Fall 2014

October was here and gone before we knew what had happened. The first weekend of the month, Rachael came over to spend the day with our little Ryder. By the time she was ready to go home, the little stinker had learned to sit up by himself!

It’s so funny how quickly they learn new things. Then, just as quickly as they learn something new, it’s on to the next discovery. What a cutie 

We were all able to get together on the weekend of Morgan’s birthday (17) and spend a day at Autumn Acres in Crossville. Typically, we always have gone to Sparta to Amazing Acres, but this year, we decided to try something new. The first thing we could see inside the gate was the huge bounce zone. The kids (and Danny) enjoyed some time jumping on the giant air-filled tarp.

There was also a small petting zoo with some bunnies, some goats and chickens that you could feed. There was a corn shooter, a playground and several corn mazes to choose from.

We choose a path and let Logan answer the questions that would lead us through the maze. Once we made it out, we all loaded up together on the hayride and Taylor and Logan picked out a pumpkin to take home and carve. All in all the maze was fun and I enjoyed having the whole family together for at least one afternoon!

The end of the month brought a week long visit from mom and dad Long. They had spent the previous week traveling down the east coast into Florida. On the way back up to Michigan, we got to spend some time with them. On Saturday, we spent the day making donuts at the Baxter Autumn Fest. The weather was nice and the day started off with a parade.

About midway through the day, the train headed from Nashville to Cookeville passed through. We were set up at the depot right by the tracks, so we had a front row seat.

Before we knew it, Halloween was here. Friday night was cold and wet. The rain was changing back and forth from snow to sleet to rain. That didn’t stop my house from filling up with everything from peanut butter and jelly (Baily and Colt)

to Spiderman (Taylor) and a ninja turtle (Logan),

to the cutest monster I have ever seen (Ryder).

Danny and Taylor braved the cold to Trick or Treat. I stayed in with Logan and enjoyed some Nana time. It’s not often I get either of the grandkids to myself.

The very next weekend was Taylors birthday (12). We had a small party for him with family and his favorite food, mozzarella sticks with marinara sauce.

As the kids get older, time spent together as a family becomes more rare and precious. I am grateful for the times we have together and know that in the future, those times will become fewer and further between. Everyone is so busy with life. It’s so nice that the times we get together are full of love and laughter.
With the hustle of Thanksgiving, I decided to once again do morning brunch at our house. This way all the kids could have the afternoon for dinners with their other families. At the last minute, they all decided that a slumber party at our house would be fun. We all stayed up late playing OutBurst and had a great time. Everyone stayed the night except for MJ and Yavonna who had houseguests and a surprise of their own to share with us on Thanksgiviing morning. Our family has grown and we now have a new daughter-in-law! We couldn’t be more excited. We all love Yavonna and are glad to have her as part of our family. Congrats to Yavonna and MJ on their wedding 11/26/2014