Halloween Fun!!!

October is a month full of fun fall/Halloween stuff to do.

First was Ashlyn's Halloween parade/party at preschool:

She's my beautiful little Snow White.

The following day was the parade/parties at the Elementary school:

Morgan was a cowgirl!

Duncan was Jangofet.

So was Ronan.

The day before Halloween we went back to Larriland Farm (our favorite place to be during the month of October) with Aunt Missy in celebration of her & Ronan's birthday's!

Handsome Ronan in the straw maze.

Morgan's looking for Brian who was chasing them!

Ronan & Ashlyn hiding from Brian in a tunnel in the maze.
(with little friend Cole about to join them)

Hayden, Duncan, & Madelyn in the maze.

Then I took a turn to go through the maze with Brian coming after me.

We kept peeking up at different times.

I thought I was going to make it out, but ended up at a dead end!

That's ok, I don't mind if he gets me!

(Stephanie), Aunt Missy, & Morgan watching the maze craziness.

Madelyn hanging out.

The Mahaffey clan!

After the maze we went on a hay ride.

My crazy 6 year old!

Morgan & Ashlyn burying themselves in straw.
We had the whole wagon to ourselves, it was nice.

Madelyn just relaxed with Brian on the ride.

Three little pigs.
Morgan, Madelyn, & Missy

Here's what our 'spooky' front yard looks like in October.

Ghost hanging about.

We made these a few years back, and they are always a hit every time!
SO easy to make. I took an old sheet, and a bag of assorted sized foam balls from Michael's, and poof-a bunch of ghosts!

We also have 8 'scarecrow men' (one fore each person in our family) stuck throughout the yard.

And of course, pumpkins and hay!

Not everyone carved a pumpkin this year.

Duncan & Morgan had a blast doing it though!

Ashlyn & her tiny pumpkin.

Duncan's pumpkin.

Morgan's pumpkin.

Happy Halloween!
Happy Fall!
Happy October!

A DECADE OLD!

Yesterday was my Ronan's 10th birthday!

He was so proud to announce that he's been on this earth for a whole decade now!

Double Digits!

Webelos!

So many things to be excited about being 10!

Ronan is so full of life and excitement.

He brings fun and craziness to our home.

He is the smartest 10 year old boy I've known (I don't admit that too often, as his brother gets upset).

He LOVES math, and is a whiz at it!

I saved an assignment from 1st grade when his teacher told me that in all her years of teaching she's never seen a 1st grader give such complex answers. The task was to write a math fact that equaled 11.

The answers she usually got were:

10+1=11; 7+4=11; 5+6=11 and such.

This was Ronan's:

1,000 - 992 + 3 = 11

Ronan has a big heart, and truly hurts when someone else is hurting.

Ronan LOVES animals, and hopes to work as an animal scientist some day.

I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my Ronan!

We had a day of birthday celebrations.

Specially cooked breakfast of 'Fluffy pancakes', as he calls them and sausage.

I picked him up from school and took him out to lunch at his favorite restaurant of all time-Golden Corral.

For dinner Aunt Missy came and joined us for yummy ribs and cake and ice cream!

Ronan requested his very own 'heart shaped' cake that he could decorate himself.

So I cooked one for him (a much smaller version), and one for the rest of us.

He decorated his cake, then cut it into 4 pieces, 1 for tonight, and 1 in his lunch the next 3 days!

He made his wish-I hope it comes true!

We also played the 'money game' and opened gifts.

Great birthday celebrations for a GREAT boy!

I love you Ronan!

I can't believe a decade has passed already!

The drive home...

Everyday the past week or so as I drive to and from the school to drop off/pick up the kids I just LOVE looking at the beautiful fall colors that are in their full splendor! It was supposed to rain the next day, and so I decided I'd better grab some shots today in case the are gone soon.

So, I threw my camera in the car, and kept pulling over to snap a few here and there.

It was a very overcast day, and I wish I would of done this when the sun was out-like YESTERDAY, but oh well-I still had to get what I could!

When we got home, I had the kids jump out of the van and go sit under the tree that's right by our mailbox (all but Ashlyn-she fell asleep on the way home, and it was NOT worth the crankiness that would of come from waking her up!).

This tree just looked like it was on fire!

Madelyn wasn't too happy about sitting by herself here!

Duncan wanted to be buried in leaves!

Ronan just enjoyed looking up at the leaves dancing in the wind.

Morgan didn't want to 'lay' in them.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE fall on the east coast!

My favorite time of year!

And, it rained today, but the leaves are still there!

Maybe a chance for more pictures.....

Afternoon walk....

This weekend we took a walk in the late afternoon....it was perfect.

Spent some time by the river tossing rocks in.

My handsome Duncan.

Silly Hayden.

This is the "O.K., I LOOKED at the camera-NOW am I done?!" look!

Ashlyn checking out the flowers.

We carried on the path, and came across

train tracks!

And a tunnel.. 

Everyone wanted to go in the tunnel, but the cautious mother in me said "NO! You can't even see light at the other end! You have no idea how long it is, and what if a train were to come?!"

My husband pointed out several things:

1. Didn't I go through tunnels as a child?

2. It was a single track, with plenty of room on either side in case a train came through.

3. It's an adventure.

4. It would be SO FUN to go through.

5. How many times as a child did I go through tunnels?

6. It would be better to go through than hike up the path that went right over the tunnel (where the kids could possibly fall off).

7. We'll have a 'drill' to practice what to do if a train came.

8. Hadn't I done the same thing as a kid?

So, through the tunnel we went.

And miraculously out we came!

Madelyn

We walked back a new way, and the kids found some rocks to climb on:

Quick! Hold STILL for a picture!

6 out of 7 looking is pretty darn good!

This is the "I can't believe my father just put me down!" cry!

She's such a daddy's girl!

Oh look, and proof that I was there too!

Duncan & I playing 'see-saw' on a log.

I could of totally sent him flying if I wanted to.

But what kind of mother does that?

I just thought about it!