Pumpkin Picking

Howdy family,

Fall is here in the pacific northwest.  It lasts about two weeks and then it's straight into rain and cold for the next six months.  We took advantage of the great weather and went with our neighbors to Bob's Corn.  The massive complex was packed with people and cars because it was not a game day for the Seahawks and the weather was perfect. 

The kids shot apples out of cannons.  They had a blast firing apples into the woods and splattering them against the metal targets. 

Kendra's new local BFF is Amber.  They see each other almost every day because they are both stay at home moms.  I like when they spend time together since they are good influences on each other in most every way.  Their kindred spirits lead to lots of laughter and genuine caring. and sassyness...

Our kids get along so well that it is refreshing, when they aren't throwing pine cones at each other.  I don't worry about what they might overhear or experience around our neighbor's kids or at their house.   They went down slides, through mazes, and swimming in a pool of corn.

This is the whole crew that went together searching for the perfect pumpkins and wondering through the kid amusement areas. 

and here is our family portrait for the year.  We haven't had professional pictures since we went to visit Nana and Papa three years ago.  We take enough pictures per year that a few of them come out well enough to represent our family.  I'll choose this one to be our 2017 amateur family photo.

Easton had a headache that turned into the flu so his smiles are a little contrived.  He was a real trooper to stick with us through the corn adventures. 

Easton signed up for another year of cub scouts as a Weblo.  part of his duty is to sell wreaths as a fund raiser.  He memorized his sales pitch and then hit up all 32 homes in our neighborhood.  I'm proud of him for going door to door and developing sales techniques.  that's the kind of valuable training that will last a lifetime.

Layla is already amazing at approaching people.  whether it is asking the waitress for something or leading a group of girls in cheer practice, she has a real strength in this area.  Another aspect of learning is how to clean house.  Easton and Layla both have chores they do daily, including doing dishes and cleaning the kitchen. 

We are entering the time of year where it's not easy to tell the kids to go play outside because of the weather.  We are finding other ways to wisely spend our time together.  That's where a part of my thought process is spent.  needing to figure out how to balance letting kids be kids with play time and training them up in the way they should go by giving them responsibilities and expectations for taking care of business.  I can see we are entering the transition stage where every spare second can't be spent playing without any productivity.  After Layla's cheer ends next week, we'll have more time in the evenings to focus on developing our kids more intentionally.  I'm looking forward to this next stage of parenting. 

See you soon!