Progress

More often than we'd like to admit, we visit a local pet store to get Phoebe a puppy fix.  Unfortunately, they're upwards of $2,000 which is a bit out of our dog budget.  They sure are cute though!

We wrapped up fall soccer with an audience!

Then we headed to Stoneycreek Farms for some fall fun.

Tangled together!

Dad giving them fishing tips.

Duck racing.

Pumpkin selfie with Auntie!

Fall weather makes this mama happy!

Bouncing makes this guy happy!

Shooting the corn cannon.

And the pumpkin slingshot!

Stoneycreek closed at 5:00 so we headed to Spencer's Farms to pick out our pumpkins and take a lovely hayride.

Picking out the perfect pumpkin is this girl's gift!

Luckily, Daddy was there to haul them in!

Sunday afternoon was Maverick's last game. At his age, they still get trophies no matter how many wins or losses the team has.  Phoebe had to learn that she's got to win to get a trophy and it was not a fun discovery for her.

This is really how we've spent most of our weekends.

But all that hard work is paying off.  We ate on the deck without furniture the first night the base was complete.  So fun to watch it all come together!

Once a year, our church closes its doors and sends the congregation out to serve the community.  We were assigned to an inner-city school and cleaned out and painted their chicken coop.

Phoebe kept a close eye on all the chickies.

Maverick just wanted to dig!

After we were done serving, we headed to Punch Bowl Social for brunch and games.

Maverick has a wicked arm when it comes to skee ball!

We need one of these 8-person foosball sets in our basement!

In preparation for fall break, the kids got to open an early Christmas present.  Yay for Kindles!  They literally saved the trip when our DVD player fizzled out halfway to Virginia!

Auntie got in a little creativity time with Maverick and the minions!

He was SO proud!

We headed east for fall break but made a stop at Ikea first.  The kids were troopers and I'll never again go on a weekend - Monday's at lunchtime are the ideal day to shop!

We stopped in Charleston, West Virginia to get in some pool time and were in Virginia early the next day.  We stopped at the state's visitor center to get some peanuts AND every brochure known to man!

We made it to Granddaddy's in record time!  

Exploring his 29 acres and soaking in the sunshine and heat mid-October.

Maverick wanted to take the tractor for a spin.

Someone explain this to me.  Please.

God did a fabulous work in Virginia - it was absolutely stunning in its natural beauty.

The kids weren't near the water 60 seconds before both of them had soaked feet!

Gorgeous.

And he was in his element.  All he needed was a fishing pole and a cigar and he'd have been fine if we left him there...

We visited the Natural Bridge.

After our hike, we decided to explore the Natural Bridge Caverns.  We did a little "mining" while waiting for our tour to begin.

No vacation is complete without a stop at the Dairy Bar.

Phoebe's ONLY goal of our trip was to spend time with Booters.  Unfortunately, the cat had other plans and they did NOT include Phoebe (he did leave us a little "present" in our suitcase though - to show us how he felt about our visit...)

They spent a lot of time together like this.

We went to the George Washington National Forest to get in some more hiking.

I love waterfalls AND this guy!

AND these kiddos!

They're never happier than when they're getting wet and dirty!

Looking for bats!

We got to meet Granddaddy's girlfriend, Eileen.

She is lovely and the kids adored her instantly.  

The kids loved sucking up bugs with the vacuum!  I obviously need to get rid of the upright so they can help out around home!

We've been busy getting back into a routine, finishing the deck and getting ready to trick or treat!  The kids both wanted to reuse a previous costume so that made Halloween super easy!

We've also been working on responsibility with the kiddos.  Maverick peeled cucumbers and Phoebe made jack-o-lantern stuffed peppers using a knife to core the peppers and make their faces.  They both did awesome!  Now if only they'd make their beds...