Pumpkins

I'll be honest. The kids have never really loved scooping out pumpkin guts and Owen especially would be fine not carving pumpkins at all...but that doesn't mean we aren't going to do it! We got a fancier carving kit that I thought would make the cutting experience smoother but we didn't even know what half the tools were for and still had trouble sawing through the pumpkins. By the end we were all happy with our pumpkins though and we can't wait to light them tonight for Halloween!

Just starting...

Owen was disgusted

Owen entertained himself by taking some crazy pictures

Another example

And another

Final result!

Ballet Day

Time for Ballet Day! Paige has been participating in these for years now and it's always a long day. This year the classes included Cecchetti, jazz, ballet, ballroom and hip hop. She also participated in a scholarship class but couldn't place because she won first place last year! By the end of the day she was exhausted and ready to go home and relax!

Ready to go!

Paige is the third kid in the closest row

Maeve, Paige and Olivia enjoying their ice cream sandwich reward!

 

On the Farm!

 

Even though we went to Patterson's the other week, we still had to go pick out some pumpkins to carve so we went to the same place we have gone for the past couple of years (2020, 2019), Red Wagon Farm. It's our favorite because we like to laugh at with Pat while he tries to carry all the pumpkins we've picked out. We tried the corn maze where Owen and Pat completed it on their own and Paige and I got very lost and only found 1 of the 4 checkpoints! After the corn maze we stood in line for the hayride. Paige was disappointed by the slow speed of the tractor and we were all creeped out by the crazy scarecrows set up in the forest. The kids stopped briefly in the playground and then we grabbed some cider before dropping Paige off at dance.

Picking the right pumpkins

5 pumpkins. Again!

Mid-hayride

Before starting

Smiling into the distance

I had to photoshop two pictures together to get one of them smiling:)

Pie Day!

Last year we had to do a virtual pie day so I was extra excited to get back to our regular tradition of a Patterson's trip and pie making with my family! Unfortunately, lots and lots of people had also decided to head to Patterson's that day and then it was raining/hailing so everyone was packed inside and near the entrance! We didn't get to linger and browse as much as I would have liked but we still got our fritters (not the best unfortunately) and a ton of apples.

We headed back and started making the pies and we had a lot more participants this year which was so fun! Almost everyone had some part of making the pies or chatted around the kitchen island while they were being made. Of course they were delicious and we were all stuffed by the time we left!

Pat and Owen with some (very hot!!) cider

Loaded up on baked goods and ready to head out!

Giant fritter with exactly one small chunk of apple

Zsaz took a turn turning/peeling/slicing apples!

Hanging out while making pies

Ready to eat!

 

Lately

A nap in the sun

There was a ladybug on the ceiling and it was entertaining for hours

Last game before the playoffs!

Working on balance at dance

I was lucky enough to have a cat climb in my lap!

Pizza bombs for dinner-They looked delicious but everyone thought they were too bready

 

Marathon!

I never thought I'd be writing a marathon post! I've thought about running one for years but then I'd do a half and think that it was plenty long enough. I decided to go for it this year though! For the training, I did 3 weekday runs and a long run every weekend. Pat biked alongside me every Saturday, which was so helpful and made the time pass much more quickly! The longest run was 20 miles so I was a little intimidated to add an extra 6.2 on race day but I decided to trust the training plan. 

The night before the race I attempted to go to bed at a decent time but was only able to get about 2 hours of sleep! It was terrible! But I still got up early so I could eat breakfast and we headed downtown for the 8am start. The weather was perfect, a little windy but not hot and clouds shielded the sun. The first 16 miles of the race were great and then I started feeling not so great and regretting my pace that I knew had been too fast. The last 6 or 8 miles was a mixture of walking, running and a little bit of vomiting. But...I finished! I finished just under 4.5 hours and I got 3rd in my age group (out of 5). My parents were there (they had run the 10k and did great!) and some friends surprised me at the finish line too. 

I don't know if I'll ever do another one but I do know what I want to change if I ever do-better crosstraining, weights, stretching, and better nutrition. 

I took some pictures while I was running

A lot of the trail was a mixture of fields and nature and also industrial scenes. This was both.

Finished!

I couldn't have gotten through all of those long training runs without Pat!

Surprise cheering section

The medal!

True representation of how I was feeling!

 

Wild Convention

Paige got to attend a one-day convention downtown last weekend. It was her second weekend in a row of conventions but at least a lot of friends would be joining her this time! She took classes in contemporary, leaps and turns, musical theater, jazz, lyrical, tap, and ballroom. Paige really liked all of the classes and the teachers were great. She got called up in ballroom class to show the combo to everyone and got a special ballroom award at the end of the day. She also won a scholarship for being noticed throughout the day by the teachers and for her performance of a jazz combo the kids performed in front of the judges at the end of the day. It was a great way to end the experience!

Ready for classes

All the studio kids

Paige doing handstands in between classes

Paige got a picture with the ballroom teacher, Manny

Paige and Maeve both won awards!

Senior, Teen and Junior class winners

 

Wedding

A friend's daughter got married over the weekend and it was an adult-only celebration so Pat and I got dressed up and drove an hour out. The wedding was outside and of course it made me cry. The reception was right behind the wedding location in a big white barn and the couple chose to have a cotton candy company come out to make personalized creations for everyone instead of having cake. It was such a fun idea! 

 

Beach

A week or two ago Paige asked to go to the beach with a friend. I thought it would be too cold to go in the water so we planned for the girls to just play in the sand and maybe get their feet wet. Of course they ended up completely soaked by the time we left but they said the water wasn't cold! I'm so glad we went, they had so much fun and it was a great way to end the weekend!