This is Halloween

This year, we got our pumpkins from Eliada Children's Home.  There were fun things to do and the money goes towards the home, so it was a win-win.

Owen and Zach shooting corn husks

Cargo spider web? Yes, please!

Which way to the corn maze, Caelum?

The Ashtons brave the corn maze.

This is why we don't do posed pictures often.

More tractor rides!  This time with a cow theme.

Enjoying a few quiet minutes while the boys ride the tractor.

A giant corn kernel box? We got that!

Kernels were appearing in our house throughout the rest of the night.

Owen sliding

Caelum diving headfirst

Rody!

Found his pumpkin

 I took the kids to an Asheville homeschool co-op Halloween party.  Caelum loved the catapult game they had there, and both boys enjoyed the bounce house. Owen had made his own fireman mask to wear, but both kids ended up ditching their whole costumes so they could jump.  Please note the adorable addition of a dalmatian dog.

Adorable!

Carving pumpkins is a tradition of which the Mannings had always taken part.  Zach hadn't ever carved one until we were in college, at which point he succumbed to my bad influence and participated in this satanic holiday.  Anything to woo a woman, right?  Then, when we were first married, it was a fun thing to do together as newlyweds and then as new parents.  Now Zach gets to clean and carve two pumpkins while I take care of a baby!  Oh how the tides have turned.

Zach and Caelum working on a pumpkin design

 

The finished products.  Owen wanted a sad face and Caelum wanted a funny face.

Getting ready to trick or treat

Caelum trudging up our neighbor's driveway

We went to the first two houses without realizing Caelum didn't have shoes on.

Trick or treating was a great way to meet a bunch of our neighbors.  And get free candy, of course.

Apple Tree

With Christmas approaching so very rapidly, I feel compelled to write a few more fall-related posts, as quickly and as heavily picture-laden as possible. 

We had our first North Carolina (and Zach's very first??) apple picking experience.  We drove to Skytop Orchard and made a morning of it, as the place also had playgrounds, farm animals, and tractor rides.  Also, the very best donuts ever.  Oh yeah, and we picked apples. 

Champion

What a beautiful flower

Looking serious about apple picking

Goats!

So excited about sheep

My boys and a sheep

Bamboo Forest

"Stay on Path" never applies to Caelum, apparently

You'd never know there was a baby with us

The first apple

Owen, very cautiously, picking apples

For comparison

Caelum excited about apples, which he should be since he is the only person (besides me) who will actually eat them

Taking a break

On the tractor ride holding the coveted donuts

It was quite a fun day.  Since I had more apples than Caelum and I could eat, I made some homemade apple sauce and gave some of the other apples away.  Here's hoping apple picking will be a new tradition!

Upward Over the Mountain

When Esmé was about five weeks old, before all the leaves had changed or fallen, one of my fellow homeschooling mamas organized a hike up Bearwallow Mountain.  There were three moms there, with twelve kids between us.  At first I wasn't sure I could handle my newborn and two big boys on a hike without Zach there, then the mom of six (age 9 and under) showed up and made me feel like a wuss.  It was a fun and beautiful hike.  Here are some pictures:

A long line of little hikers

Posing

Caelum scaling a boulder.

Owen made it up this rock on his own!

Most of the group

At the top of the mountain, there was a big open field.

And a great view

So thankful that Zach works hard, so we can do this on a Thursday!

Caelum pretending to be a mountain lion

Esmé's first hike

Owen ran ahead with the bigger kids, and waited for the rest of us at the end of the trail.  He's so old!