Fall Traditions

Autumn is the best. No doubt about it. I love the cooler weather, the traditions, and the delicious food. We went to Schwallier's Country Basket for the fourth year in a row. It just keeps getting better. The kids love petting the animals, the slide is as slippery as ever, and the kids can never get enough of the cider and donuts. We got both apples and pumpkins from Schwallier's this year. I love the pop of color the pumpkins add to the front porch alongside the bright yellow mums.

This year Andrew was a bit wary of the animals. He walked right into the goat pen but then proceeded to yell, "No thank you!" to the animals. Paul helped him overcome his fears to pet the bunnies and feed the goats. Vince and Kate especially loved the hay bales. Vince was brave enough to jump down two tiers in one go! Kate said her favorite part was choosing pumpkins. She walked all over the patch searching for the right one. Now it's time to enjoy the "fruits" of our labor.

John Ball Zoo

It's no secret that I'm a thrifty lady. I like to save my pennies but that doesn't mean I want to miss out on all the fun. Grand Rapids has been so good to me on this account. We can always find subsidized activities through the Fredrick Meijer family, the DeVos family, Amway, and more. This Summer we hit the jackpot with kids day at the John Ball Zoo.

I felt like a total champ taking the kids out on my own. I rely heavily on Paul but I'm in this sweet stage where the kids are pretty responsible and Andrew only has one nap a day. So I braved the city on my own and it was a great adventure. The kids were a bit spooked by the howler monkeys, they got a great view of the Tiger's walking around their enclosure, the playground was a total hit, and we enjoyed lots of complimentary snacks and prizes throughout the zoo. I was prepared for a total let down since I'm accustomed to the Toledo Zoo... but I've come to find out that a zoo is a zoo and it's just fun to be outside and see animals with the people I love the most.

Thanksgiving in SC

As a general rule I prefer to celebrate holidays in the comfort of my own home, but if you offer a beach house on Hilton Head Island, you know I'm going to say heck yes! My Uncle is a very generous man and he let us use his beach house for a Thanksgiving family reunion. We had almost 40 people under one roof and it was amazing! We had a slight scare that we wouldn't be able to make it because Paul waiting a little too long to ask for vacation. Thankfully, his boss is a boss and gave him the time off.

We took 3 days to drive down. Yuck. So many days in the car! The payoff was swimming at the hotel and helping my parents pack up all of the delicious food. When we finally got there we enjoyed a week of bliss. Paul works so hard every week and it was a dream to wake up with him next to me each morning (so I could kick him out of bed to take care of the early riser).

Throughout the week we enjoyed lots of swimming, playing at various parks, going for bike rides (except for that one time that the pedal broke off while I was riding, leaving me in a heap on a poor defenseless bush), walking on the beach, finding starfish, throwing a carnival for the grand kids, playing lots of games, singing, and even squeezing in a few games of golf. Phew! It was lovely. And I could definitely get used to waking up to an oceanfront view.

I love my family. People are usually slack jawed when I tell them I'm the youngest of seven. While it seems crazy to others, it's totally normal for me. Being surrounded by family is what I love most. It was heaven to walk outside of my room and be surrounded by my favorite people. There's a whole different level of closeness you get when you live with people for a week versus visiting for a few hours. I'm grateful for all the time we were able to spend together for Thanksgiving week.