Shasta Harvest Festival

We took the kids to the harvest festival at their school on Saturday.  Ryan wore his cowboy vest - and his boots, of course!  Maddie got to bring Bonnie along.  They got their carnival bracelets and played all sorts of fun carnival games.  My favorite to watch was Ryan's eating contest.  They put gummy worms on a plate and covered them with whipped cream.  Ryan sucked those things in lickety split.  The big kid next to him didn't see what was coming!!  Ha!  It was too funny.  The festival was so much better this year than ever before.  They had much less candy, more fun little toys, greater location, etc.  Way to go PTO!!

Jeff is 22!

My little brother is 22.  We celebrated at the Grad on Friday night.  His actual birthday is today.  Happy Birthday Jeffrey!

Garner Ranch Pumpkin Patch

Ryan and I got to go BY BUS to the pumpkin patch last Friday with his class.  He was so excited about that bus ride, I tell you what!  Ryan wore his cowboy boots, like he does most days.  The kids first went in to hear about the farm from their buddy's mom (who runs the show over there!).  Then they got to feed the goats.  They also had pigs, chickens, a steer that for some reason wore a saddle.  ??  Then we walked through their corn maze.  The kids really liked that.  I am so glad we did it during the day!  Finally they got to pick out a pumpkin.  Ryan hiked it way out to the back.  I made him come back - he was just too far out there!  He picked a big pumpkin, the biggest one he could carry.  Then they got to play on the hay stacks.  That is where Ryan got so dang dirty.  He was so hot.  He had sweat pouring down his face.  He was super happy!  He let me sit next to him on the bus ride home.  What a great trip! I hope to avoid riding on the school bus ever again, but I was happy to ride with Ryan that time.

Pumpkin Decorating Contest

Mrs. Granicher had a pumpkin decorating contest at school.  You could not carve the pumpkin, you could only decorate the outside.  Ryan had a very clear idea of what he wanted to do.  He wanted a bat pumpkin.  So, off to Michael's we went.  We got black spray paint, some craft foam, glitter glue, and googlie eyes.  Ryan did most of the work himself - yes I did let him spray paint.  He LOVED his pumpkin.  He did not win the contest, but he had so much fun.  Mrs. Granicher raised some much needed funds for her classroom, too.  Happy Halloween!

Cousins & Friends

The kids are still swimming here in October.  The water is cold, but with it still reaching the 90s, it's plenty hot outside!  After swimming last week, these girls hit the chalk.  They made quite the mess while having lots of fun.  Spencer tried to hose them off, but it didn't work.  I wouldn't let them in the pool or house like that.  Spencer ended up out there with a bucket full of soapy warm water to get them clean enough to come inside.  They regretted going crazy with the chalk.

Go Dinosaurs!!

Ryan is playing soccer this season.  I am so excited!!  I love watching little kids play soccer.  It was super hot today, but I was still happy to be sitting out there.  Ryan was awesome!!  He has a great coach, who happens to be the dad of one of Ryan's buddies from Pre-K.  Ryan is number 7.  They put six kids on the field at a time.  They don't have positions, and they don't use a goalie.  They just run around like a pack of maniacs for 45 minutes or so.  By the end Ryan was exhausted and hot.  He either ran or danced around for the entire time out there.  He really is a crack up!

Forester Pin and Craftsman Pin for Mac

We had a busy night last Wednesday.  It was pack meeting for cub scouts.  Macky was awarded the Forester Pin and Craftsman Pin.  He now has 5 pins on his uniform!  We are so proud of his hard work and are so thankful for Elaine and all the work that she does for these boys.
That same night I took Maddie out to the observatory in Upper Park.  That place is fantastic!  If you've never been there, it's worth staying up late to visit.  It's open Thursday through Sunday starting at sunset. Maddie got to see all sorts of constellations and even the planet Jupiter and its moons up close.  The people there are very knowledgeable and enjoy teaching others.