Charlotte's Web

We've had a couple of these giant spiders hanging around our house lately.  Unfortunately, the kids and I read Charlotte's Web this summer, and now they have a real heart for giant spiders with big webs.  I guess that's okay with me because I don't know how I would get it down without having a heart attack.  For now I keep telling myself she's on gnat/mosquito duty, which is very important in Georgia.

Snack Time

Mom: Eli, what are you doing?

Eli: Waiting for 4:00.

Four o'clock is the only time Eli can tell on a clock face.  That's because 4:00 is afternoon snack time around here.  Not 3:00, not 3:30, not 3:55.  If I didn't have a set snack time, these kids would ask to eat something ALL DAY LONG.  They are never full and are determined to break our bank in the grocery department.  Lucky for me, Eli finally learned to recognize 4:00 on our living room clock.  Now he doesn't have to ask if it's 4:00 a million times every afternoon.  The only downside is that now he knows when it's 4:00, and then, no matter what I'm doing, it MUST be snack time.  Love this crazy kid!

Plains Peanut Festival

The annual Plains Peanut Festival was back in September.  The boys and I were looking for something fun to do during our weekend, so we drove over to join in some peanut fun.

Hello Mr. Peanut!  Aaron was in a bit of a mood and DID NOT want to have his picture taken with Mr. Peanut.

We took the SAM Shortline Railroad out to Jimmy Carter's boyhood farm.

We didn't have much time at the farm, but we saw a few of the outdoor sights.

Sometimes I just wonder how I ended up with all these boys.

I needed a train picture.  They just wanted to get back on the train to check out all the Thomas merchandise in the dining car.

Once we were back in Plains, there were lots of inflatables.

I carry Band-Aids in my purse.  Blood is a common occurrence when we're out in public.

After an afternoon of trains, inflatables, and booth browsing, we needed some gelato.  Aaron had strawberry, and the other boys and I had orange-vanilla.  Yum.  It made the trip totally worth it.

The boys and I were able to get out and about to several little places around Georgia this summer.  We had so much fun exploring our new state and making a few memories while Ryan was gone.  They are really great travelers, and I'm so glad they like to go to new places and see new things.  It's nice to have their company.

Welcome Home Dad!

Oct. 5th.  It was a good day around here.

Wing Fall Fest

Our wing organized a fall get together at a local farm on Columbus Day.  We headed out to Lane Southern Orchards in Fort Valley for a beautiful family fun day.

Farmer Clayton

Aaron checking out the playground

Plenty of wide open space to run

Heading into the corn maze

Excited to get going through the corn maze

Eli checking out the corn

Aaron navigating the maze

Heading to the corn cannon

Hay bale fun

Painting pumpkins

Stone Mountain, Georgia

I had heard of Stone Mountain before we moved to Georgia, but I didn't know much about it or what it was.  Some Oklahoma friends were coming to Atlanta for a wedding, and we decided to check it out with them while they were in our neck of the woods.

Stone Mountain is basically a giant granite rock just east of Atlanta.  After a picnic lunch, we took a cable car up to the top (there was no way we were hiking with all the little folks) and explored.  It was a gorgeous day, and the view was amazing.  We could see the different Atlanta skylines, as well as miles and miles of green forest.  The kids loved running free and exploring all the little puddles up top.

Eli

Eli

Eli and Miss Wesley.  These two were big buddies.

Don't worry.  They're not as close to the edge as it looks.  It was a little nerve wracking.  Even when you're right there, it looks like the kids are on the edge.  The mamas were definitely on high alert.

My boys

Some great Oklahoma friends.  We're so glad we got to catch up with them and meet their sweet new baby while they were in town.

Our family with the Atlanta skyline in the background.

Homemade Pizza Night

I can't believe I've never made homemade pizza with the boys.  I remember making it every now and then before we had kids, but then the children came, and it seemed easier to just pick it up or have it delivered.  Well, last Saturday came around, and I decided it might be a fun little project to work on during the A&M/Auburn game.  It's a good thing it turned out to be really tasty because we needed some comfort food after that game.

This was the best homemade pizza I've ever made, so we're sticking with this pizza dough recipe.  The kids loved choosing their own toppings and loved only eating from their personal pizza.  We had a lot of fun, and I can't wait to make it again.

Church Family Night

The boys and I attended our church's Family Night at the Ag Center in Perry last night.  There were hotdogs for dinner, and lots of inflatables and games for the kids.  The boys were in heaven, and I was in heaven dreaming about how wonderfully easy bedtime was going to be.  It was a win-win!

We started with hotdogs.  By the way, we used to never eat hotdogs because Clayton went through a phase when he was little where he'd throw up after EVERY SINGLE hotdog he'd eat.  That made birthday parties tons of fun.  We tried them again a year or so ago, and he can handle them now.  Strange.  Just add it to his list.

These two were also all about the hotdogs.

Clayton

Eli.  He dressed himself after church, and when we got to the Ag Center, I was really happy he'd worn that fluorescent yellow shirt.  It made keeping track of him much easier.

So much fun.

Eli played so hard.  The sweat was dripping from his head all night.  He is a man-child that way.

Sweet Aaron.

Always moving.



Clayton spotted this bouncy trampoline thing the minute we arrived.  The line was so long, but he was determined to wait it out.  I felt so bad for him as he waited nearly an hour to get on this thing.  Other kids had their parents wait in line for them, but I had the little boys to tend to, so Clayton had to wait for himself.  In the end, he loved it, and I was really proud of his determination to wait it out.

Here we go.  I took a million pictures of him because it was such a big deal to him.  I know the other parents thought I was a crazy papparazi mom.

Apparently, it was worth the wait.  He's not very heavy and had a bit of a hard time getting going, but luckily another mom was able to give him a couple of good pulls while I snapped pictures.

They raised him up pretty high.  He was laughing so hard.

By the end of Clayton's ride, it was nearly 8pm, and Aaron was laying on the floor next to me, sucking his thumb.  Eli was nearing a meltdown, so it was time to call it.  They were setting off fireworks at 9pm, but I knew we'd never last, so I bribed the kids with a McDonald's ice cream cone on the way home, and they were happy to leave early.