;)



Loving Fall

I absolutely love traditions with my family; we are having so much fun this fall.  I am so thankful for God's blessings and being able to spend quality time with one another. My craft project doesn't cover all of our fall celebrations, but it does hit some of the high spots.  We are enjoying checking each activity off as we go. 

As the Christmas season keeps getting more and more commercialized in the stores, I am holding on to fall for as long as I can.  I refuse to celebrate Christmas until the day after Thanksgiving.  Although this super cold weather is seriously making me want to break out my James Taylor Christmas CD.  Until then, though, it's still fall in the Stinson house.  Happy Fall Y'all!!

Gatlinburg 2013

Fall Break has to be one of the most highly anticipated times of the year for teachers.  By this point, teachers and students alike are ready for a slight pause from the everyday routine.  Our vehicle was completely packed the night before, so that when the school bell sounded, all we had to do was swing by daycare to pick up the kids and off to Gatlinburg we were!

This year, my parents decided to try out a cabin for our entire gang.  I have to admit that it's fun to wake up with my siblings and their families.  We had breakfast together each morning and my mom cooked delicious night time meals, two of the nights we were there.  The only down side to the close-ness of the cabin, was the NASTY stomach bug that swept through, knocking out 9 of the 14 of us.  I have to say that it was hysterical, though.  Well, I can say that because no one in my family got sick.

 You can imagine that there is never a dull moment when our entire crew is together.  Just figuring out sleeping arrangements when the girl cousins want to sleep together, is challenging in itself.  Canaan slept in the pack-and-play right beside our bed.  Because I'm not used to him sleeping in the same room as us, I found myself listening to him and worrying that every time one of us rolled over, we would wake him up.  So I didn't sleep the best on the trip.

  One of the nights, my mom had gotten the stomach bug, so my dad slept in another room.  Hadley and Addison made a pallet on the floor, and Ava was going to sleep in the bed with Daddy.  When I went back up a few minutes later to check on them, all three of the girls were in bed with my dad.  So I stayed in the room with them, for the longest time, telling the girls to be quiet and go to sleep.  My poor dad.

We still enjoyed our usual walks up and down the strip.  Justin and I even got to enjoy a kid-free lunch at Bubba Gump's one afternoon, thanks to my parents and grandparents.  We really didn't get our chilly Gatlinburg weather, that I so look forward to, though.  It was really warm!

The arcade game, pool table, and hot tub were a fan favorite for the adults, back at the cabin.  My dad ended up being quite the pool shark.  The kids got a kick out of watching the men play pool.

Hadley and Addison watched a lot of cartoons on this trip.  In fact, they watched The Lorax, several times.  Uncle Bradley is such the fun uncle; all the kids just adore him.

We had an exciting new beginning to celebrate on this trip, as well.  My sister, Tiffany, got married in a sweet chapel in Gatlinburg.  We are so excited for her and just rejoice in how God has blessed these last couple of years of her life.  God is so faithful.  I am so thankful for Jamey, and his willingness to love my two nieces as his own.

Addison and Ava were beyond excited to 'go get married,' as they kept telling everyone.  They looked like little fairies.  When Tiffany and her new family returned from the wedding, we surprised her with some fun gifts, celebrating her new "M" monogram.  She was so excited!

 The night after Tiffany and Jamey got married, Jamey got hit with the bug.  Another one bites the dust.  I told Tiffany that he probably had buyer's remorse.  She didn't think that was too funny!  LOL....welcome to the family, Jamey.

We certainly had our ups and downs on this trip, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.  Sweet, sweet memories with my family.  What more could a gal want?  Til next year, Gatlinburg!!