Harvesting Beans

Thursday evening the farmer started harvesting the field in front of our house.  They started at the far end, but the kids were excited non the less.  Friday at 1pm they started up again and so Adam, Erin and I camped out in the front on the driveway all day and watched their progress.  Thankfully, they didn't do right in front of the house until Alex was home from school!  The boys got out their telescopes and pretended to video the combine and wagon.  Of course, I was also video taping them and the combine. :)  We even ate dinner out on the driveway so we wouldn't miss any action!  Once again, so thankful for the warm weather.  It could have been so cold instead of 75 and sunny. 

Videographers in action!

The neighbor with an ultralight decided to take a look at the action too!

Uh, oh!  Breakdown!  Good thing it didn't last long.

Superman

Fall Fun - Corn Maze

We've been so blessed with a warm October (so far!).  The kids have been enjoying the time to play outside and then I can get some more yard work done.  I've also been slowly painting the dining room, stairway, living room, and kitchen.  I'm not done with all of it yet, but the warm weather helps.  The kids have also enjoyed having a campfire in the fire pit out back.  They dont really cook marshmallows, but they eat all the fixings for s'mores separately.  :)  We also had some fun with glow sticks and even put them on the cat and dog!  It was rather entertaining to see a green streak go by and know it was our young male cat, Adventure Boy.  (What a name, huh?  Thank you Alex.)

We also took a day and visited a corn maze.  The kids had a blast and enjoyed running through the acres of corn.  The farm also has games for the kids like straw tunnels, tricycles and pumpkin races.  But they really enjoyed the 10 acres of pick-your-own pumpkins and the wagon ride out to the patch!  They had any kind you can think of.  We let the kids each pick a little one or two and then we bought one big one to carve.  We also brought a pack lunch and we ate at one of the picnic spots in the woods.  We met some friends there and so the kids all had a blast.  We just might have to make this a yearly thing.

Adam and Erin in the newly painted dining room/entry way.

Look!  Green grass!

Added rocks around landscaping by driveway.

Adventure Boy by the Mums.

Erin- Clella-Gunnar-Adam-Alex

On the bridge/look-out in the corn maze.

Erin and our Jack-o-Lantern

Adam's birthday

Here's a few pictures of the progress we've made in the yard in the past few weeks.  We had two loads of fill dirt come for the driveway and used some of it to even out the back yard.  Adam was excited for the dump trucks to come.  But he learned from watching the road construction at the old house that after the load is dumped there's a very load "bang" from the back swinging against the empty truck---thus the covered ears. :) 
On Labor day weekend, we put together a new swing set.  Donna and Wayne brought it down as well as the skid loader.  Wayne spread the dirt in the drive and moved some big rocks for me.  Then we put the swing set together.  It was a busy weekend, but satisfying to get some much awaited things accomplished! 

Adam turned 4 this week and we rented a bounce house for the weekend.  We invited family over on Saturday and then friend on Sunday.  The boys had a blast and Alex says he wants one for his birthday too.  I tried explaining it wouldn't be so fun in December. :)

first load

second load

progress after first day of assembly.  Also, see the green grass!?

Adam opening birthday gifts.

Erin wanted a picture taken too!

Adam helped me frost the cake.  He's into Disney's new movie, Planes, even though he's never seen it.

More presents.....Spiderman underwear!

Here's some of the landscaping I've gotten to in the last week or so.   Mom ripped off the ivy from the corner....well most of it.  We planted some hydrangias in the corner and I put a couple october plants in the front.  Also see the solar lights?   In the back, I finally moved some plants (lilies mostly) to fill in the corner against the deck.  I've also done ALOT of rock moving.  We found a pile of rocks in the woods and it probably had 100 rocks in it!  So I used the big ones near the swing between the trees and to redo the fire pit.  Small to medium ones are used around the house.  There's still lots more to sort through, but I'm very happy with how they look.  Oh, and it's so nice to see some of the grass I planted coming up and looking nice and green.  This week I plan on planting more and getting it started.  I still have more flowers to move, but things are starting to feel more homey. :)

Big rocks.....lots and lots of big rocks.

fire pit