Fall in the South

I know it's been a minute since I've given an update on what we've been up to, so here goes. In a nutshell I've been teaching my kids how to be good southerners – you know, family, football, friends, and fairs!


Mom and Larry (aka Mimi and Pops) came for a visit over Labor Day weekend. Although their visits are never as long as we'd like them to be, we had such a blast! We took the kids to their first high school football game on Friday night and it happened to be with 25,000 other people in a college stadium. I don't think we remembered a camera that night, so we don't have any pics, but the kids (and adults) had a blast! Both kids loved the cheerleaders and run throughs and were totally impressed with climbing all over the bleachers.

Pops and his little monkey

The next day was jam packed, too. Took the kids to Chuck E Cheese to celebrate Evan's birthday and then went to play in one of the city's outdoor water fountain parks. Again – the kids had a blast! Amelia was walking (sort of) so she kept finding herself in the middle of everything and loved it!

I can't believe they stopped to eat pizza!

Amelia and her new boyfriend. Already a woman in control =)

That night, mom and I (with some help from Amelia) put together Amelia's new birthday present from Mimi and Pops – a dollhouse bookshelf. Amelia was having a blast climbing in and out of it. She was bummed when we put the shelves in and she figured out that it wasn't really a little house for her. =)

I'm mommy's little helper...I promise =)

Finished product - very much bolted to the wall

The very next week I took the kids to the fair parade (not quite brave enough to take them to the actual fair yet – it reminds me a little too much of deliverance, but worse!). Braden sat right on the edge of the road and loved watching all of the floats go by. Amelia was busy trying to escape and do anything she wasn't supposed to do, so she and I missed a lot of the parade. Anyway, the parade brought back lots of memories for me because I rode in it once or twice as a kid.

Taken the kids back to a few other high school football games to watch a friend's son play. It's a smaller school, so smaller stadium and the kids again have a blast! We even got to go on the field after the game and Zach let Braden try his helmet on.

Grrr!

Braden and I also had a much needed Mommy/Braden date to Disney Live a few weeks ago. The productions were Cinderella, Snow White, and Beauty and the Beast. Of course, Braden's favorites were the beast and the evil queen =)

We've also been to a few festivals over the past several weeks. Braden got his face painted at one and we managed to lose no less than 8 balloons in a 90 minute timeframe. Craft fairs seems to be a way of life in the south and a yearly reminder that fall is here. I love them!

Mom came back for Amelia's first birthday party (another post on that later) and we took the kids to the pumpkin patch. This one was really neat! They had a train and a hayride, and an old Western town, and pumpkins of course. Amelia loved the baby chickens at the petting zoo. Braden pretty much loved it all!

Hanging out in the Old West with Mimi

I want this one, mom!

Can I have a baby chicken for my birthday?

At least this year Amelia's out of the womb for the hay ride.
Thought the one last year might have put me into pre-term labor!

So, I guess what we've been up to is just living life. Had a few great visits from family and friends, some great food, and some great visits to fairs and parades.