Wetlands

Grandma Rosey and Fall Festivities

We were back in St. Louis for fall festivities and were fortunate enough to visit with Grandma Rosey. My first instinct was to just use her face and cut out the dog on this page, the newest Grandchild to date. However, to cut the pug, is to cut out what is one of the most important things to my Grandma. If there is a newborn baby and a newborn puppy in the room, she will dash for the puppy. She says she hates kids, but she also drove a school bus for 25 years, so not so much (mother of 5 and endless grand/great grandchildren). We know she loves us very much, but don't ever come between Grandma and her dogs or her colony of birds! The cops already tried, but that's another story for another time that we of course remind her of when we get the chance. She was also quite the artist, so I tried to include some brush strokes. The flowers are for her crafty side since she could make almost anything. We love our Grandma and we know she loves us along with her beloved animals.



We had so much fun on this trip starting with a trip to Eckert's Orchard. This is a place that we used to go as kids, so it was fun to take them back. We picked apples first, followed by all sorts of kid fun. The evening ended with a haunted hay ride. Stephen didn't know what to expect and I think he did OK since he was with his cousins. Rhea, however, could have skipped that part and she has already asked to go home when it gets dark next year. I'm glad I brought a blanket with me since she wanted to be covered up the whole time. She survived and the ride was actually quite good.





The trip ended with a visit to the Gateway Arch on the way back home to Illinois. The kids were tired, but really enjoyed seeing more of where Mommy grew up and doing the things I did as a kid. I was even able to show him the stage that I played on down by the riverfront during the 4th of July celebrations. Both kids passed out in the car on the way home. Ahhh, nice and quiet..........

Apple Picking and Pumpkin Patch

We had a BEAUTIFUL day for apple picking this year. It was slightly cool, but pleanty of sunshine and no need for a jacket. The kids, mostly Rhea, were in an extra spunky mood. Stephen was just trying to do the right thing and give Mom a good picture so she would leave him alone for the rest of the day.

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Royal Rangers

Since Stephen officially entered Kindergarten this year, he also entered into Royal Rangers. Royal Rangers is an Assemblies of God boyscout troupe where they earn badges for everything from bible memory verses to camping badges. He LOVES it, especially since the camping trips are without Mom, and he doesn't have to bathe or brush his teeth. Their next camping trip is in January! Burrr...... In the meantime, he is working on his bible badges.

Royal Rangers meets on Wednesday nights, and he is also involved in another program on Sunday mornings called Junior Bible Quiz. He is by far the youngest in the class, but loves the challenge. We memorize about 4-6 verses each week and another half dozen bible facts. He is then quizzed on these each Sunday. I would honestly rather be singing songs and playing with the bible puppets, but he seems to enjoy the intensive environment and the older kids don't seem to bother him. He actually has several homeschool friends in the class which is another reason why I think he likes it so much.

Karate

Stephen started Karate this year with a Pastor. Yep, a black belted Pastor. It is an amazing experience. The first line of defenses taught are prayer and the bible. We are very happy with his instruction and he has already advanced to his gold belt!