Afternoon at the Pumpkin Patch

One of our favorite things about Fall is our trip to the Pumpkin Patch. Years ago, we found a farm we love, and they get our business every year. The first stop is usually these giant farm animals which apparently beg to be climbed on...

Alyssa taming the wild rooster

Courtney on a rather depressed-looking pig

Family fun on a horse

Posing in the pumpkin patch
(Jason was still on vacation, so he got to join us for the first time this year.)

Courtney was really excited about this tiny pumpkin

Court and Jason checking out the combine

Jason possibly rethinking his career path?

The highlight is definitely the cool slides at the playground area

Everyone (including Dad) heading up the ramp

Jason's first trip down was a little more painful than expected

Love this daddy-daughter shot

At first, the kids went down by themselves. That was only fun for so long, though, and then it turned crazy as they started going down together...

...and chasing each other down the slides.

We take this picture every year, and every year, it gets harder to cram them in.

And it's even harder for two adults...

I call this one "quiet repose." Actually, you might be able to see the corner of a DSi sticking out of his hand. This is really "teenager was ready to go before everyone else."

Had to throw this one in (especially since I was teased for taking this picture). But really, when do you ever see a goat like this? Officially, it was called the "goat walk." The goats could go up a ramp from the pasture, cross the bridge, then descend the winding stairs on the other side where people could feed them.

Until next year...

An A-maze-ing Afternoon

The kids were out of school Friday, so we decided to do something fun and try our luck at a local corn field maze. (Jason and I had never done one before, so this was a new experience for everyone.)

Alyssa and Dad sporting our flag. Each group that enters the maze has to carry a flag. If you get lost or need a clue, you can wave your flag in the air as a distress signal, and one of the spotters comes to your rescue. (They also have a no-running rule in the maze, so apparently, the flags also let them know if groups are ignoring that rule when they suddenly see a flag moving a little too fast. And then comes the public scolding over the PA system.)

There were 12 mailboxes positioned thruout the maze. Each mailbox had a different piece to the puzzle along with scotch tape to stick it on your map.

As you collect more pieces, you fill in the map of the maze. The more pieces you collect, the better you can navigate your way thru the maze.

It was completely confusing. Especially in the very beginning (with no pieces of the map), we just blindly followed pathways and hit lots of dead ends. (And considering the maze covered seven acres, there were a lot of dead ends...) Jordan (with his knack for puzzles and all things spatial) quickly emerged as the one who could make sense of the confusion. His mom, on the other hand, pretty much remained disoriented the whole time and mainly just followed along taking pictures.

The color of the ribbon along the path changed colors depending on what part of the maze you were in. That helped a little, but we often found ourselves suddenly in a new color when we didn't want to be or trying to get to a different color but unable to find the right path to get us there.

Courtney's favorite part quickly became the water stations. Her enthusiasm for the maze waned early on, and she was more excited about finding water than she was the mailboxes.

We finished in 1 hour, 57 minutes. (They time stamp you at the beginning and end.) Looking at the completed map, it's surprising we found our way out at all. Even then, we hadn't actually found the last three map pieces; we just happened to take the right turn that led us to the exit!

Here we are exiting the maze on "Victory Bridge." Not the best picture with everyone squinting in the sun, but it was a happy moment nonetheless.

Back to School

Once again, the summer flew by way too fast...

Courtney the 3rd grader

Alyssa the 5th grader

(last year of elementary school!)

And Jordan the 8th grader
(last year of middle school!)

The girls were excited about the first day. Jordan...not so much. (Okay, not at all.) Mom had mixed feelings but did enjoy breakfast at Panera with friends. =)

Guess What Alyssa Got?

Braces!!

(And yes, she picked green ones.)

She had the choice to get them right before school started or two weeks later. She decided she'd rather have them on for the first day of school. We think she looks super cute, and so far, the only downside is having to give up Laffy Taffy and Starburst for two years.

Fun at Ikea

I've decided Ikea has a little something for everyone: Fun things to buy...cheap snacks if you're hungry...even things to occupy your teenager...

