This was so fun! We went this past fall for Brads 12 birthday to the pumpkin patch out here in V.A. at the plantion. It was the first chilly night and the fall smells were in the air. This was our first year doing this after living here for 8 years. We went strawberry picking here at this farm but not the pumpkin patch. We all agreed we need to come back each fall!

I think this was by far Angie's favorite thing here. She would not get off this thing. The simple things that please her!

This was the pig races! They were pretty funny! Whooooeeeeee!

Angie's pig came in second so she won a pigs tale!

We all did the zip rope! Couldn't pass that up!

My turn! Oh boy!

Then we did tractor races! Well John and the kids did! We did this a few rounds too!

This was a hit with the ol' teenager!

This was funny! The kids slid down on burlap strips and slid down big plastic tubing! They went pretty fast too!

Here we went through the corn maze! I was a little nervious since I have a phoba on being lost! I know weird, but I do! We did great though thanks to John and his great navigating skills. The kids had fun with this too.

That smile shows we did it! We made it through the corn maze! It was time for hot apple cider! YUM!

Now the last part was to finally pick out our pumpkins and take a tractor ride to the pumpkin patch. I think we picked some pretty good ones. It felt like so Charlie Brown! We kept asking Brad where's the great pumpkin! He's our Charlie Brown in a big way! We've nick-named him that since he was bald headed baby!

This was the best birthday/pumpkin patch EVER! Brad thanked me a million times! This is something we need to do each year. This was the last of our fall fun at the plantion. We picked out some great pumpkins to put on our front porch and took a tractor ride back.

Brad had made it clear he wants to do this for his next birthday. Which is great with us all, since he is our fall baby. I don't see why we can't do it again. Until next fall ! Now that fall is passed and turkey was eatten and now it's time for some Christmas! I love this time! I will be decorating and baking and wrapping and shopping for the next weeks to come. I have Christmas music playing in the house and in my car. My house already smells like christmas trees and sugar cookies. I just cleaned my house super clean all ready for the christmas decorations. I have the naked trees up in my house so far. I was planning to decorate the trees this weekend but then I had to change plans due to having the girl scout meeting at my house and we are going to be busy little girl scouts making the soldiers over seas and at war christmas cards. So with that in mind I thought I'd hold off with all the Christmas bens through out my house tell Monday. Cause when I decorate....I DECORATE! It's one of my favorite parts. I'll be posting those photo's soon. Until then my Christmas list is hard at work. I feel so good when I get something done each day. The kids get excited too. Which always helps a busy mom who likes making tradtions. There's a big part as mom around this time of the year. We make Christmas as special as we can.

My mom would go all out around this time of the year and I always saw her smiling this time of the year too. It's a job that's fun to us at the same time. It's memories that we will always instill on our families. Even when times are tough we still find little moments that we make christmas special. A simple counting down paper chain. Giving to others in need always feels good to the heart strings. Getting the kids apart of that will always in pack their lives. Have the kids make home made christmas tags. Thats something we do every year. Even as teenagers they still dig it. One of my favorite blogs I go to around the holidays is this one; http://www.sugarpiefarmhouse.com/ . She has some great decorating ideas and in very simple ways too. She changes it up every christmas as I like to do too. She uses what she already has on hand and makes it festive. LOVE THAT! I also like how she encourages us women. Take time for ourselves in special ways. So many times we forget to do that. I'm so guilty of that! She is so about living each day with god, and that's something that slips my mind in this crazy rush, but she reminds me each time. You should check it out it's worth it and I think you'll be inspired. I am every time. Well theres still leaves on our grass but the days are getting colder. I find myself in blankets more and more and with a big hot glass of coco or tea to warm up with. The TV has been set to ABC family 25 days of Christmas which we look forward to around 7pm every night. We finished our family Christmas pictures and are ready for Christmas cards. The kids are getting ready for their christmas concerts too. Lots of horns tooting in our house in the evenings. Hot warm dinners at night and candles a glow through out the house. This is one of my favorite seasons. Now all we need is snow! Well with that being said I better get movin and get some thing christmas done. My next post will be all christmas! Until then...keep love in your heart today.