October is full of more soccer and even included a tourney win at the Hopewell Cup at Newark. Despite having the tourney forfeit our first game (which we won 3-1) due to using Caleb as goalie (he also played on the white team in the same tourney, which apparently even though our coaches asked there was miscommunication and as it turns out he wasn’t allowed to play for both teams). We setup camp for between games and were able to hang with buddies and families from both teams which was a lot of fun.
This is a great crew of kids right here! Black and White teams together!
Mom, Dad, Graham, Rowan, and Andy came to cheer Griffin on at a game too. I believe this game we was a loss to SP but a good game.
Griffin and I enjoyed some fun team bonding time with buddies Emerson, Graham, and Rhett at Ten Pin Alley after a game one weekend. Pizza, fries, bowling and buddies. A pretty good mix.
We celebrated the end of the fall season with pizza at the Lewis’ house in Westerville. So many boys running around and playing together. They had a nice fire outside and plenty of food for all. It was a weird end to the season as we were to play SP Academy in the last game of the tourney. Turns out they forfeit the game due to issues/frustrations with decisions made by the tournament director. So as we were headed back to the field to play our last game we were told we didn’t have a game. Ugh! We had cookies made to give to each player! So instead we handed out what we could and then drove all around town delivering the rest.
Afterward we stopped to play putt-putt at Olentangy mini golf. We played 36 holes, both courses. A bit of fun before Kevin’s upcoming surgery this week. Later this evening Griffin started feeling unwell. I took him to the doctor the next day and as it turns out he has the Flu A. Ugh again!
I was able to volunteer at Donuts with a Grownup again this year on the playground at Tyler Run. This is part of the Fall Fest week of activities. Giant Eagle donated all of the donuts!!
Neighbor families the Dennies, Bolans, Duncans and us purchased a Norway Spruce to plant in memory of our neighbor, Don Maxwell, who passed away in August. Millcreek put in an order of plants to Acorn and so once delivered to Millcreek, it was delivered by our driver John and also Mike to our house. It’s a pretty one. Kevin and I took to planting it on our own in the cul-de-sac in front of the Maxwell’s house. A week or two after we had a neighborhood dedication party with appetizers prepared by Jane Martin. The neighborhood also purchased a stone to mark the tree.
We eventually got around to planting the trees at our house too. The Zelkova went out front to be a street tree between our house and the Dennies. The Black Gum went in the back and will eventually provide shade from the west to the pavilion and patio. We also planted the Rhododendron in the back hosta garden to eventually hide the utilities on the back of the house.
Tooth #2 goodbye!
I was able to take Friday off to volunteer at Tyler Run on the playground for ticket sales for the Fall Fest gift basket raffles. The morning started with the Fun Walk through the neighborhood. Saturday after Griffin’s soccer game he and I attended the actual Fall Fest at school where Griffin played with buddies and many games for an hour.
Reidy came down with some sort of bug and was really sleepy for a few days. He and Kevin camped out at home for a couple of days missing activities while Griffin and I went to fall fest and soccer games.
The neighborhood ladies enjoy the company of Beth Maxwell and for a fun activity to keep her occupied since the passing of Don, we asked her to teach us how to make raspberry jam! We had a fun night of making jam while having wine and charcuterie.
Random photos from October.
Dental checkups and no cavities. I was in disbelief given teeth brushing is still a struggle over here. But, yay!
Lilly came to see Reidy play a game! Griffin and Daddy were at Griffin’s first ever hockey game (which we attended for the first period and a half before leaving for Reidy’s game).
Griffin’s first ever CAHA 10U minor Stingers team game was bright an early at 7:30 in Easton. On the way there Griffin said he was nervous and so we talked through that. He also said “wouldn’t it be awesome if I scored in my debut?”. His debut. This kid. Sure enough, he did score, and it was the 8th and final goal to win the game. I was super bummed to have missed it as Reid and I left for his soccer game. But I was so happy for Griffin to achieve his goal, both literally and figuratively. The scoresheet is all whacky as the kids didn’t have their uniforms yet, so even though Griffin is listed as #21 on the Scoresheet (what will be his real number) he was wearing #20 during the game (one of Cole’s old jerseys!).
