October-ventures

Hey, remember last October when I was like totally "Mom of the Year" and took my kids on fabulous fall adventures like every weekend in October???  Well, just pretend we did all that stuff this year, too.

I mean, seriously.  October just came and went.  I didn't put my fall harvest scene, complete with scarecrows, in the front yard.  I didn't make either of the boys costumes this year.  We did zero baking with pumpkin spices.  And we didn't even take the boys to the pumpkin patch this year!  We got our pumpkin at Wal-Mart.  (I have failed as a mother.)  Our annual tradition of heading to the pumpkin patch on a beautiful, crisp, fall afternoon so that each of us could select our own, appropriately sized pumpkin did not happen.  I was kinda crushed.  But, lucky for us, there's always next year!

Although we were a bit too busy top the October adventures we had last year, we did still have a blast in October spending time doing fall-y things, taking a much-needed trip to the beach, and spending lots of time with the fabulous fam.

Jus and I actually took a date night the first week of October.  ON A SCHOOL NIGHT!!

We went to Cheekwood on teacher appreciation night (free admission, WOOT!) to see the amazing Bruce Monroe LIGHT exhibit.  It was gorgeous.  The pictures just don't do it justice.

And the scarecrow exhibit was going on, too, and I ran into my faves Jack & Sally!

 After we got back from the beach, we didn't have any groceries of course.  So we took the boys to their first breakfast at Waffle House.  I don't know why Chandler is 6 and hasn't had this right of passage yet.

 Afterward we went to the zoo to check out the new animals since we hadn't been in a while.

 We checked out our old friends the zebras, ostrich, and the bongo, 

 Hung out with the lorikeets for a bit,

And then went to check out the new kangaroos.  They did zero hopping while we were there.  In fact, out of the 17 that I counted, they were all just layin' around.  This one didn't seem to mind us interrupting his slumber.  Lazy bones.

 Later that week, Nana and I took the boys on a picnic to Centennial Park.  We ate, fed the ducks,

climbed the hill to the Parthenon (that's my two rotten kids standing on the edge up there)

and then just spent a while climbing all over the Parthenon and through the park.

Chan & I (and Aunt Carly) took a date to Snow White Drive-In one night for dinner, then headed over to the Capital Theater to see BeetleJuice.  Fun times were had by all.

 We went over to Nama & Ben's one night to check out their new boat.

Celebrated Baba's birthday!

And took the boys to Ghouls at Grassmere (another annual tradition that we just couldn't miss!)

Last weekend we drove down to Atlanta for Justin's Uncle Shawn's surprise 40th birthday party.  (BTW, can you believe he is 40?  I for real need his anti-aging secret.)

 We had a great night spending time with family that we don't get to see too often

 and Chan and cousin Kaia played forever outside before heading in to watch Doc McStuffins.

We carved our jack-o-lantern with buddy Chezney and other friends at Growth Group on Tuesday to prepare for Thursday's trick-or-treating.  Buuuuut, trick-or-treating was postponed to Friday, November 1 due to severe weather in our little part of the world.

 So we just pretended that yesterday was Halloween.

I was the wretchedly wonderful Cruella DeVille this year.  And Liam was Spot.

 Chan was a "Skull Lord Ninja".  He didn't want me to make his costume this year (tear..)

 As usual, Justin made the house super creepy.  Mitch and Trevor came over to scare the daylights out of the poor children in the neighborhood.

 While Grandma, Aunt Carly, and Cruella took the boys trick-or-treating.

 We had super fun, even if it was November 1st.

And after our jam-packed day, these boys were spent.

So, even though we didn't get to do all of our usual fall and Halloween adventures, we still had a great month.  But, next year, I am totally not getting my pumpkin at Wal-Mart.

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."

~L.M. Montgomery~

(from Anne of Green Gables)

Till next time friends!

Brittany :)