...especially if he's in the mood to take silly pictures with his DSi...

...and has a good eye for the photo op.

I actually had to be the one to say "let's go." They weren't ready to leave.

Life's Better at the Beach

We always look forward to June for two reasons: 1) the school year finally ends, and 2) we get to spend a week at the beach with Jason's family. It's something we look forward to all year, and we are never disappointed.

After the last van load of cousins has arrived, we take a break from unpacking and run (literally) over to the beach to check things out. We always tell the kids not to get completely soaked since they're not in swimsuits yet.

Not sure why we bother since they all end up drenched either way. (And yes, this is my child.)

The next day we hit the beach en masse, and the fun really begins. The Mattingley boogie board collection continues to grow as more and more of the kids take to the waves. Here are Diego, Alyssa, and Corinne riding in together.

Jason with Courtney...waiting for the next wave

Tyler and Jordan with a plan...

...and later enjoying their sand couch with Alyssa and Corinne.

We also spend hours in the backyard pool. Here's a shot from one of the many pool baseball games. The kids use their hands to hit splash balls thrown by one of the dads. After they get a hit, they jump in and swim to designated bases around the pool. And it's always the entire group of kids against one or two dads. Some might call that unfair. The kids say it's all part of the fun.

Here's Alyssa performing in one of the many water contests of the week.

Anthony, Julia, and Courtney enjoying a ride on the giant alligator (which earned high honors as the best pool toy of the trip)

Baby Autumn looking glamorous pool side

Alyssa and Jordan enjoying the pool

Corinne, Diego, and Alyssa playing Toss Up outside on one of the decks

(This was their favorite place to eat dinner, too.)

Jordan and Tyler launching water balloons from the top deck down onto the people swimming in the pool

And here they are finally using their powers for good - trying to make ice cream. Everyone had fun tossing around the bags, but in the end, it was just too hot outside for the ice cream to freeze.

Question: What draws a crowd at the beach?

Answer: A stingray!

(It was dead but still pretty cool. And definitely the only way I'd ever touch one.)

Had to throw this one in. Here's me and what my sister-in-law calls my "trusty steed." This was about the extent of my pool fun this year. I had to keep my hand bagged (so it would stay dry) and elevated/iced (to keep the swelling down). Party on.

One of the best things about the beach is definitely cousin time. Here are Courtney and Julia hysterical about who knows what. It doesn't take much with those two.

The 16 little Mattingley beach bums

Rewind to June

So I've been a little negligent when it comes to blogging lately, and I'm pretty far behind, especially considering how busy the summer has been. And despite the temptation to do otherwise, I've vowed to catch up and get these memories posted. Truth be told, my scrapbooking fell by the wayside years ago, so sadly, this blog is now the main way we look back on our adventures. (Well, besides simply clicking thru endless pics on the computer...) So on that note, we'll jump back to June...

The music teacher at the girls' elementary school has the musical programs for the year assigned to specific grade levels, and it's the same year after year. (Some are more exciting than others.) Luckily for Alyssa, 4th grade means learning to play the recorder, and it's one the kids really look forward to - almost like a rite of passage. =)

(I should probably note that her concert was really in April, but I realized I forgot to blog it and threw it in here now.)

Then they put away their recorders and sang a few songs. (And no, Alyssa wasn't the only girl there, but she did somehow end up surrounded by boys.) =)

Here's Courtney singing at her concert. (This one really was in June.) Their school has a big International Night every year, and the 2nd graders are the designated entertainers. Despite Courtney's happy face, this would be one of the performances the kids don't get quite as excited about.

Note the attentive brother in the audience

Also that week was Jordan's final orchestra concert. And not just final because it was the end of the year - final because Jordan is switching to a different elective next year. It was a good two-year run, but violin just wasn't something he really loved. His heart belongs to the electric guitar.

The last week of school brought final awards ceremonies. Courtney received a special award for being the top reader for 2nd grade.

Then came Alyssa's award ceremony an hour later, and she received the award for being the top 4th grade reader! What a day!