Hang onto Your Hat

We've got a lot of pictures to go through!

I hate to be redundant since many of you have already seen these pics when Wendy sent them out, but well, she wants to see them on my blog, so here goes! She was the Official Unoffical Photographer for the weekend and we've got the pictures to prove it! We all had more fun than I ever would've imagined, and going through these pictures has not failed to make me laugh out loud.

Seriously, those three women warmed our souls for three days and we haven't been the same since. Friday night everyone arrived and Hannah was giddy being able to stay up so late and hang out with the grown ups. Saturday morning was a lazy day and we enjoyed a late breakfast and the kids soaked up all of the extra love. Caleb got his first taste of many things in the few days they were here... cinammon rolls, blueberries, iced tea, and chocolate chip cookies, to name a few. We all enjoyed letting loose for a few days and letting Grandmommy and the Aunties spoil those kids (and 3 days later they were still as sweet)! Christmas came early as they showered our family with tons of treats. Caleb loves the book Wendy brought him "Pajama Time" and he wouldn't leave Grandmommy alone until all of her chocolate chip cookies were consumed. Thanks for sharing, Gmommy!!! And thank you all for your generous gifts and treats. Check out Jonny sporting a shirt with a picture of Uncle Russ' REAL race car!!! SOOOO COOL!!! Saturday afternoon we headed over to Russell Farms, a local pumpkin patch extravoganza. It was our first taste of cool weather and it was fun to try out our new winter wardrobe. I couldn't resist putting that red had on Caleb... could you??? For a little while, I'm going to enjoy coordinating hats and jackets and scarves and turn my California "accessories" into Indiana "neccessities." I went over to my neighbors' home for dinner tonite and when they started reminiscing about shoveling their driveways last winter, I started to get a little nervous. How does one avoid being perpetually late during the winter??? Do you have to wake up early every morning and shovel your driveway??? Seriously??? Laugh it up Cali, I am in for an eye-opening winter. I'm sure I'll tell you all about it. And I might have to whine a little.

Okay. Back to my REALLY FUN WEEKEND. So, I can't say enough about the fun at the pumpkin patch. We went on a hayride, played on the tire swings, pet the farm animals, lassoed a bull, ran through a corn maze, raced on tractors and horse-carriage bikes, played on the playground, picked pumpkins, and got crazy on the unforgettable teeter-totter. Talk about some good ol' fashioned fun. I haven't laughed like that in a LONG time. See for yourself. Josh is weilding the mighty gourd...it's a centerpiece/weapon that's now sitting on my kitchen island. Jonny had more fun digging in that mulch with those little scoopers. And check us out on the playground. My mom really knows how to kick up her heels.

If you saw these pictures life-size, you'd probably pee your pants. I'm not sure if Josh or my mom makes me laugh harder. I sure love them both.

The corn maze was super fun, too. I'd never been in one, but it sure was cool to experience corn fields up close. April looked so beautiful I made her stop and so I could take this picture. I just wanted her to be able to see what I was seeing...love you, sis.
Jonny loved scaring all of us! Boo!
Check out the scary corn monsters that were after Wendy! My mom and I avoided them by camoflauging ourselves behind our corn stalks. Good thing we were hidden so well. Hmm. Mom, think this is where Hannah got her idea for hide-n-go-seek???

Sunday our church suspended services and the whole church body went out into the community on various service projects. We painted a fence and my mom and sisters joined us. It wasn't life-changing for me, but I'm hopeful that it will be the start of a change in me and our small group. We are hoping to continue to intentionally serve the people around us as a group, and see what kind of projects we can do as a team.
Later on Sunday we took a walk through our neighborhood to our "forest" a wooded pathway that leads to a little park in the woods. With the yellow trees, the leaf-covered paths, the little bridge over the creek, and the piles of leaves everywhere, it made for some adventure. A highlight was playing hide-n-go-seek and seeing how high we could "fly" out of our swings.

Monday was tarnished because it was the dreaded last day. I tried my best to put the pending departure out of my mind, but it was a little difficult. I took Hannah out of school early and we met Josh for lunch. We had some extra time to kill, so we stopped in at The Cracker Barrell. I love that place. Something feels so good about old-fashioned country stuff. I don't know why it warms my heart, but it does. We finally made our way to the airport and dropped them off. I did my best to hold back my tears. But it wasn't easy. I'd had a sweet taste of home and I didn't want it to end.

When Josh got home that night, we had a long talk and decided to make a new "rule" for our visitors: you have to stay long enough for us to want you to leave, otherwise, it's just too dang sad. Seriously, Josh almost cried on multiple occassions on Monday. He said, "I almost wish they hadn't come (note the ALMOST). I was doing fine until they showed up!" Maybe if you all keep visiting us, it will make us miss you so much that we'll move back to California! ;) It's worth a try, right??! :)

Thanks again, Wendy, Mom, and April, for the amazingly fun time we enjoyed with you all. And a special thanks goes out to the Goodalls, who decided that Wendy needed to come out here (we agree)--AND paid for it--how can we ever thank you enough??? We feel so blessed and grateful.

Bye for now, folks.