Connor's Home!

 We don't have many posts about Connor anymore... we hardly ever see him! Gah!   So, when he does come back, we take pictures of his handsome mug.  :-)

Here he is with his new wheels.

That's all.  😁

Project: Deck Upgrade

 So... the deck of the house between the garage and main entrance has been on our to-do list since we moved in!  This past winter, some of the boards were finally just getting too darn spongy to tolerate; someone was bound to get hurt soon.   Also, it's out-dated. 

I can also add that the idea of staining it one more time was nauseating (it's a yearly occurance!). 

We hired a local landscaper who had completed work for us in the past.  After the house reno, we just weren't in any mood to do the work ourselves.   The weather was still proving to be manageable, so the crew fit us in at the end of their working season.

The guys chainsawed and tore off the old deck in a matter of hours.  There was all kinds of gross weird things underneath that old deck.  Bleh!!

I was shocked that we didn't find any dead animals! ha!

And, then they commenced with leveling, placing blocks, and back-filling with dirt and gravel.

Then, the pavers were placed and what a change that was.

It turned out amazing (we think).   No more railing to have to walk AROUND (or climb over) to get to the roadside (back) yard!

Now.. just need to replace the old solar lights... they're a little wonky!!  That'll be a spring mini project. 😉

2023 Harvest Stroll & Fun Day

 The annual Harvest Stroll at the museum is always a fun escape and excuse for a day of festivities.  This year, we recruited Ramsey's friend Orion, his Mom, and sister Tehya.  

We roamed all through the museum.  My favorite is always the animal exhibit (that's been there since God knows when!).

Ramsey loves the guns and WWII memorobilia.   In the gun area, they had a crafting section for apply tissue paper to mini pumpkins with decopage.  ...much less messy than carving one!

The kids bolted around more, goofing off in the tents, teepees, and Native American history area.

Upstairs, kids could try their hand at chopping wood, the old-fashioned way.

This one log must have been a little wet yet (or very dense).  Ramsey chopped on that thing for a while.  He got about half way split, then was pooped.

Orion gave it a whirl and and hammered it.  He could be a lumberjack someday!

Ramsey wanted to try it again.  It wasn't a one-hit wonder, but he got one split!

We bought some fun old-style toys at the gift shop and headed out.

It was off to Allevity for more entertainment!

The kids played loads of video games, climbed in the ball tower....

They moved around like spider monkeys on the climbing wall.

And, they played a ton of laser tag.

Ope!  And bumper cars... lots and lots of rounds of the bumper cars!

I Cherish Our Walks

 I cherish my time with Ramsey.  I cherish our pre-bedtime conversations, our chats in the car, and our walks or hikes on the trail by our house.   I will cherish these moments forever.   And, for now, I cherish the fact that, though Ramsey is 9, he still grabs my hand while we're walking (every.. single.. time).  🥰

Tonight was a gorgeous evening.  It had cooled down from a muggy 90°, so we took Jango and went for an after-supper trek.

I watched Ramsey and Jango play chase, thinking what a glorious time this was and reveling in how much fun they were having.   Ramsey laughed and laughed.  My heart smiled.

Ramsey asked me if I wanted to take different trails (mowed areas vs the gravel path) this time.  We hadn't done that much.  Typically we stick to the main trail.

Then, he asked me if I wanted to lay down on the grass and watch the clouds.  We hadn't done that for such a long time.  Again, my heart was happy for the new perspective of this sweet boy.   One of the clouds he saw was of a "machine gunner".  ha!   Admittedly, I didn't quite see that image. 

After venturing farther on the regular trail, we found some giant airy dandelion-like puffs.  It was time to make a wish.  The puff was so large that Ramsey said he made about six wishes!  Sweet boy, I hope they all come true.

We decided to take yet another never-before-traveled path.  After a few moments, I heard something. 

 Then, we saw her; a beautiful white-tailed doe.  I couldn't get a close picture of her.  She stood there for a few seconds before bounding away.  

When we returned home, he asked me to play with him on his play set.  It was 8:00 and getting dark -  typically the time when Ramsey starts getting ready for bed.  I couldn't help but agree and enjoy the [late] summer evening.  

Before coming inside, we picked a few more normal-sized dandelion puffs.  They were one blow/wish heads.  Ramsey wished something kind for one of his friends.  And, my heart smiled yet again.  I hope his heart always finds beautiful ways to help and think about others.

Though this was just about an hour of our day, it was the most precious hour I'd had by far.  Yes, I am cherishing these times.  May they not fly by so quickly.

Visiting Nana K on her 79th B-Day

 On this special day, Ramsey and I drove to town to visit Nana.  Instead of visiting her on her actual birthday, we visited her after church.  We picked up some flowers from the store and also nummies from Culver's (her favorite burgers).

After chowing down Butter Burgers, Nana opened her presents.

And, we played Sorry, Hangman, and other games.

While they played their last game, I arranged flowers.  Dang, the colors were gorgeous!