Week ending 11-21-21 Trip to Iowa for Thanksgiving

 We left for my brother's house in Iowa on Thursday morning so we spent Monday through Wednesday packing, cleaning, mowing, and getting ready. I didn't take many pictures.

Last picture of the beautiful maple tree. It is fiery red and gorgeous but didn't turn out that way in the picture. When we come back after Thanksgiving all the leaves will probably be gone.

Wednesday: I texted my family, "I'm not sure if we're going to be able to go to Brady's for Thanksgiving. It may be too hard to leave this weather." And I sent the above picture. At first they thought I was serious. :) This is the weather in Iowa we'd be going to:

Thursday: We left at 7:30am and went the southern route through the Cumberland Gap. That's the gap in the mountain there. We had just learned about Daniel Boone in history so it was neat to see it and stop at a visitor center. The gap is where Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee meet and where there's a natural dip in the mountains that made it easier for the explorers to get to the other side.

The gap up close. There is a long tunnel there that the kids loved driving through. Alexis could hold her breath through the whole thing!

Gas station and exercise break. The kids doing jumping jacks in the cold weather.

Pretty bridge in Louisville, KY.

We stayed in West Lafayette, IN with new friends. They fed us a delicious potato soup dinner and my 5 oldest went to church activities with their 5 oldest. They also have 7 kids the same ages as the 7 I had with me.

Everyone dishing up. I loved their kitchen and decorating. I need to get some tips from them for our new house.

The basement was really fun.

The girls loved the reading nook and Makenna slept there while Kaitlyn slept on the trampoline.

Five kids slept in the theater room.

Friday: The 3 little girls reading in the morning.

First time we've ever seen a Great Lake! I was so excited.

We went out on this thing called a riverwalk even though it's not a river.

Walking back to shore on the riverwalk. The waves kept crashing onto it and sometimes got us wet. Not cool when it's 37 degrees outside! But kinda fun to try to avoid getting splashed.

From the shore looking out at Makenna running to us as the last one off.

Driving through Chicago, the 3rd largest city in the US.

A cool street that goes under the train bridge.

Saturday: I played at the park with Tilly and watched Brady and the kids put lights on his house. He puts lots of lights up and the kids enjoyed helping. 

Spencer flew into Omaha and Lori who lives 1.5 hours away picked him up and bought him to Brady's. We haven't seen him in 5 months so it was exciting to see him again.

Nieces and nephews dogpile Aunt Lori.

The 3 little girls playing with cousin Paige in their basement.

Mama and I did a puzzle with Caleb. He's adorable.

Mama reading to Tilly and Caleb.

Today: Scones and Navajo tacos for Sunday supper. So fun to be together with family. I hate living so far away from them but really couldn't afford anything close to them and didn't like the states my siblings live in. Maybe one day they'll move by me. :) Can't wait for my brother Ben and his family to come as well as Kylie and Madalyn. It's going to be an awesome Thanksgiving!

Caleb and Tilly playing together.

Week ending 11-14-21 Fall in Ararat, bonfire, last of the fall colors

 

Monday: The girls put up a tent and played dolls in it all week. We had 70's all week with cool nights. Perfect for working and playing outside.

Kait got a blood blister pinching her finger in the back door.

Seven Halloween candy bags lined up on the counter. I made them all years ago and I love that even the senior still goes trick or treating with us.

Tuesday: Loading up the cut wood and hauling it to the wood pile to stack.

Making a bike trail and jump in the East woods.

Wednesday: With it light earlier in the morning and the trees so beautiful I went for a walk every morning in the woods and couldn't stop taking pictures, it was all so pretty. 

I love having little brooks. They're always running because they're fed by natural springs.

Another bigger spring and stream at the edge of the woods.

All of the following pictures are of fall in Ararat. We went to the bookmobile and park like we do every other Wednesday and had a great time relaxing and riding scooters with no deadlines or time frames. It was 80 degrees so a perfect picnic day.

It was so beautiful in person.

We loved watching the combines. We even saw one parked at the one tiny restaurant in town. A little family operation only opened from 7-2. I was driving so I didn't get a picture. 

The 5 little kids riding their scooters and bikes. Talea is riding on a scooter with Kaitlyn.

Another combine across from the park.

I loved this hill with hay rolls scattered around and a tractor just sitting there. By the time I zoomed in the picture quality wasn't great, but it was still beautiful and so country to me.

The kids coming around the corner on the bike trail.

Makenna

Kait with Tilly, Makenna going down the hill.

Wheee!

Makenna and Andy (waving)

Kait and Andy driving the mower after dumping a load of wood.

Andy hangin out on the slack line trapeze as the sun goes down.

Samuel won the bookmobile guessing contest! He guessed 75 and there were 76 pieces of candy in this bucket. He also won a $10 gift card to Walmart.

Thursday: Up and outside at 7 am off on another hike through the woods. I'm still mesmerized by the beauty around me and have to take more pictures.

I tried to take some panos but they didn't really work out. So I just got going on my walk.

When I came to the top of a hill and came out of the woods the cattle were just staring at me.

This is one of my favorites of all my woods pictures.

Burning the branches of the 2 trees I cut down last Saturday. Morning bonfires are fun.

Alexis doing her math while we worked. :)

(From right to left) Alexis, Thomas and Kaitlyn are cutting branches and throwing them in the fire. Talea is singing and dancing. Sam and Makenna are playing swords with sticks they found. Not sure what Andy in the middle is doing.

Kaitlyn dancing as she rakes. It was a Wizard of Oz dance she learned in the play.

Makenna and Samuel playing in the dirt.

Thomas playing king of the mountain on the tall stump.

A beautiful fall day for burning branches, playing in the trees, swinging, and roasting marshmallows. It was a really fun day.

I helped Samuel devise this hollow log to stick his roasting stick through and roast his hot dogs.

After we were done burning we did school on the picnic table.

Today: One last picture of our favorite view. We're going to Iowa for Thanksgiving and when we get back all the trees will be bare. Can't wait to see it in spring though!