Smashing Pumpkins

Today was the day for the annual explosion. Palmer missed it because he was at daycare. Just as well--it makes me a nervous wreck to have him near that open window. As it is, I had to lecture Blake for 5 minutes about not killing himself by following one of the pumpkins out the window. It was a smash.

Homestead Farm

It was an absolutely beautiful fall day yesterday.  We've been in a trap lately of using Saturday for Connor's football and then Sunday to clean and shop and rest and get ready for the week.  Connor had a date with a friend to go to Ticonderoga Farms so Bob and I decided to take a ride with Palmer.  

We were vaguely headed toward Point Of Rocks, Maryland because when I drove through there earlier in the week I saw a sign for a pumpkin farm.  However, at White's Ferry we decided to change our minds and do the ferry crossing---I hadn't EVER done it and Bob did it when he was a kid.  It was so cool and anachronistic.  

Once we crossed the river we Yelped for pumpkins and found the very fantastic Homestead Farm.  We went to the pumpkin patch and picked out three to take home and picked an apple or four.  :)
I liked the farm.  It is a farm.  Its not an amusement park with slides and jumpers and stuff.  Don't get me wrong...that kind of place is fun too, but I'm more down with a farm being a farm.  It is super big and has a nice hayride.   Definitely on our regular list now and I don't think we'll be going to Wegmeyer's this year. 

Fishermen

Viva Vienna

Bob has a major homeowner task underway--painting the deck.  My job is to keep the boys out of his hair.  So off to Viva Vienna we went for some rides, midway games and meat on sticks.

Pirate Birthday Party

Tubing At Liberty

Spur of the moment tubing fun at Liberty--only a little over an hour away.

Monsters

What Kind Of Mom Am I?

I saw this video a few days ago.  Its about how mothers see themselves and judge their performance as parents.   It's sweet and touching.  It's also demonstrative of how people are so hard on themselves.  I'm generally NOT that way.  I tend to see everything from a positive place and I pretty much think I do the best I can and I don't have too many doubts---nor, frankly, much time to devote to fretting about such things. 

But....it did get me thinking about what I would want to hear my boys say about me.   Sure, I'd love to hear that I'm great to snuggle with and all that.  And that they love me.  But for me, I have to say that I want my kids to think about me when I'm gone and never ever leave out the word or thought that they just plain had fun with me.  Fun.  To me, fun is love.  It's joy and it's sharing of the best of life so that when life is not at its best you know right where to go. 

To that end, I give you....PUMPKIN SMASH!!

Totally Tubular

After hearing many times about how fabulous the Watermelon Park tubing experience is, we finally headed there on a late summer Sunday morning. All reports were correct! At $10 bucks a tube and a ride upriver the price can't be beat.

Waiting on the shuttle upriver.

All you need is water.  And a flotilla with a cooler. 

Redneck.  Literally. 

These three...Connor, Paige, and Palmer...barely let a tube hit their asses.  They swam or walked their way down the river.

Quick break for a drink!

Bring it on, old Shenandoah!  Bring it on!

Water slide in the rocks.

What a view.

The Apples of My Eyes

It was a nice early fall day today so I decided to take the boys out to Marker-Miller Orchards in Winchester. Last fall got away from me and it was the first year in over a decade that I didn't go apple picking. I wasn't about to let that happen again.   It bugged me all year.  What a great day.  And we've got a half-bushel of Romes, Staymans, Nittanys, and Goldens.  Yum!

His pumpkin.

My pumpkin.

Gosh, I love those smiling eyes.

A little fun on the playground.

The reach.

The examination.

The bite.

Sharing

The chase.