Weenie Roast

Here I am, surrounded by wild kids, and somehow I thought a fire would be a good idea.

I guess this is how I live on the edge.  :)

Incidentally, I found driving the wrong way in the Valparaiso, Town and Country parking lot on a Saturday morning to be an equal thrill. 

The kids tried real hard to not gorge any eyeballs out with the roasting sticks. 

They did well.

Being surrounded by kids with flaming sticks must be my way of preparing myself for something yet to come.  Like crossing over hot coals with bare feet to test ones inner strength.  :)

Truth be told, this sorta thing doesn't even really faze me. I just kept taking pics cause the kids were so happy and having a good time that I wanted them to remember it.

Good Times!

Pumpkin Pickin

Hello! 

The new baby, Snowball, is thriving! 

She is soo stinkin cute!

The kids think dressing her is the funniest stuff ever.  The kitten doesn't know what to think, but, if she's gonna stay here, she best get used to it.

Ya'll know those adorable kitty calendar pictures?  Well, I'm not no where near that good, but was having fun trying.
 

Mom made the costumes for her baby cement goose. (Yes, playing dress-up runs in the family.) They fit Snowball perfectly right now though.  She is a mouse in this pic: 

SnowBall wasn't the only pet to have all the fun..

Dustball donned some accessories too.

"All this for a stupid Snity Snack-- Why can't I find a home without a crazy lady and kids?"

Dustball, having been put through 17 years of this, doesn't even try to escape anymore.  Where as, SnowBall kept trying to escape and eat her costumes.

It tuckered her out, but not the kids.

They were full of energy as usual, and we went back over to Coulter's Farm for some pumpkin pickin.

It was a gorgeous Fall day!

Troy and Gladys both picked out big pumpkins that they could barely lift.

I seen potential in this unique baby:

We all got pumpkins, except Glenn, and rode back to the check out.  

At least Glenn got to go for another ride.  Glenn is thankful that he gets to leave for a long business trip and recover from us. 

Yeah, I can see his need for recovery.  This is a rare photo of one of our children actually sitting:

Well, if you're around my kids you'd know what I mean.  Kids are great, but they sure are a handful.

I couldn't imagine my life without em.  Who would I get to build a kitten fort?

Gotta Love em!

Hayride Torture

Don'tcha just love Fall? The hayrides, weenie roasts, s'mores, warming by the fire, and sipping apple cider make for a fun season.  If you ask me anyways.

 We gathered with friends and celebrated the season at Lakewood/Rodgers Park.

Troy mastered the art of weenie roasting.

He didn't do too bad on the s'more making either.

As did Gladys.

I don't what happened between s'more making and hay-riding, but somewhere along in there Troy got a serious case of the goofy giggles.

Not everyone found the evening fun and relaxing, as I did.  Glenn thought it was boring and waayyy to outdoorsy.  I shoulda left my husband heater at home. 

It's not like I have a mission to torture him.  It's just comes naturally, because we are extremely different people.  Aww heck, every girl needs a hobbie.  :)  JK

The kids had fun and can't wait to do it again.  They enjoy terrorizing their father.

They were into being silly and watching the sunset over the lake as we rode around.

Glenn managed to survive the evening.  Although he is now traumatized by these "hillbilly activities" I invited him to indulge in. (rolling my eyes)  That'll teach him to say yes, I reckon. :)

Spot Stealing Snake

Jean and I went on an adventure to reel in some fish. It began by us rappelling down this cliff:

 

Rappelling is actually kinda fun.  It was a bit tricky though, since we brought with the essentials: 2 rods, a backpack, and a sour apple Slurpee.

When arriving safely at the bottom of the ravine, we had to build a bridge to cross through a clay/mud pit. 

We made it across the pit and had a snake welcome us on the other side!  YIKES!

We shared a halfway non-slippery spot with the snake and fished.  Mainly because it happened to be a prime location right under a dam, of course!  :)

Although I did consider sleeping down there, as opposed to climbing back up, I was awake when this pic was taken:

We had plenty of excitement, but didn't actually land any fish.  The snake didn't land any either while we were there.  :)

Get Off My Back

This time of year, some of the creeks around here are full of trout and salmon.

 

Troy's friend, Sammy, joined us on a little creek fishing.

The kids and I have had a bunch of close calls, but have yet to actually land one from the creek this season.

For the most part, the creek water is clear and the fish are easy to spot.  That alone, keeps us coming back for more.  Eh, maybe next time.  :)

The countryside has been spectacular lately!  This is a picture of thick fog beginning to cover the field at dusk:

 

I recently enjoyed almost an hour of pretty scenery on the way home from North Liberty.

In other news, the new baby is beginning to make herself at home.

DustBall is such a good mother, (even though he's a guy).

Most male cats are NOT good with newborn kittens.

Hey SNOWBALL-- GET OFF MY BACK!

DustBall is one very laid back kitty.

Not to mention, extremely tolerable of the kitten and the kids.

Besides, both kitties share a common pastime-- napping.

I went to this hidden gem the other day in hopes to be delighted by more salmon and trout:

Although it is a possibility for those types of fish to hide out in that pond, I didn't see anyone doing so yet.  Maybe during this week of rain in the forecast, they will arrive. 

Bring em on!