Johnson's Giant Pumpkin Farm

Tons of pictures in this one! Our friends, Tamara and Steve, came up from Detroit to go to the pumpkin farm. They invited anyone to join them so we decided to do just that. We met up with them at the farm around 2:00 yesterday and it was so fun to see them. We watched the pumpkin launch - the first of four because we were there until 5! It was a bit chilly but I brought hats and some mittens so we made it work.

There's the 40 foot tall trebuchet that launches pumpkins over 400 feet.

This is what happens to the pumpkin when it lands. The coolest part is that you see the pumpkin explode and then hear it a second later. It was just neat to witness the delay between sight and sound.

Chainsaw wood carver. Amazing!

Tiny goats. They were so cute!

Llamas, so soft.

We thought it was cute that the sheep were so interested in Harmonie. Then we noticed it was trying to get our doughnuts underneath her. Tricky sheep!

Here's another launch!

Harmonie got stung by a yellow jacket - you can see the redness above her lip. Can you see how swollen it was? Poor thing.

I love this picture of Domonique. She walked around with her hands in her pockets and it was so cute!

Fancy pigeon!

Pheasants... amazing colors!

Xiomara and Kemiah on top of an old fire engine.

Lots of old farm equipment.

What a cute bunch!

Blacksmith shop.

Watching them make doughnuts! So delicious!

Waiting for the last pumpkin launch of the day, just before we left.

Had to include the series for the last launch. Anyway, we had a great time at the pumpkin farm. It was the most time we spent with Kevin in over week so that was great, too!

Night week

This past week Kevin has been working nights. It's always hard on all of us - he has to sleep during the day and we have to be quiet so he can sleep. We try to stay away most of the time but I had some work to do for school so this is how the kids spent the first day of night week...

The second day we went to the library for story time (our regular activity) but then we went shopping, walked through Historic Bridgeport Village, and went to a park afterwards so we didn't get home until Kevin got up.

The third day we were home in the morning to work on getting wood into the basement but then we headed up north for flu shots, shoppping, playing at another park and grabbed McDonald's for dinner so we could stop at the Church for activities. We didn't get home until bedtime.

The last couple days we've stuck around the house, played games, read more books, moved more wood into the basement, and I got more school plans/work done. Today the kids made these creations:

Ben's islands. The brown pieces are boats in the harbors.

Marissa's islands. The brown pieces are boats. She made hers look like a person picking a flower.

Emily's girl walking her dog.

So soon?!

She was really determined and excited to lose another tooth. There was no doubt in her mind it was ready to come out, so she had me pull it. This time it took a few tugs, but we got the stubborn tooth out and she is all smiles, with a big gap in the bottom row! Way to go Xiomara!

Not a first for everyone.

Today the kids went to the dentist for their check-ups and cleaning. I decided I could go ahead and take pictures, even though it wasn't their first time. I wanted to capture a trip to the dentist so we could all remember what it was like. I'm really glad I listened to that prompting. 6 months ago Domonique wouldn't even sit in the chair, so I figured this time we'd try it again. We'd see if she would at least sit in the chair and open her mouth so they could look at her teeth. Never did I expect her to do so well. She was simply amazing! Don't get me wrong... All the kids do great. They all love the hygienists and I'm always happy with all my kids, but I was totally floored when I saw little Domonique sitting in the big chair. She handled everything like a champ and it was awesome. She did start to cry once the male dentist came in to do the final exam, but she collected herself and it was fine. My little girl is growing up!

What a crew! The teeth are all clean and they are all happy with new toothbrushes, paste, and floss!

It's Autumn Time!

The hardest part about this time of year is the cooler temperatures. That means the kids need to start wearing shoes and jackets, but that's hard to remember when they are used to running out with sandles and just going. Fortunately, it has been mild so here's hoping it stays that way. I would love another mild winter like last year, but we are prepared for much colder.

Lots of wood to keep us warm. I am enjoying the fall colors and the kids are enjoying the leaves on the ground. It all works out! Now if we could just get healthy so everyone could stop coughing and having fevers that would be even better!