The Warren Family: Fun Fall Family Days

It has been a very busy few weeks at our house. We visited a local corn maze and pumpkin patch with Jake and he had a blast. He wanted to be "the leader" in the maze and he did great. It was a gorgeous day and our leader enjoyed being in charge and making the decisions on which turns to take. After a couple of dead ends in a row... he turned to me and said "Mama... we're trapped" but of course we weren't and we eventually made our way out without having to call 911 for help. Did you hear about the family that actually did that this year?

Jake had fun playing a game of toss that they had set up in the field and then picked out a great pumpkin to carve. He and Trip had big, messy fun carving a scary face for Halloween. Jake was a little reluctant to let us put a candle in it. I think he was afraid it was going to burn up his pumpkin but he finally agreed and was excited to see it lit up. I discovered a great trick this year that made our pumpkin last for a very long time. After Jake and Trip carved it... I rubbed Vaseline all over the fleshy area's that had been cut out and it kept it from mildewing and deteriorating so it was still looking good a week after Halloween when Trip threw it out.

The next item on the agenda was a trip to the Shriner's Circus. It's a pretty darn good little circus and Jake loves it so we couldn't resist when we heard they were coming back to town. When we went to the circus last year they had pony rides and elephant rides and bouncy houses among other activities that kids could do (for a small fee) either before, after or during intermission but we didn't partake of that portion of the event. Jake remembered those things and when we told him we were going to the circus he announced that he really wanted to ride a pony so we got there early and he did indeed ride a pony. He loved it! He also loved that it's name was "Mama". As soon as the ride was over he was ready to get some "sticky candy" also known as cotton candy and get ready for the show to start. At intermission he went back down to the main floor with Trip to get an up close look at the motorcycle cage of death because that was his favorite act and he wants to do that when he grows up. Heaven help me if he does in fact do that someday because I already worry myself silly over every little bump and sniffle.

Next up was an Appalachian football game on a very cold and windy Saturday in Boone. Luckily, we went very well dressed in lots and lots of layers and took hand warmers for that little extra comfort so we were fine. After the game my cousins daughter and her husband, Laura and Thomas, came by our house and we enjoyed a really nice evening catching up with them. You may remember that I blogged about their wedding last September and they now live in Ohio while Thomas works toward becoming a podiatrist. Jake was very taken with Laura and wanted her to stay in his room the whole time she was here. I think he showed her every toy that he owns and he really did not want her to leave. I gave her a huge hug and wanted to know when she was coming back. Thomas agreed that if he hadn't already made an honest woman out of her that Jake might give him a run for his money.

I got Jake a pair of real base layers this year to be better prepared for cold weather outdoor activities like the football games and he thinks that they are the greatest thing ever. My Mama and Daddy came for a visit the Sunday after the game and Jake had insisted upon sleeping in them so when he answered the door that's what he was wearing. My Daddy told him that those were some awful nice long johns and Jake quickly said... "Papaw, these aren't long johns... they are base layers" which my Daddy thought was just too cute.

Jake decided to be Buzz Lightyear for Halloween this year and I found the costume without any difficulty which was a relief. I also found a great blow up set of Buzz spaceman wings which really took the costume to the next level. We went trick or treating downtown and Jake received lots of complements ... especially from a couple of Buzz Lightyear's that did not have wings. He had so much fun this year. It's the first year we've really taken him trick or treating anywhere except Mamaw and Papaw's house and one other family home. He was very polite and simply could not believe that people were giving him all that candy. He wanted to keep going and going so when we finished downtown we took him to the mall to make a round there. During that lap he had to take a couple of breaks to sample his bounty.

Final activity was a hike to the top of Elk Knob and a birthday party. Holy cow! I tried to explain to Trip that my life insurance wasn't active yet but that mountain has been taunting him every day since we moved in and he simply had to conquer it. We have a beautiful view of the mountain from our house and when we finally made it to the top we could see forever! Luckily, I lived to tell about it and can now proudly say that I did it but it sure reminded me that I need to start a regular exercise program again now that we're finally settled. After our hike we took Jake to his first little birthday party. One of his little friends at school turned 5 and Jake was the only little boy in a sea of giggly, little girls. He hung in there for awhile and then had to spend some time outside playing with the big boys before enjoying a nice big piece of princess birthday cake.

You'll notice a gorgeous hound dog in one of the photos below and I should let you know that she isn't ours but Jake is crazy about her. She belongs to a neighbor and has been coming for very regular visits since we moved in and we've all fallen for her. Jake wants her to be his dog but we explained that she already has a family that loves her and that we'll find a puppy that needs a family in the spring.

We made it Mama!