Griffin and I went to the Momster Ball at Berlin High School with a couple of soccer buddies and moms. It was a costume, game, dance kind of night!
The boys and I went to Peppa Pigs Adventure live show for a fun evening show. I must say, it wasn’t what I anticipated. But the boys enjoyed it and it was fun to try new things.
October means field trip time for Reid with NPCA. This year we went to the Maize for a fun (and cool!) day of adventuring. We got to feed the goats, go on a wagon ride, pick a pumpkin and gourd, and play games. Fun Fact, one of Reid’s classmates lives in Powell (Lakes of Powell, actually) and she will go to Tyler Run next year! That is so unusual! We were glad to connect.
Daddy and Reidy night out to Don Tequila!
Mom, Dad, Kevin and I ventured to Mansfield to begin the process of moving the Walls’ train set to our house. It was several hours of disassembling, labeling wires, disconnecting track, cleaning train houses/trains, and packing everything up. The hauling of everything in Dad’s truck back to Powell reminded us of the days of moving into college and down to North Carolina when the truck was loaded up.
October is for pumpkins!
Griffin wasn’t feeling well and thankfully I was able to get him in to the pediatrician. He tested positive for Flu A. Sadly, this was on Trick or Treat night so he wasn’t able to go out with all the kiddos. We also hosted friends on our patio, so Griffin watched from within the windows! he was a trooper though and was treated to a special 10 pack of timbits and several packages of candy brought to him by friends. And a pic through the front glass door!
Reid was so sweet that he collected candy for Griffin. When he got home (which he had at least two candy dropoffs due to having a full bag during his route!) he put everything on the patio table and split it up for he and Griffin to share.
Mom and Dad came over and brought some fun frankenstein rice krispie treats!
October 2022, Pre-K Monkey class at NPCA. Age 5 (almost 5 1/2).
September 2022, Tyler Run Elementary School, 4th Grade, Mrs. Price. Age 9 1/2.
3rd grade, 2021.
2nd Grade, 2020.
1st Grade, 2019
Fall Family photos 2022! This year we went to Coffman Park for family photos with the Mom and Dad and the Bethune’s. Turned out to be the perfect evening for photos.
This week was also picture day at school on Friday. Our handsome boy picked out what he wanted to wear, choosing his blue button down. I had the day off on Friday and enjoyed being home to get him on the bus and off to school. It was a beautiful fall morning and I was able to capture a couple of pics of our front yard. Reid and Griffin rode around on Joe for a short bit before the bus came. Reid’s expression is one of many I find cute. 
Finn’s first school field trip was this week also. The kids rode the bus to Stratford Ecological Center and they learned all about nature, gardening, different animals, they made cider, and we went on a nice walk through the woods to the stream. The kids got to get their hands in the dirt, feed chickens, see how chickens lay eggs and the eggs are collected, and so many other things. My friend Claire and I were in the same group with our kids so we were able to hang out during the trip. It was a fun morning.
While Finn was in school Reid and I went to Liberty Park to enjoy a perfect fall day. The skies were blue and the temperature was perfect outside. He enjoyed being silly and running from me, exploring a few of the play areas they had there, and riding on the swings. He rode a teeter totter too and I’m pretty sure that’s where he got a tiny chip in his left front tooth when he took a slight tumble to the ground. He makes so many faces and expressions. He’s a silly boy, not really talking yet, but understanding and listening to all you ask him to do (unless he’s being stubborn!). 
Saturday night we had a progressive dinner with our neighborhood crew, this time our theme was Football Fan Food. The OSU-Penn State game was on at 8, so everyone was dressed in OSU gear and we watched the nail-biter of a game at Brian and Lisa’s. Good thing, as there was lots of screaming going on! Reid happily slept in his bed at our house and we are able to see him via our video monitor while we were next door. 
