Week ending 10-16-22 Mabry Mill, Elf auditions, working and playing outside

Monday: Lori had the day off and didn't need to go back to Charlotte so we took her to Groundhog Mountain and Mabry Mill for a short fall field trip.  This is looking out Groundhog Mtn lookout.

Picnic at Mabry Mill.

Lori with the kids.

Me with the kids. Thomas stayed home with Samuel who was sick.

That night Lori took the kids to audition for Elf the Musical Jr. and I stayed home with Samuel.

Elder Holladay (Spencer) with a guy, Daniel, he taught and baptized.

Tuesday: Thomas making pretzel keyrings. Cool talent!

We found an apple on our apple tree that the squirrels didn't get in August. Yay! It was delicious. Hopefully next year we find a way to get all of them.

Wednesday: We play outside every day from 12-4 (or longer if we don't have rehersal) so even though it was a drizzly day the kids still played outside.

These kids took shelter in a storage shed and played for a few hours.

The view out the kitchen window. It's so gorgeous!!

Thursday: When I can't find Talea she's often drawing or coloring at her desk. She makes me a new picture every few days.

Doing puzzles.

Cooler temps mean time to get busy cutting firewood! I love listening to podcasts while I work. I wander around looking for a dead tree to cut down or cutting up already fallen trees and branches. I lose all sense of time and forget I have anything else to do but just wander and work and marvel at the beauty of the woods until the saw is out of oil or battery.

We're supposed to be pulling weeds and grass around the wildflower garden but Andy and Tilly turned this brick pile into a boat and were paddling it with their long sticks.

Friday: Thomas checked his email and saw that he got the main lead, Buddy for the next play!! So he ran outside to tell the kids and they were all so excited for him. The 3 girls who tried out are elves.

Andy and Tilly came up the pasture to visit me while I worked and loved how I cut a 12" section off this tall tree and then kicked it over. I love goofing off while I work. Then they wanted to try it too.

Then they found a pile of old heavy metal and played with that.

Then they stood on the stumps and played king and queen of the mountain. It's so delightful watching them play while I work.

Meanwhile, Kait and Kenna played in their grapes tunnel. They have plenty of books to read, paper to draw on, art supplies, and dolls.

Samuel enjoyed reading a book about the Wright Brothers all afternoon.

Andy helped me dig a hole for a little tree I found at the edge of the driveway woods and wanted to move here instead. He's a lot of fun to work with.

Saturday: We cut wild invasive blackberries out of this pasture and picked up rocks and sticks and then mowed it. It looks so nice now. I hope to put pigs here someday.

Looking down the other way.

Tilly and Andy playing in another boat.

Andy and Samuel starting the bonfire all by themselves. I was enjoying reading in the camp chair and enjoying a beautiful Saturday afternoon after hours of work but they were eager to do the bonfire and s'mores.

We had 3 large piles of brush to burn and it felt good to get all that cleaned up.

While it was burning we did bridge walks and handstand competitions. I love hanging out with my kids.

Then we ate taco salad outside. Thomas ate on the hammock and these girls ate in their tunnel. What a fun life!

With all the brush burned it was finally time for s'mores.

Afterward we had scripture reading around the fire and then Thomas tucked Tilly in while I read outloud to the other 4 kids "Who Stole Halloween" which is one of our favorite fall read aloud books. We all cuddled on one double campchair with blankets and watched the stars come out and finally went in when it was pitch black. What a fantastic, perfect day!! I love living here so much!