Happy Halloween!

 And... it's already Halloween time again!   With Ramsey's pneumonia this last week, we weren't sure if he'd even be able to go Trick or Treating.  But, he was better.  And, the weather was so beautiful that we couldn't imagine just staying home.

Ramsey wanted to dress up as "Jedi Master Luke Skywalker", as he was portrayed in the last episode of Season II Mandalorian (where he "rescued" Grogu/"Baby Yoda").   Of course, he already had everything he needed to play the part; Luke's green light saber, a Baby Yoda doll, the cloak, black clothing.  We were set!

Because he HAD been sick, we did not go to our FAVORITE Trunk or Treat event (at a large church on the outskirts of town) - they had a ton of games and bouncy castles.   Bouncy castles are like crack to Ramsey - once he's on/inside, it takes an act of congress to get him out.   We figured if he started bouncing, he'd start coughing.  And, if he started coughing... well.. Ugh.   NEXT YEAR, we will be back to that festivity!!

In the meantime, we went to our second favorite Trunk or Treat event at another local church.  (Our church didn't have a Trunk or Treat this year - hmm.)   

They had some really creative and fun trunks.   Some had games.  This one had a "pin the bowtie on the skeleton".

Before we took this picture, we went through the gymnasium, where they had a "spooky forest" set up.  It was fun - there were people creeping up behind you, scary noises, and a fun maze.  

We did check out one other small event at a local detailing shop.  They had a free-will offering (proceeds to the Humane Society) with a "spooky picture" backdrop.  We're all about helping the Humane Society, so we dropped in.

Sick Little Boy & Last Campfire of 2021

 Well... after we made our cinnamon rolls, Ramsey started feeling ill.   He stayed home from school on Monday... and again on Tuesday.  On Wednesday, we took him in (I suspected he had pneumonia) to see the pediatrician.  Confirmed... the kid has pneumonia.  *sigh*    So... he stayed home the rest of the week, taking antibiotics and nebulizer treatments.

By Friday, he was feeling better.  The weather was gorgeous, so we decided we all needed to GET OUT OF THE HOUSE for a bit.  

Eric started a campfire and we broke out the ingredients for s'mores.  Ramsey even tried a "real s'more" with a marshmallow on it (weird, I know!!! ha!).  He still didn't approve of everything "all mushed together", so he had a chocolate and graham cracker and a separate marshmallow.  

And, the sunsets just keep getting better and better; they're absolutely glorious.  God is good! 

Begging for Cinnamon Rolls

I'm not sure what brought about the request, but Ramsey had been begging for a week or two for us to make cinnamon rolls.   Because of all the keto and low-sugar diets in the house, I'm not supposed to make them.  EVER.  So, I hadn't made any for a few years.  But, I told Ramsey we would do this... after church.

So... here's Ramsey looking all handsome in his church gear.  

And... here he is helping Momma in the kitchen, making a sweet enriched dough for the swirly cinnamon rolls.

He so badly wanted to try some dough and "lick the beaters".  I had to remind him, this dough isn't what he might think he wants to gourge himself on.  He tried a little bite and realized.  Eck!

Even though the hair is desheveled and we're looking goofy, still have to take a selfie together, right?!

Ramsey was amazed at the process of how to make the actual rolls.  (It'd been a while and he didn't remember!) 

I was so happy when the dough rose like it should (I'm always paranoid).  I suppose after watching enough British Baking Show, I've learned a few extra tips from Paul Hollywood.  *wink*

Oddly, I didn't get pictures of the finished product - or even once they were baked, with the vanilla icing!   All we know is... dang, they were tasty!
 

Connor's Home!!! + Injured Puppy

 Connor's home!!  Yay!  Connor came home to visit us for a few days.   Geez, we hadn't seen him since school started, so the visit was a pleasure!   His good buddy Brayden came over for a while too, to see him.

We hung out inside for a bit, but then took Jango outside to play fetch.  He ran and played til he was all tuckered out.   

Somewhere in the midst of all of the playing, he must have injured his leg.  When he came inside, he was limping.  We suspect it has to do with his growth plates.   When he plays, sometimes he returns with a limp.  Hopefully he will grow out of this, but time will tell.

In the meantime, he got a lot of love, hugs, and pets from his favorite little person.

New Obsession; Writing Cursive

 At school, Ramsey's class completes worksheets, learning modified cursive.   Ramsey has a new obsession... learning "real cursive".    

So, as per usual, wanting to feed this new love of learning, I found free cursive printables online and printed them out for Ramsey to practice with.

I also wrote out some additional practice sheets when he finished the other worksheets.  

He is so intent on learning this.  In a very serious tone, he told me, "Mom, I have to impress my teacher!!"   I wanted to tell him that he should master his printing penmanship before he jumped into cursive, but I refrained!  He's happy and he's interested, so we'll let him roll with it!

Pumpkin Festival

 We'd been looking forward to the Pumpkin Festival in a nearby town for weeks!   Ramsey and I had been planning to meet up with my good friend Teri and her little boy Stetson, who is about a year younger than Ramsey (they becamse good buds this summer).

In the AM, we had the very last soccer game of the season.  But, it was also windy, cold, and rainy.  Meh!  But, in South Dakota, the weather in October can change drastically within just a few hours.  So.. off to soccer we went!

We somehow avoided the rain - thank goodness!

After soccer, Ramsey changed clothes and we were off to meet up with Teri and Stetson!

The weather had turned from cold and rainy to humid with a nice 60s temp!  The boys were thrilled when they finally met up.

I was amazed at what a fun and well-organized event this was, with so many terrific activities for kids (and adults!).  

There were fun barrel carts for the kids to ride in, antique fire trucks on display....

Ramsey was less than thrilled at how loud the sirens were! :-)

Local businesses gave away "goody bags", filled with bubbles, treats, stickers, etc.  Incidentally, the free backpack/bag will be great for taking winter gear to school. Nice!    We had to stop at the local vendor set-ups as well to check out their homemade items.  We went home with delicious gourmet cupcakes and cookies.

There were photo ops set up in multiple places.   There were free pumpkins for all the kids, a free lunch of hamburgers, brats, chips, pop, and desserts too.   The amount of volunteers and sponsors was incredible!  

And, there were bouncy castles!  (Ramsey's FAVORITE - and apparently Stetson's too!)

The boys would have stayed on the bouncy castles ALL DAY if we would have let them!

But, they were too many things to do, to focus on just one thing!

Teri's husband, Joe, raised all of the pumpkins for the kids.  And, even raised this gigantic pumpkin!  Fest goers had the opportunity to win a prize for guessing the weight of the pumpkin.  After the event, the weight was released; it was 1194 pounds!  We didn't win - undershot it by about 200 lbs.  Rats!

After the event, Teri and I took the boys to Dairy Queen for treats (we had felt like "A" raindrop, so it was time to bugger out).   

About an hour after Ramsey and I got home, the weather reports were a bit dire; there were storm warnings and tornado watches for our area, but tornado warnings and severe weather for the small town where Pumpkin Fest was held (where Teri lives).    It was eery outside with the winds changing directions several times, clashing.

The winds and storms continued to whip through.  It was freaky enough where Ramsey felt he needed "more cover" in the living room.  He built himself a pillow fort and hung out.

Meanwhile, I was texting Teri to see how they were doing.  They did have some terrible weather and spent a few hours in the basement.  Luckily, no one was hurt and the tornadoes stayed outside of town, causing only tree damage in their yard.  

2nd Grade Pic

 Ramsey's 2nd Grade school picture.  This little stinker is growing like a weed!