Sunday after church we headed up to Mansfield to go apple picking with Grandma and Grandpa Beilstein at Apple Hill. We love that the orchard is close to their house and even when busy isn’t congested at all :). It doesn’t take long to fill our bags with tasty treats. We all taste-tested different kinds of apples and ended up picking an assortment for our bag. We’ve been enjoying them at home – they have all been really good! This year Griffin and Reid tag teamed picking apples from Grandpa and Kevin’s shoulders at the same time. And as always, we always go for the highest Finn can reach! This year he was a bit apprehensive (it was really high up there!) but he was a trooper and was so happy when he picked that apple. 
These boys were beat after a long and busy weekend. They both were asleep in the car once we hit the road back home. Bedtime was a breeze!
And here is Mr. Reid with some of his funny face babble talk. I would have kept taking more video, but my phone ran out of memory so it cut off the filming! He’s a funny boy.
This has been a week filled with memories to last forever!
We also ventured out on Griffin’s first field trip for school to Leed’s Farm. It was a super beautiful day, actually quite warm, to explore the outdoors and see a lot of animals. He loved feeding the goats and going down the huge slide. We also went on a lengthy wagon ride which ended up in the pumpkin patch where we picked pumpkins and gourds to take home. His Tiger class and several other classes from NPCA were there at the same time so we were able to hang with familiar faces and friends. 
Leed’s is about 5 minutes from Millcreek so we make a quick pit stop there and of course, Finn wanted to drive the tractors. 
Next up: OSU vs Indiana football game on Saturday! As it turns out, the OSU-IU game was what Kevin and I went to 5 years ago for our “first date”. We had met the night before at a pre-arranged happy hour and he asked me to go to the OSU game the next day, and I said yes. We thought it would be so neat to take Finn to his first ever OSU football game nearly 5 years after his dad and I met, attending the first game we ever saw together. We wanted to make it really fun, so Kevin got up at 4:30 am to drive to Enon to borrow George (the camper) from his parents! He arrived back in Columbus at Campus around 6:15 am to secure an awesome tailgating spot for us! I woke up early too (not nearly as early as Kevin!) to start making our food and getting all the necessary supplies together. Once Finn woke up (which was actually really late, like after 9 am) we got in the car and headed to a pit stop at the grocery on our way to the tailgate. As it turned out, I pulled in and I knew ahead of time the lot was full but the gentlemen let me park temporarily at the entrance to unload all of our things. Then, just as Kevin jumped in the car to move it I noticed someone was leaving the lot. Kevin went and asked the gentlemen if he could take their spot and they let us in – free! That was a super nice treat and made it so awesome that we were in the same lot, just cars away! Kevin had a great spot with a large lawn area where we setup a tent, table, and all of our food as well as cornhole and lawn chairs. We spent a few hours hanging out along with our friends, The Vertuccis, who came down too. We made such last minute plans to go to the game that not too many friends were able to join us, but we’re glad they came as Finn had a great time playing with them!
Next up we headed to the game. It was a gorgeous and sunny afternoon game, 3:30 pm kickoff. Once we had made the decision to go to the game Kevin bought our tickets – and man – they were awesome! They were in almost the exact same spot we sat in 5 years ago, A deck, first row, at the 12 yard line near the open end of the ‘shoe. It is right where the teams come out! We had such a fun time and it was so great to see the amazement on Finn’s face. He was just taking it all in. He was really in to the game too and loved the half time break to go get some snacks. 
Perhaps the most memorable portion of the day was getting to meet Brutus! He ran by our section many times and this particular time we had just gotten back from grabbing our half time treats. Our hands were full, but we flagged him down and Finn got to smack his hand but we didn’t have any time to get our phones out to snag a pic. Thankfully, our seat-neighbors yelled for Brutus to come back – and he did – and this time he jumped up onto the railing, gave Finn a fuzzy on his head, and posed for several photos. It was so great! People all around us were so excited and cheering and snapping photos. The first photo of this post was actually taken by the lady sitting next to us! And that was a great end to our week!
