35

Craig turned 35 yesterday!!

We celebrated with breakfast in bed and homemade cards from the kids. 

Plus a couple of gifts to open... all before his toes touched the floor that morning. 

In the evening, we invited the Munoz family over for a chili and cornbread dinner. 

And I made my first ever double layer cake... well, first that actually looked pretty.  Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting.   

Kelly's birthday is Monday the 21st, so we sang to both of them and they blew out the candles. 

There was some cousin play and hanging out that followed. 

Haha - Sophie's face in this pic.  

We celebrated a second time at Grandma & Papa's house with another dinner and chocolate cake too. 

Yum.  Birthdays are delicious!

Hay Ride & Corn Maze at Fleitz's

This has become our fun routine at Fleitz's.  We visit early in the season for less-crowded, good-weather pictures - maybe selecting pumpkins, maybe not.  Then later during the week sometime for the hay ride & corn maze.  Then one or two more times for re-stocking our baking pumpkins & squash, selecting our decor pumpkin(s) and hitting up the snack shack for donuts and cider.  All good times.

So this post is all about the mid-week evening trip.  We get out there ASAP after work, do our thing and then pick up pizza for dinner on the way home for an easy, fun night!

When Craig asked Will to give me a kiss on the cheek for this picture, Will said "okay, I've got my lips ready!"  Haha! 

We made it out of there just before the rain started to fall.  Mid-week outings are a rarity, but when we manage to fit them in successfully, it always feels like such a great accomplishment.  :)

Sauder Village

We spent the morning in Archbold, Ohio today visiting Sauder Village and checking out farm life as it was a century ago.  I think I was in junior high the last time I visited this place.  The day was gorgeous and we happily wandered around watching the period-dressed folks spinning wool into yarn, pressing apple juice, drying fruit, woodworking, milking cows & collecting chicken eggs, etc.

Our little map-reader and tour guide directed us from place to place.

Grandma Verna uses this very thing for making homemade applesauce.  In fact, Sophie and her preschool friends just did this with Grandma at school in preparation for their Thanksgiving feast in a little over a month.  They peeled, cut, cooked and pressed the apples into sauce, to be frozen until feast day!

Cracking up and Will being daddy's little shadow with map tucked into back pocket.  ;)

A straw maze was set up inside one of the barns.  Both kids LOVED it.

Craig trying out the various methods of cabinet making on display.

We washed hands in the restroom and Sophie got the biggest kick out of this unusual hand dryer.  We packed lunch for this trip and ate in the car before heading home.