Saturday we started out the day with a super fun activity . . . flu shots (and flu mist) for the entire family! The kids did great because they both got the flu mist while Trav, Ellie, and myself all got the flu shots (Ellie because she is too young for the mist, and Trav and I because we are adults and can handle "the pain" while Lauren holds our hands). After the quick appointment, the kids, dog, and myself headed down to the park for some fun (Trav stayed home to recover from his shot). Once we wrapped at the park, the girls and I then headed out to the Y so momma could get some exercise and the girls could play (Trav was still at home recovering so Ryan opted to stay home with him). By the time I finished up my workout, it was time to head home, eat some lunch, and lay down for some long afternoon naps. Fortunately Ellie complied, the other kids not so much - they were up after about an hour. Oh well, it was still nice to get some rest. When Ellie finally did emerge from her room (she slept from 1-4:15pm), we got ready to go to the local Halloween Party in the park. This was our first time attending the event so we weren't sure what to expect, but when we arrived, we were amazed, and not by the event. We were amazed by the insane crowd - there was a line that stretched from the playground area all the way out to the highway. We took one loo k at that and said, "No way!" So with Ryan in his Barbarian costume and Lauren in her Spiderella costume, we had to break the news that we would not be trick or treating, we would not be dancing, and we would not be getting pumpkins - you can imagine on well that went over with the kids! With that, we turned home with two crying kids and an evening with nothing to do. To soften the blow for the kids, we changed everyone and went out in the backyard to play football with the kids. Lucky for us, that was entertaining enough to make them forget all the fun there were missing out on. We finished the night with pizza and then baths - not a bad night considering it wasn't at all what we had planned.
Sunday brought another day of fun for the kids. First up, Sunday School and church. The kids were scheduled to sing at the late service today so after Sunday School, we all took our seats in the back of the church in anticipation of the big event. When the time came though, Ryan wanted no part of it so Lauren, being the brave little girl she is, went up to the front herself and sang and danced her little heart out. It was very cute, but unfortunately she stood behind two taller girls so I couldn't get any good pictures of her in action - maybe next time. I did manage to catch a glimpse of her walking of stage though and as usual, she was wearing her "wedding dress" (one of the two outfits she has been rotating for church for the last month).
After the service, the church had a wiener roast and then a visit to a local pumpkin patch. Roasting wieners and marshmallows over an open fire was kind of weird considering the temp was 77 degrees and skies were sunny, but it was still fun. At the pumpkin patch, we did a hayride, took some pictures, picked out pumpkins, and then headed back home for another afternoon of rest.
By the way, I was totally joking about Trav needing to recover after his flu shot - turns out he just needed a little time to himself to catch up some college football!