This is both Brad and I's most favorite time of the year. I was gearing up for it and got so excited that I had our fall stuff put out before the last week of September! Now we have been very fortunate and our Indian Summer has came and now went. This week the cool crisp fall air has returned and although in a few months I may be eating my words....I really enjoy this time of the year!
Our Month started out with some family fun! We have been wanting to take Dylan to a movie for quite some time now, you know in the theatre! Well we finally got a weekend to do it and we decided to make it a big surprise. Cars 2 was the movie of choice and when we pulled up to the theatre Dylan guessed right away which movie he was going to see. I can't even tell you how excited he was, it was like, 'YA-hoo, & oh my goodness, & SAWEET!' It was one of those precious moments for sure!
He sat so good thru the whole entire thing. Danielle came along too, we made it a family event and she sure was captivated by the whole thing also. It was a super fun time and we can't wait to go again!!
After the movie we decided to take advantage of the super warm temps & head to the Apple Orchard! We headed to Honey Creek Orchard in Swisher and it was just our style! A small, quaint Orchard. The current owners have only had it 7 years and they really offered some fantastic things! We picked up our basket and picker and headed out to pick some apples!
Part of the fun is taste testing along the way! Have to make sure your choice is worth while :) YUM!
'I want that one way up there Daddy, see it?!'
After our search and hike thru the orchard we hopped on for the hay rack ride! This was one of the kids favorites, it was relaxing and nice to get a scenic tour of the property & Orchard. Check out the honey bee's, amazing to see what all they do here!
After a little rest on the tractor ride we headed back & found the HUGE pile of hay! You got it we climbed up to the top and played king of the mountain. The day was perfect and we had a blast together! We picked out some pumpkins, played a few games and made memories for our fall Orchard visit! Even spotted our friends the Hahn's on the way out. There was one thing for sure, it was a
beautiful day!
Next up for Fall Fun was a shopping day for my girlfriend Mommy's & I and a football day/let the kids play day for the Dad's. It was fantastic! We hit Mt. Vernon for lunch @ Lincoln Cafe and browsed some shops and made the first purchases for Christmas gifts! Yes I said it, the Holiday shopping has begun! We had a great day, the weather was beautiful, it felt so good to have some girl time and a nice relaxing day of shopping. We hit up Marion and browsed some more before returning to the Holub Casa for an evening of grilling & continued play time for the kids. We really enjoy days like these!
Swim lessons and soccer have continued for the kids! We both love taking them to these Extra Curricular activities and we know how much they love it too! Dylan is still getting the hang of soccer he loves going and practicing and loves doing the drills with the other kids and coaches, but during game time he starts good and then gets really hesitant to be aggressive and go after the ball with the other kids. It will come in time, the coach keeps saying to 'expect the unexpected'. We giggle because that is exactly how it's going! We keep going and he starts out loving it and when he doesn't want to play, well then he sits on the sideline watching his team. Danielle enjoys lessons a TON with Daddy, Mike & Lila! Friday nights are full of little girl chatter and it is so much fun listening to!
This past weekend we headed up to Waterloo/Cedar Falls to a friends wedding. Justin Plein got married to Rachel McHone. Justin and Brad lived together for about 2 years after High School in Waubeek. Brad's brother Tony and Justin have been friends since they were little and Tony was actually in the wedding. We were happy to be a part of this day. The wedding was beautiful, full of vibrant fall colors, all of my favorites of course! The Reception was at Beaver Hills Country Club in Cedar Falls and WOW, this place was amazing! Tucked way back in the woods off the beaten path, up on the hill was the clubhouse and reception venue, seated on the golf course. It was beautiful!
Dinner was delicious and Brad definitely had his plate of Prime Rib gone in about 2.2 seconds, but I have to say it was very very good. The Hawkeyes were playing this night, a night game at Kinnick and an entire room of Hawk fans meant that the Bride obviously had thought of this ahead of time. The TV's were on and the game was on. When our team scored, well the DJ had the Iowa Fight song handy to blast over the speakers it was pretty cool.
First dance as Mr & Mrs Plein
Aww Dylan patiently waited for the first dance so he could have the dance floor back! He had a blast!
Wedding party takes to the floor. I loved the Brown, Apple Red & Pumpkin Orange dresses.
Congratulations Justin & Rachel!
Sunday we headed back up North, to Independence this time to meet our friends the LeConte's! We headed to lunch at Bills Pizza & Smokehouse before an afternoon of play time! The kids had a blast playing while the parents got all caught up chatting & watching football. The newest member of the LeConte family is due to arrive 11/11/11 and we could not be more excited for them! It was fun to see them before the new baby comes!
After lunch we headed up the road to a very nice little state park that had the perfect little zoo for the kids! They had a ton of super neat animals including Buffalo, a Cougar, Bald Eagle, Bunnies and even a Black Bear! The kids had a blast running from exhibit to exhibit checking out all of the animals! And the Daddy's were right along side them having just as much fun also ;-)
They also had an indoor area with all kinds of habitat learning exhibits for the kids. They had some live animals indoors and mock nature exhibits that the kids could learn about. They loved it!
The kids had a fun day playing together and the parents did too! Thank you LeConte Family & we can't wait to meet your newest bundle of joy in just a few weeks!
Another special Moment from this month, my Mom's book debut! Speak Life to Me is now for sale at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.com. Her courages battle with Cancer and her life challenges put into words to help others who may be going thru similar situations. We are so proud of you Mom!
October so far has been full of fun times with family & friends and of course cheering on our favorite football teams! Dylan got to go to the Pumpkin Patch with his pre-school class and that sure was a blast for him! We have more Fall fun in store for the rest of the month, we can't wait to see what is in the days ahead! For now we are enjoying the fall scents, the cool breeze and the crunching of the leaves as we walk across the ground.~
