Catch Up

Well, I need to catch you all up on what else we've done this Fall. (I see you all nod your head in agreement). I meant to post this randomness last week, but instead got the stomach flu. It derailed any tasks I had hoped to do last week.

Anywhooo.....here is the randomness of the rest of our Fall.

Finished up the soccer season!

Audrey's first and last time as a goalie this season. It made me sweat watching her.


My Grandmother's 90th birthday. Lots of family to see...

and cows to feed!



Pumpkins were carved.


We found some awesome parks with miles and miles of hiking trails. Josh has been going on a hike once a weekend and taking just one of the older kids. It is good bonding, outdoors time....


Audrey practiced her photography skills on a hike with Dad and Grandpa Eugene.


Finished up my nephew's birthday bag for his "stuff".


Onto Thanksgiving and Christmas planning.

Have a great rest of the week!

Summer in Fall

We had some wonderful weather a few weeks ago.  It was hot and we decided to make the  most of our weekend at home!


We went to a Civil War reinactment at a mill north of us.  It was an interesting experience.  There were at least around 100 people that camp all weekend long.  They dress in period pieces and reinact how people lived around 1860.  Yes, I had to Google what year the Civil War started...don't judge me. 


Audrey made a wax candle, we toured the campsites, and then we went to find a seat for the reinactment.



The medic and the calvary.



The cannon was very close to us...hence...



The next morning we met my friend and her son at a huge park here. I took his pictures last year. He is warming up to me...although he didn't want to leave the safety of his mother!


I ended up with some really cute shots of him. It is not hard to do because he is so darn adorable!

I loved his mad karate skills! It makes me want to sing, "Everyone was kung fu fightining!"


For those who are wondering I am done with two out of three Halloween costumes!  Yeah me!!!


Hope you have a great rest of the week!!

Trees

When it was warm and the trees were in the height of their color change we went on a few bike rides after dinner. The whole family pedaling around our neighborhood. Always a delight.

I wanted to try out one of my lenses that I don't use a lot.  The trees were beautiful near our Middle School. I halted the bike procession and requested that the kids run around near the trees. I let them do their "thing". This is what I came up with....




Audrey looks a little scared in the first picture, but she tends to get the "zombie" eyes when I ask her to smile. To get a good picture of her I have her look at someone else...who hopefully is doing something funny...and then look back at me.

Full disclosure...I had to photoshop globs of ketchup off of Audrey's face.  Remnents of dinner.  It was a pretty gross sight, so you are welcome!

I used this lens when taking pictures of my girlfriend's son.  I just have to finish processing them and then I'll show a few on here.

I'm using my "free" time right now to finish the Halloween costumes.  I'm making two from scratch and altering one purchased from Costco.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Daisy

Audrey is a Daisy.  We thought she needed some more girly activities to balance the boy heavy household we live in.  She marched in her first parade last week for a local High School Homecoming parade.  I marched with her and refilled her candy bag to toss to the kids.

Here in the "city" we marched down a side street then onto a four lane road where they blocked off ONE LANE for us.  The cars were whizzing by at 40 mph.  I felt some heat from the exhausts, which was kind of nice because it was cold and rainy.  The boys came out to see Audrey.  She put some extra candy aside to throw to them.


I've been busy making dozens upon dozens of sugar cookies for Audrey and Hudson's birthday celebrations at school.  Here is a container of the cookies for Hudson's class.  I didn't take pictures of Audrey's.  She wanted yellow baby chicks with little brown eyes.


My sister-in-law commissioned me to make a baby gift for one of her girlfriends that just had a baby boy.  I made the blanket and owl for her.  I think they turned out adorable!


Hope you have a great weekend!

Fall

Did you know that I LOVE Fall?  Josh is not a big fan as it preceeds winter, but I love everything about Fall.  I love outdoor football games, I love marching bands, and I also love the donuts at the apple orchards.  While my parents were in town to celebrate Hudson and Audrey's birthday we went to an apple orchard.  It was a beautiful day full of apples and donuts.



Since the Tigers clinched the division early in the season Josh's boss gave him tickets that were normally only reserved for clients.  It was the most amazing game.  Partially because of the exciting game and partially because of our seats.  We could literally smell the grass on the field.  The players were a stones throw away from us. 



The players warm up when switching from offense to defense.  Josh's boss warned us that the first baseman usually tosses the ball to children or women in the first row after the warm up has finished.  Hudson and Audrey took their baseball gloves so they could catch any balls that were discarded our way.  Luckily for us there was a well connected gentleman a few seats away from me.  He knew "Tommy" Brookens the first base coach and heckled him because the "little girl in the pink coat" hadn't gotten a ball yet.  The next inning when Tommy came out to take his spot in the infield he made his way to Audrey and Hudson.  Out of Tommy's back pocket came a ball for Audrey and one for Hudson.


Later in the game Hudson was tossed a ball by Don Kelly who had taken over first base for Cabrera in the top of the ninth.


Although I loved the seats, the game Hudson and I went to earlier in the season was just as exciting from the bleachers.  If offered, I wouldn't pass up the first row tickets, but I would be just as thrilled to be at the game in the bleachers.  There is something about a live baseball game that really tickles my fancy. 

Don't I sound like a real hardcore baseball fan?

Have a good one.   

Baseball

I have been taking Hudson on a Mom and son date to a Tigers game since he was four years old. The summer after Marshall was born the whole family went twice so Hudson had the rest of his family encroch on his date with Mom.

May 2007


June 2008


2009 (we went to two games as a family)


September 2010


Here are the pictures of our 2011 game. We had so much fun! We saw more Star Wars characters up close than we did in Florida's Hollywood Studios Star Wars weekend!





When did my son become a little man?



Hope you have a great weekend!

Last Camping Trip

Josh and the older kids went up north for this past weekend.  It was just Marshall and I at home when lightning struck the transformer behind us.   The power went out. I acted quickly and strung four long outdoor extension cords across the street to my lovely neighbor who still had power.  I was able to run the basement sump pump, refrigerator, and small lamp.  We were without power for three days then without a home phone for another two.  When the power eventually came on it fried something on our home phone modem.

I actually liked the quiet of no TV and computer.  Although it was supposed to be my weekend to get all of my sewing done.  

Long story....not so short, that is the reason I didn't get these camping pictures posted sooner.

We had our last camping trip of the summer a few weekends ago.  We can't go to bear camp in the U.P. over Labor Day (Josh has to work Friday) so we met up with Cousin Mike, Hunter, and Eugene to camp one more time!

It rained the first morning that we were there, but we still were able to fish and bike.

There was a lot of biking and some foot racing.





Audrey takes a header, but hops right back up!

Marshall finishes with his "motorcycle" gait.


We went to the rock quarry. Cousin Mike showed us some good moves.




A girl has to be prepared to pick up firewood in any conditions. That means bring your Barbie umbrella!


School starts in just few weeks. I can't wrap my head around that the summer is almost over! I hope you all have a great weekend!