Pumpkins, Pumpkins Everywhere!

One of my very favorite activities for the fall is to visit the Arboretum and their pumpkin patch. It felt so weird to go without Preston, but since he's playing soccer on Saturdays, we had to go during the week. Aunt Kim, Autumn, and Aaron were able to join us. We were treated to beautiful weather and a very light crowd- a recipe for the perfect outing. I love to see all the different kinds of pumpkins- the colors, shapes, and sizes.
I can only imagine how much this gi-normous one would cost at the store!
The kids did such a great job posing for us, smiling and letting us take a ton of pictures all over the park with lots of different backgrounds, all in an effort to get the perfect pumpkin picture.

Holden was amazed by all the pumpkins. I think if he could talk, he would say his favorite part of the whole day was being out of the stroller! It's not often that I let him walk/run around when we're out and about.
Elic loved the pumpkin houses! He kept telling me to take his picture next to each one and had me watch him walk through them. They are so unique with all the different shapes and colors.
Here's a great picture of Aunt Kim, Autumn, and Aaron.
The cousins (minus Preston). While taking this picture I couldn't help but think of the intro to the Brady Bunch because all the kids kept looking up and down at each other, made me laugh.


The hay maze is always a favorite. Elic never seemed to tire of running through it over and over again.

And Holden loved that he could climb over the bales. He just went from one side to the other, over and over again.
Elic thought he was King of the Pumpkin Mountain since he could climb all the way up to the top.
Nothing like a straight stretch of walkway to run full speed down!
Look! A pumpkin by the pumpkin!
This shot of Holden reminds me so much of Preston. I think it's the overalls and light hair. He's just growing up so fast.

Holden 2010

Preston 2006

We took one last cousin shot and then enjoyed a picnic lunch before heading home. On days like this I'm touched by the beauty of God's creation- even in something so little like a pumpkin.

Catching Up with the Hughes'

Ever since school started for Preston and Sunshine School started for me, I just can't seem to keep up with everything. And blogging has been last on my to-do list. Get ready, because this is a catch up post!

Grandparents Day

Preston's school had a special morning for grandparents. My mom was able to make it. She got to meet his teacher, Mrs. Behymer, and watch some of their morning routine.

Preston was the leader for the day and got to sit in the middle of the group area and help with calendar time.
I didn't want to stay long because really this was for grandparents only. I did try to sneak this shot of Nana sitting in Preston's seat. After watching class time, all the grandparents went to the gym for breakfast with the principal, Mr. Speck. I love how Boggess works so hard to plan special days, just like this one, that help to get family involved with the student's education.

Soccer

Well, I couldn't put it off any longer. I am officially a soccer mom. Darren has been asking for a while now for me to sign Preston up, but really the thought of practices and Saturday games just makes me cringe. I can say that I love, love, love his team. I think all but two attend Boggess and a few are even in his class. The practice field is right next to our subdivision and the games are less than five minutes away. And truly I love soccer socks!

Preston definitely likes soccer better than t-ball. It's faster paced and you get to be a little aggressive trying to take the ball away- what's not for a boy to love?

We've had two games so far and this past Saturday Preston scored his first goal! I think it's going to be a great soccer season!

It's beginning to look alot like Halloween!

We definitely love fall- the cooler weather, the State Fair, and the holidays. I think we decorate for Halloween almost as much as we do for Christmas.

As much as I try to keep our decorations cute and fun, I'm out voted by all the boys for spooky and creepy things like this skeleton . . .
. . . and these ghosts,
On a cuter note, isn't this candy holder adorable?!
I love my mantle! Everything is from my trip to Canton. Putting it together was the first thing I did when I got home. Really, I didn't even bring my bags in from the car. I just couldn't wait to see how it all looked.
I L.O.V.E. argyle and these argyle pumpkins make me smile.

Some people have Christmas villages, but we have the beginnings of a Halloween village (it's a work in progress). Most of the houses light up or move which makes this the favorite attraction for our boys.



I'm more of a fan of cute platters. I just had to have this one (and the chocolate covered Oreos that came with it- YUM) from the Christian Works Auction. I had to reassure Darren that it was worth it because the money went to charity. I don't have any intentions of serving food on it because then you can't see the adorable picture!
Guess we need to update this plate and add a lil' monster! Our house just feels more cozy with all the special decorations around. Happy Fall Y'all!

Back to School Bash and First Day of Kindergarten!

Last Thursday we decided to celebrate the end of summer vacation with a special night of activities followed by indoor camping. We started off with a day/night sorting activity that the boys loved. I mean, you have to know what animals you might meet when camping.Preston did all the cutting.

And Elic glued.

We did have to ask Dad to decide where a few animals should be placed, but over all they knew the answers.
Next, it was snack time. We counted out our indregients for our camper's trail mix.
The boys waited patiently while dad put up the tent.
Here they are running in to see Dad's creation- it was quite a sight.
They needed their flashlights to make their way around the tent maze Darren created.
He basically put together all the tents we own to make a long tunnel ending up at the tent where they would sleep. Everyone loved crawling around inside.
Getting ready for bed.
We had one last craft of the night- star gazers. Isn't Elic so cute trying to look through to see the stars?
There were bedtime stories. . .
and you can't camp without singing a few songs.
One last hug good night and the boys were ready to sleep. Well, Elic lasted maybe ten minutes before he asked to sleep in his own bed. Preston loved the tent and stayed all night.
Yesterday was Preston's first day of kindergarten! I really can't believe that he's old enough to be in elementary. We drove to the school but then walked him into his classroom. Isn't he so handsome?

We saw Trenton on the way in. They aren't in the same class but see each other at recess every day.
Here we are making our way to the kindergarten hall.
His teacher is Mrs. Behymer and she's expecting a baby girl this October.
Preston found his locker and put his backpack away.

He found his name tag.
Took a few last pictures with dad. . .
and mom and then sat down for circle time.
Everyone kept telling me I was going to cry, but I was so excited for him that I didn't. He's going to learn so much and meet new friends, just a very special time in his life.
Darren took the day off and we all went to pick him up. For a special treat we went to Chik-fil-a and had ice cream. I loved that he shared so much with me about his day. I was afraid he might say, "I don't know" or "I don't remember" when I asked him what they did. They sing their way through the day and Preston sang us quite a few songs he's already learned. He went to music yesterday and learned a cute bear song. We're working on learning our classmates names. He doesn't like to ask people their names so he just says "I sat by two girls" or "I was next to a boy". He was very excited to go back today. Now I just have to get use to this new schedule. I'm so afraid that I'll forget to pick him up that I've set my alarm clock on my phone to remind me to get to carpool. I think we're off to a great start for this kindergarten year!