Liepolds, the way we like it

We've had a nice, long, fun, productive weekend. The kids didn't have school Friday, and Greg took the day off, so it felt like we got two Saturdays this weekend.  He took the older three kids to see Cars 2 this afternoon (love the Mt Hood movie passes). They were very excited to go, especially when they heard they would get to pick a movie treat beforehand. Grant and I are hanging out here at home. He's not at a good movie-watching age. :)

We had a couple soccer games on Saturday, and we did a bunch of yard work--moving dirt and rocks, laying bark dust, and just trying to get our backyard presentable and a little more usable. It looks a lot better, and if we can get some grass to grow, I think we'll be good to go for next spring/summer.
We went to the pumpkin patch Friday morning (the main reason Greg took the day off) to assure we would not have a repeat of last year's miserable experience. There were just a couple cars there when we arrived, and the crowds came as we were leaving--perfect timing. We had such a good time together as a family. I loved it! Good memories. We had one little mishap with Aubrey falling forward in the mud, but she somehow managed to keep her face out of it, and she recovered very quickly. Some friends (Paul and Karyn & kids) witnessed the whole thing without realizing at first that it was us--kinda funny. :)

We let the kids take turns choosing which direction we all should go in the corn maze, and they chose the right way almost every time, so it didn't take quite as long as in year's past. The creative juices (or perhaps funds) must have been running low this year because usually they have some cool theme like Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, Bob the Builder, or Star Wars. This year the theme was farming, specifically Liepold's farming--about the varieties of berries they grow, pests that threaten the crops, how the farm works. Hmmm...not quite as entertaining, more self-promoting really, but at least it was educational!





















Some favorites from our time there. The pumpkin photos are always some of my favorites. Love all that orange!

















Crazy to think that last year Grant was just a tiny newborn, hanging out in the baby carrier the whole time. This year he's running with the "big" kids, picking out his own pumpkin.