I love Fall! The weather is so beautiful with comfortable temperatures and such pretty fall color. The days are perfect for spending time outside. And I love it because oftentimes we just jump in the car at the drop of a hat and go to any one of numerous fun places to enjoy Fall.
Sunday after church we were heading to Tim Horton’s to get some lunch (and “doe doe’s”). We were ready to go inside and Kevin said, “or we could go to Young’s and get warm pumpkin donut holes”. What a fabulous idea! So we drove there for a short afternoon of playing on pumpkin wagons and walking through the animal barn. They have a festival with outdoor tents where you can have lunch so we grabbed a burger, hot dog, and their famous cheese curds. It was a chilly day so we enjoyed sitting in the tent for a short bit and topped our lunch off with warm pumpkin donut-holes and some ice cream (the best reason to go there in my opinion!!).
Last year we opted not do get the flu vaccine and this year we were back and forth on whether or not we would have Finn get it. In the end we decided to do it, in fact, we all did it together at our pediatrician’s office. We were in the OSU room (which was cool) and it took less than 5 minutes for all three of us – Finn first (he didn’t even whimper or cry), then me, then Kevin. This photo was after the shot 🙂 He is so patient he just sits on our lap and watches the needle go in – and barely flinches. So to celebrate Finn’s toughness we stopped conveniently at Jeni’s for a sweet treat on our way home. 
We headed back to Young’s for a weeknight trip too, not realizing that the activities end at 6 pm, oops! We did arrive in time to go through the corn maize so the kiddos enjoyed running around and we then grabbed dinner with the Kessler’s. Finn loved carrying around a corn cob. He actually sat down several time so he could play with them rather than walking through the maize!
The Howard’s invited us down to their cabin in Hocking Hills, where we enjoyed some time in the woods and on the campus of my alma mater, Ohio University. Turns out this weekend was Homecoming! We arrived in time to enjoy a lovely tailgate of yummy foods prepared by the Howard’s. They even brought their grill 🙂 Of all places, after talking to a few parking attendants at different lots we ended up in the parking lot behind Pickering Hall – my freshman dorm! I have many fond memories of my freshman year and the friendships I formed on the second floor. After Fall quarter my roommate moved out so I had my double to myself, and Jaime (who lived next door at the time) basically moved in. Oh, the fun we had, I love that place! We walked through campus to the Peden Stadium for the football game and also the highlight of watching the Marching 100 perform at halftime. The alumni band performed during the halftime show too, there were SO many people playing it was awesome. They sounded great, and loud, and Finn kept clapping and saying “more”. There are lots of new buildings on campus and we didn’t spend too much time walking around but I would love to go back with the OU girls sometime soon and spend time being nostalgic!
On Sunday we hung around the cabin. Cameron, Cydney, and Casey were so great playing with Finn. He loves to play with the “durls” (girls) and definitely soaks up the attention. He is shy for about 5 minutes before he comes out of his shell and dances so fast he twirls and ends up on the floor. The adults played a monopoly spin-off game, in which Chris put us all to shame in the end. It’s been so long since I’ve played board games – let’s just leave it at I’ve got lots of room for improvement! In the afternoon we went on a family hike – all 8 of us, plus Clarence. We walked from their cabin all throughout the woods up and down hills, we saw ponds, watched Bubba (aka Clarence) bounce through the water and fields, played with sticks and rocks, petted the horses and barn kittens, and Finn even got to “drive drive drive” the “taktah” (the ATV, but Finn calls most fun large pieces of equipment or vehicles “tractors”). It was a wonderful and fun, low-key day and it was so nice to be able to enjoy the woods with Finn. He was so exhausted that he was asleep before we left their neighborhood – which, if you don’t know already – he never falls asleep in his car seat until we are 5 minutes from our final destination! 
While most of the remodeling is complete I haven’t taken any “final” photos just yet. We’re hoping within the next 2-3 weeks we’ll have some artwork on the walls and everything will look complete. For now, I’ve got a few pics of the trim work in the kitchen. It’s so pretty!
Hello blue eyes! We’ve had a pretty calm week around here this week until the weekend. Friday night excitement was for the boys to get hair cuts side-by-side at Sport Clips. Finn’s hair was cut a bit shorter than we intended, but it looks great and you can definitely see his eyes better. He sat in the chair like a perfect big boy. His stylist said she was the best little boy she had all day. 
Saturday was full of fun domestic chores like cleaning the house and doing some laundry. But the night turned ever more fun when Jaime and Aaron came over for dinner and fun with their kids Lexi and Chase. Once Finn woke up from his nap (at 5:15 pm) the kiddos enjoyed lots of play time together before we sat down for a yummy steak dinner. It was so cute to watch the kids play, I think they had a pretty good time working at the tool bench, jumping on the coach, and playing with all of the toys downstairs. 
Sunday afternoon we headed to Enon to visit with Kevin’s family and check out a potential house for Jim and Pat. Kevin, Brett, and Jim spent most of their time walking around inside and checking out potential renovation ideas and since it was so nice and “warm” out, Finn and I spent most of the time outside walking up and down the long driveway. And, of course, throwing rocks and playing with the sword (a nice long blade of pampas grass from the yard). 
Griffin has been doing really well on the potty, usually going 2 or 3 times a day. Sometimes he’s interested, other times he’s not. We just kind of roll with his mood and don’t push it. His vocabulary continues to grow each day too, as do his opinions (“no Mama, no” and “self” have been common ones lately!). Here are a few others from the week. Donuts – always a favorite, reading with daddy in one of the many pairs of new jammies from cousins Graham and Roro (among other things, thanks Bethune’s!), and Friday night basketball practice with Lily and Cameron (this was before the hair cut!). Kevin snapped the last photo on our drive back from Enon, Finn and I were a bit sleepy!
Have a great week!
