Fall Fun

A day at the zoo with my three littles was just what the doctor ordered!  We took everything in....we fed the giraffes, rode the carousel, rode the horses, saw the baby gorilla, ate DipNDots, and all the things.  We also made a quick run to G-Mom and G-Dad's house! It was a great day to be footloose and carefree with these three!

Colin and Kayla enjoyed a night out on the town for Kayla's high school homecoming dance.  

Chapman loves to go to school with all of her friends!  She had a special day visiting the pumpkin patch and riding on a hayride....mommy got to visit too!

 Steed's Dairy Farm is a fun Fall venue to attend.  I insisted we all go as a family for a family outing.  Everyone did go, everyone did have a good time but not all are pictured as much as others....at this point, the bigs are not always wanting their pics taken and the littles are ninety miles a minute so I get what I can take!  We loved seeing the baby goat, we loved our adventure through the corn maze although I am pretty sure we didn't exactly complete it as one should have, the zipline was good fun for the littles, football throwing was good for the boys, and a wide open field for tumbling was great for MK.  Something for everyone!  

Seabrook Island Fall 2018

October 19 marked a solid two months that we Drafts have officially stayed home....this, my friends, is quite unordinary.  We are usually on the go, out of town kind of folks but due to sports and ballet, our family has been laying low on the weekends.  However, on October 19, we all piled into our van and headed south to Charleston, SC for a football game for P.  And then, came Seabrook.  We were all so excited!  We arrived late that night, wide-awake with lots of exploring to do.....our house that we have grown together in for 25 years has recently been remodeled and we all took in all of the new decor and architectural changes.  It is so nice! We managed to sleep a bit and woke to a beautiful day on the beach!  Clear skies, sunny and 80+ degrees.  Did I mention it was October?!?  We rode bikes, played football, walked on the sandbar, collected shells, saved (or harmed) two hermit crabs, got our toes a bit wet and just really enjoyed being together.  At the end of the day, I told Ryan that we really have to be more intentional about weekend getaways, even if it involves only one or two nights....our weekend was such a breath of fresh air.  That afternoon, we made our way to the island market to shop for a bit and have some ice cream....and then back home for movies and football.  Sunday was a great day to wake up late and welcome in cooler temps!  We went on our famous "alligator hunt" via bikes and then it was time to pack up to begin our journey home.  Our first stop along the way was California Dreaming....it's a favorite spot of ours for dining in Charleston, nestled right on the water, great food (and we all noted that Maryn ordered "chicken on the bone" for her meal....she loves to clean a good chicken from the bone!) and a view of the harbor boats coming and going.  Next, we did a quick jaunt through the outlet stores and, finally, we stopped in to say hello to G-Mom and G-Dad.  It was the best to just be together as a family, no true schedule and everyone was (mostly) happy!

Christmas Lists

It's that time of year again, the time where I asked my children to make a list of items they may want or need for Christmas.
The boys just kind of tell me as we go but the girls, thankfully, take this job serious.
MK is very thorough and includes websites that I can purchase her items from....and she makes her list with the title of Birthday and Christmas Ideas.  Organized she is not all of the time BUT she has this list thing down pat.
Maddox.  Oh, sweet Maddox.  Her list begins with high heals and ends with a tight rope, not to overlook the other wants such as the motorcycle and the make-up.
Maryn.  Insistent, does not always hear what one says, Maryn.  She is six.  We have told her multiple times that she is too young for an electric scooter yet she STILL insists that is what she wants for Christmas.  And, she would prefer a car - a real car but with smaller seats, two seats - one for her and one for Chapman - and while we are purchasing these items, she is also asking for a new pet.
Thankfully, Chapman is still too young but it will be amazing to see what she asks for in the years to come!

Many moons ago, we lived just outside of Boston, MA.  During our stay there, we purchased a snow shovel.  Well, that snow shovel continues to serve us well in the south.  Its latest use was moving mulch from our driveway to the various parts of the yard in need.  

Our sweet friend, Daisy, continues to visit each month and receive treatment for brain cancer.  She is staying strong and we are blessed for knowing her and being a part of her journey.  I am thankful Maddox can provide her a bit of normalcy as they play together each visit.  There are a lot of laughs between these two!

Chapman had school pictures and I had to snap my own as we were going in.  She is just so cute and loves going to school to play with her friends.

 Pryce and some of his football teammates joined together at a local church for breakfast and a sermon by the former head coach at Alabama. 

 Sitting at dinner one evening, I noticed Maryn's hair looked a bit odd.  At first I thought it was the lighting but the more I looked, I just couldn't be sure.  I asked her if she had cut her hair and she didn't hesitate in denying her involvement.  Normally, if Maryn is guilty in a situation, she will not deny or admit anything.  Instead, she will just stare at us with her big, brown eyes....and she is good at this, she doesn't give in.  But on this night, she immediately said no.  I kept looking at it from across the table and finally asked her to come to me.....yep, she had cut her hair!  

 Chapman adores our Fall decor.

 We kicked off Fall by going to see a local production of Charlotte's Web.  It was a fabulous production and included some of our favorite people!

 Chapman loved the geese!

 And we were all thrilled to see Mrs. Duncan for her debut stage performance!  

Fall Break consisted of one full day with 5 children home, one day home with 4 children home, one day with 2 children home, a hurricane in the midst, and two days with 3 children home.  So, six children, 5 schools, 4 different Fall break calendars....I love this yet to outsiders, it looks a bit crazy. 

 All that led us to enjoy some time with friends, explore the canal to find treasures, bike rides, painting time with sisters, Scrabble with my big guy, studying for P, baking her first ever cake for MK, swimming and more swimming because in October it is still 85+ degrees on any given day, going to movies, and most importantly, taking naps!  A week of just time together and it was perfect in every way!  

Also kicking off Fall, school spirit week for Maddox and Maryn!  Their school will send pics throughout the day and I was so excited to receive this one of Maddox and her BFFL, Brooklyn, dressed as twins!

Fall is off to a fabulous start!