Fall Family Photos

I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself!

Today I picked up a CD filled with photos that my amazing friend Melanie took of our family a couple of weeks ago. The photos are awesome, and I can hardly wait to get started on our Christmas cards. (yes, Christmas cards ... this year, I'm going to try to be that annoying person that sends out their cards first. You know, the one that you get the day after Thanksgiving? Yep that's gonna be me, baby!)

So, for those of you on our Christmas card list:
close your eyes and don't look at the photos below so that you can be surprised on November 27th when this bad boy hits your mailbox!  But don't worry if you can't help but take a look, because these aren't the actual photos I chose for our cards.  Yep, these are the rejects ... and they're still that good!

And for anyone local to our area, let me know if you need a referral for a talented, affordable photographer!

Pumpkin Picking

On our third and final "fall outing", our family went to a nearby farm to pick our own pumpkins. To our surprise, the "pumpkin patch" was actually a small family farm across the street from a private residence that sets up a whole shebang in their front yard each fall. We played on haybales, rode in a train, and then took a wagon across the road to pick our own pumpkins.



Kara was our wagon driver, hauling our loot from the patch to our van across the street.

Jack enjoyed trapsing around the patch and picking up any pumpkin that was small enough for him to carry. This time, it was a white one.

Jenna was on a quest to choose the largest pumpkin that she could carry. Even if it was a struggle.

Jenna and Kara were also sure to pick a few blossoms and vines to bring to their teachers at school. Both thought they would be the perfect addition to their classroom science tables.

All three kids enjoyed taking a "train" ride. The owner rigged up several plastic barrels as train cars, attached them to his riding tractor, and drove the kids around the front yard for an extended amount of time. Aside from the gas fumes from the tractor, nobody seemed to mind the make-shift train. It was hard to tell who enjoyed the ride more: the kids, or the operator.

Fall Festival

On this fine fall day, Grandma and Pa Dorgan came down for a visit, and we headed to the Fall Festival in Bloomington at the Expo Center. We were blessed with another beautiful day, and more happy, fun-filled activities.

My favorite photos of the day were the posed ones ... in the wheels of a tractor parked on the grounds for kids to climb on. I also got some much needed, updated shots of me and the girls. ?They each have photo frames in their bedrooms for "mommy and me" pictures, and each of them is about 6 months old in the last photo that I framed!

Jenna tried her hand in rock climbing for the second time. The first time, at a summer festival, she was teary-eyed and trembling during the whole thing. This time, she managed to climb about half way up the rock on her own. Still not 100% confident, but willing to try . . . and that is all I could ask for!