hay pickin' at the pumpkin patch

It was a pretty morning on Friday, so we all loaded up and headed for "Circle S Farms" in Grove City, OH. After all, what better way for the kids to experience the fall season than a trip to a pumpkin patch and a hayride? To allow more time at the farm, we decided to grab lunch and do a picnic there. We made a McDonald's run (side-note: we only do McD's on "special" occasions) and headed out for fun. On our way, it started sprinkling. No problem...we were committed, and there was no turning back. We opted to do the hayride first in case it started raining harder. It was lots of fun driving through pumpkin-filled fields, and the kids were even satisfied staying on the tractor just looking at the pumpkins. We were thankful for that since we didn't want them to get filthy. Where would we put 13 pumpkins anyways?

Well, we made it through the hayride...a little damp from the drizzle, but still clean and happy. The plan was to go through the corn maze next, but the kids spotted the hay barn where the tractor dropped us off. It was filled with stacks of hay they could climb and jump on, and the ground was covered with loose hay that came up to their knees. There were also big slides inside, so how could we refuse? Since it was under a roof, the hay was dry...the kids however, were not. They ran, jumped, slid, and rolled in the hay. We had a blast! After about 30 minutes of pure hay inhalation, we lined the kids up and assessed the damage...remember that whole idea of not getting filthy? Not a chance...there was hay everywhere! We brushed off what we could and headed for the the next thing. By this time, the rain was coming down a little harder, so all the hay that was left on us (which was a lot) was now stuck for sure!

Needless to say, we didn't do the corn maze. Instead, we headed for the food tent and enjoyed homemade doughnuts and apple juice. We spent the rest of our time there, picking hay off of everyone. So, we didn't pick even one pumpkin on our trip to the pumpkin patch, but have you ever tried to pick hay out of little Ugandan fros? That was hours of fun!
Click to here to see more pix!

Busy, busy, busy!!

We have had a great month so far, and it is really flying by! My goal to update weekly...well, it's been over 2 weeks and a lot has happened. We got our new chaperone, "Auntie Jennifer." Boy are we glad she's here! She came to us all the way from Scottsdale, AZ. Needless to say, we will be taking her shopping for some warmer clothes very soon!

In the last few weeks, we have been in Virginia, West Virginia, South Carolina, Indiana, and Illinois. I am writing from Michigan, and we are headed to Ohio in the morning. God has been working through us and in us. Some of the highlights have been the E-Women's Conference in Rockford, IL, and singing live on "The Harvest Show." We celebrated Auntie Ashley's birthday too. 

We also had our first "staff outing," and spent last Monday in Chicago. It was lots of fun getting to know each other better, and it is so nice to finally have our full staff...and we actually had time to take some pictures of our group!

First Fraps!

The kids sang at their first college today, Anderson University in South Carolina. The students loved the kids and responded well to the program. Of course they introduced them to the best place on campus...the coffee shop! Everyone had their own "javalanche." It was a great experience for everyone! We also celebrated Ericka's 10th birthday today...fun, fun!