Bloomsbury Farms!

Our first visit to this farm just west of Cedar Rapids. It was a perfect and much needed day for me with my boys. Dad was in Minnesota, so I took advantage of a little day trip with my kids. If you are looking for a great family day trip in the fall... I HIGHLY recommend this farm! There was so much to do and we spent 4 hours there easily. We even left before getting to two activities. We did the gigantic jumping pillow, the barrow cars, saw animals, watched the pig races, walked the two corn mazes, duck races, corn box, giant tractor wheel park, homemade lemonade treats, mini golf, horse swings, and even more! It was so great! Bloomsbury Farms in Atkins...check it out!

Have fun with all your little pumpkins this weekend!

worn out

Some days we just all end up in a heap on the couch. Too tired to even get to our beds! This was after a family wedding (that didn't even start until 6:30!), in which Jaxon actually fell asleep at the reception with his head on the table. For those that know Austin, he NEVER falls asleep anywhere except his bed. It was the end of the week and late and we were tired! I must admit, I didn't even carry them to bed... I just snuck in-between them and fell asleep my self :)

cousins camp!

Okay, this is about 2 months old, but I have to post about this before I forget! Just a warning too... there a bazillion pictures with this post because I could hardly pick from the 224 I actually took in less then 24 hours :-)  This was our first annual Brody side cousins camp! As a kid, my grandmother would invite us grandkids to all come and stay over-night. She would plan treasure hunts and read books and make up a big bed on the floor and make yummy food. I loved it. I was really close with my cousins growing up and they were some of my best friends in high school. On Dave's side we now have 14 grandkids. And, they are getting big enough to sleep over without crying, no diapers, and can for the most part hold their own...thus making it easy to hold cousins camp! I really want our kids to know their cousins well, to see family as some of their closest friends, and experience life with a loving close knit of people around them. I was so excited to put on Cousins Camp!! (name taken from my friend Ellen who's g'ma actually does this and calls it Cousins Camp!!)

So... let the festivities begin....

 We had three legged races...

 Went swimming....

 Had water balloon wars...

 Did the water balloon toss...

 Tie dyed t-shirts....

 Ate dinner together...

 Sat around the campfire...

 Made smores...

 Slept in one big pile on the floor... (might I say this was the cutest thing I had seen once they were all asleep!) Oh...and watched a movie too!

 Ate breakfast on the deck together...

 Went on a little trip to Hartman Reserve for a hike, treasure hunt, and playing at the playground...

 And finished our day with lunch and frozen treats...

The vote at the end of the camp was to do it again next year!!! Only longer :-)

favorite fall things

When I asked the boys at breakfast the other morning what their favorite things about fall were they replied...

football games...

and leaves!

mini us

10 years ago if you would have told me that there would be a day not far off where our college friends and us would be doing ridiculous dance moves, making weird noises, and clapping profusely to get our combined 6 children to pose for 1 nice picture, I would maybe had laughed at that. The guys for sure would have gawked at such a comment about their future skills in posing and getting kids to smile. (I can already imagine comments that would have left their mouths, inappropriate, of course :)

However, that is exactly what we were doing last week! We've been so blessed with this group of friends of well over 10 years now. For a few of them it's been since junior high that they've been friends. We've seen each other get married, settle down, change jobs, move across states, start families, and well....grow up.  I love when we are all in town and can gather together! I have said this before and I will say it again. I never laugh as hard as I can laugh then when I'm around this group. I just love these guys! AND, I love their kids just as much too! Not a bad looking bunch, eh?

Check out the mini us...

Take 1

 Take 2

Texas friends... when are you moving back so we can have these sort of picture moments more often!?!? :-)

Pumpkin Paradise

I was excited to find a new local pumpkin farm that was a bit more fall focused and less Halloween focused. We used to go to one in Hudson but they are no longer open during the week for groups. The next local one is a bit too decked out in scary Halloween stuff for my taste and the very cool one in Grinnell, IA is a bit of a drive for every year for us. This last week we traveled up north a bit with our Learn & Play group, a couple extra mom's, and Jaxon and his buddy, Mason. We had a perfect day! If you skipped the Wicked Woods Maze and opt out of the small shed for "photo op's", you have one very nice fall focused and pumpkin farm experience! Pumpkin Paradise in Waverly has only been open for 2 years and I hope they stick around. It was great! We had fun in the barn with the animals, the pirate themed boat filled with corn, riding tractors, playing in purple sand, having a snack, going on a hay-ride, and of course getting pumpkins! Check this fun place out!

Pumpkin Paradise is located just north of CF. Travel north on 63 and take a left on 172nd st. Farm is at T intersection crossing with Killdeer Ave. 1734 Killdeer Ave is the address. Admission is $5 and kids 3 and under are free :) We may have to go back!