Halloween Fun!

What could be more fun than seeing Batman and ObiWan Kenobi run around the neighborhood telling ridiculous jokes in exchange for candy? Doing it on a night with a perfect Halloween moon. I love Halloween.  The jokes make the night for me every year. Quinn's joke this year was "What do you call a Jedi who uses meat instead of a lightsaber? Obi Wan Bologne." and Nolan's was "What do you call a dog who gets a sunburn? A hot dog!"  always followed by "Get it!?".  What's not to love about that? Happy Halloween everyone. 

Rain or Shine, Fun Will Be Had

This past weekend we hosted the 5th annual Lynch family pumpkin party at Jim's parent's acreage. Throughout last week we had nothing but rain which made the prospects of having a great leaf pile, bonfire and hay rack ride seem highly unlikely.  We woke up to beautiful sunny and somewhat warm Saturday morning which gave us some hope that we could actually pull off the beloved fall festivities. When our guests arrived late afternoon the weather was great. We carved our pumpkins, rode the horses (or at least those horses that cooperated), bobbed for apples and even jumped in the giant leaf mountain Jim raked for us before it started to sprinkle. We quickly sprinted to the hay rack in hopes of getting a ride before the hay got too wet.  As usual, Jim's dad gave a mean tractor ride and we got back just in time to have a great meal. The adults braved it under the tree for protection from the rain and the kids ran to the garage to stay dry. The rain washed out our bonfire and marshmallow roasting but it turns out that 4 out of 5 people think you can make a smore with any type of marshmallow.

This is one our favorite family traditions and we would put this show on rain, shine, snow or sleet and gratefully our friends think it is fun enough to brave the weather too.

These Boots Are Made For Hiking

These boots have hiked over 100 recorded miles of Oregon and Washington trail since I have had them. 7 years ago, when we moved to Iowa and had chidren, they got shoved to the back of the closet to collect dust and mourn the distance between them and the Pacific Northwest. I was sure they would not reemerge for active duty again. I may have been wrong. Thanks to scouts these boots have seen some pretty wonderful hiking right here in the flat midwest in the last month. I have also seen that our love of hiking and nature is starting to rub off on the kids. These boots may very well be 2 miles into their next hundred, but this time with little hikers following right behind which makes me very very happy.

Back At Work...

As I was looking ahead to this school year with both boys in school everyday, I knew I would be working a lot more than I had since Quinn was born but I didn't know what e.xactly I would be working at. Subbing made the most sense but it is not a job I love (or even like for that matter). Two weeks ago a friend of mine asked me if I would be interested in teaching 3 year old preschool for the duration of the year to which I said "Sure! Why not!". So, on Monday I started teaching this adorable group of 3 year olds. I am surprised at how much fun I am having and how happy they seem with their new teacher. The hours are great and it involves a steady paycheck and lots of hugs. Who wouldn't love a job like this.

Hello BB gun!

Today was the much anticipated scout camp day. Quinn and I drove through the beautiful fall Iowa countryside straight to Boy Scout day camp which oozes so much testosterone it can be detected miles away (no, I have no actual proof of this but I am sure of it none the less). The highlight of the day for Quinn was the 2nd of 6 stops today, the BB gun shooting. He was able to control his excitement long enough to listen carefully to all the safety instructions and then the long awaited moment arrived, he pulled the trigger. As you can see, he hit the paper holding the target and could not be more proud. To commemorate the event he will get his 1st belt loop (equivalent to a patch for a girl scout) for BB shooting.

We got to make a bird feeder out of pine cones and leave it in the woods for the birds, just in time for winter. There was a fort that we pummeled with tennis balls launched out of catapults and the last stop was the fishing pond where we caught a large mouth bass.

The highlight of the day for me was being immersed in all things boy and seeing my son love all of it. It isn't often we are able to spend the day on his turf with few rules and no reason to reign him in. I am glad to see my son be a part of this organization that understands boys like I do not and look forward to more days like this in the future.

PS- if you look closely at the fishing picture you will notice I am holding the fishing pole with a much improved left hand! Hurray!

Return of the Starbucks Whore

As many of you know, I have had a slight problem with drinking Starbucks in the past. I really thought I had curbed my addiction but this latest escapade shows that I still have a ways to go.

I was in the Dallas airport flying back home and really wanted a cupa of joe to take with me. There she was at Gate D5, the shining green siren beconing me in to have a peppermint mocha to go. My flight was leaving out of D10, not that far away, so it seemed written in the stars, I should definately splurge, but only a tall. This ended up being a rookie mistake for someone with the use of only one arm who is toting a purse, backpack and wheeley suitcase. How exactly did I think I was going to get all my luggage AND my sinfully delicious treat the 5 gates to my plane. After much contemplation about which people might be going my way and be willing to tote my coffee for me I opted for plan B. I would MAKE my hand carry this coffee. It resisted with the full weight of the yumminess but after sipping at D5 until about half was gone the hand relented and actually carried the cup all the way to D10 where I savored the rest of the cup and praised my left hand. The Starbucks whore definately strikes again. I am including my physical therapist in the distribution for this post so he knows how to properly motivate me in the future.

Our little cub scout

Quinn has never been one to think that extracurricular activities sound like a good idea, until now. When he heard that there was an activity where he could use a bow and arrow as well as a BB gun he was all over it.

After the introductory meeting he begged us to stay in scouts through the 5th grade so that he could be old enough to use the BB guns. Imagine his delight when he found out that he could be shooting with the BB guns in just a few weeks when the scouts have their first out of town camping trip.

While we are not thrilled with his obsession with the weapons, it is nice to see his enthusiasm for scouting. Thanks to some legwork by our friend Jeanie he looks adorable in the uniform ... don't you think?