…I’ve completely forgotten about updating this blog, isn’t it? Well, let me tell ya… ok, I have no “real” excuse except there are a whole lot of things to do that are more fun than sitting in front of a computer lately and I know many of you with kids can understand. I mean, there’s been Octoberfest, pumpkin patches, Halloween, the Alamo, Thanksgiving, hotdogs on sticks over a firepit in the backyard, football season, Christmas decorations, and trip-to-Hawaii planning… We are a busy family these days and aside from all the “events”, it’s the simple family time and playtime that keeps us happily busy.
Ft. Leonard Wood had a great Octoberfest complete with authentic bratwurst, knockwurst, beer, and an oompah band. We had a lot of fun with the boys who loved exploring a little of their German heritage by dancing around and generally acting silly, a favorite pass-time these days.
Side Note: The food was so good at Octoberfest! In fact, there is a German deli in town called Paradise Deli that has unbelievably good wurst… knockwursts as big around as my forearm. (and I’m not exaggerating) Believe it or not there is another German restaurant in town called The Hub that has the best, most authentic German gasthaus food I have ever had outside of Germany (and I’m still not exaggerating) Who knew, here in the middle of absolutely nowhere, of all places…
Anyway, not too far from us is a cute little pumpkin patch where the boys got a nice ride on a “cow train” before picking out their jack-o-lantern pumpkins. They liked feeding the goats and were scared of the pigs, but they played in the corn bin and generally had a great time.
“Where’d that silly pumpkin go???”
Tanner and Tucker were cute “scary” little skeletons for Halloween. They had more fun actually passing out candy to all the kids in the neighborhood than eating any of it.
As far as historical landmarks go, the boys’ favorite (and their only so far) is the Alamo in San Antonio, TX. We spent a week there (in San Antonio, not the Alamo, hehe) with Julie as she attended a military Physician Assistant conference. Go ahead, ask Tanner where the Alamo is…
“Alamo?? Did somebody say ice cream???”
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Julie’s Mom & Dad came to visit us for Thanksgiving and we had a wonderful time. Julie’s turkey was cooked to perfection and aside from the sweet potatoes (I’m not a big fan of brown-sugar-marshmallow-smothered orange goop) , everything was set for a day of reflecting on all the things we have to be thankful for. I thank God for all the blessings in my life.
Grandpa & Grandma helped us break in our fire pit with some hot dogs and s’mores in the backyard too. Flaming marshmallow anyone?
“Hot dog!?” “Yaaaay!”
We were sad when Grandma & Grandpa headed home to Ohio, but our thoughts soon turned to planning our trip to Hawaii for Christmas this year. Yep, we are officially clinically nuts! We will be taking the boys on a 14 hour trip (after a 4 1/2 hour drive to Kansas City) to Hawaii. And despite how that my sound to anyone who has travelled with kids under 2, we are looking forward to it very much… being there, not getting there, that is.
Oh, but before that our attention is focused on an epic Christmas light decoration contest with our neighbors across the street. It won’t be so bad that we could stand in front of the electric meter and feel the breeze from the spinning dial… but close.
And the winner is…
I guess we should light ‘em up first!
Well, I got Julie hooked on Facebook, so look her (and me too) up there.
For now, it’s time to say “byebye!” Merry Christmas everyone, I’ll post more here next year…
“Where’d everybody go!?”
