Grass River Natural Area

Yesterday was deemed an "adventure day". We packed up snacks and sandwiches, the dog and his leash and headed out mid morning. We stopped at an art/craft fair and then at a fundraiser that was selling beads made in Uganda from recycled paper (very cool) and then headed out of town to check out the Grass River Natural Area.

It's less than an hour from our house but we'd just never been there for some reason. It was beautiful and we only explored a small portion of the hiking trails. We took Charlie for a hike on one of the dog friendly trails then let him rest in his crate while we went out towards the river.

It's amazing all the terrain and land features we have so near our house that are so drastically different.

I can't wait to see what some of these trails look like in different seasons.

Alex was excited to see that they offer ski and snowshoe trails in the winter too. And both kids loved the albino California King snake named Ruby that lives in the nature center building.

We will definitely be back!

Trick or Treat!

Monday Alex had off school and Maya doesn't normally go to school on Mondays. We had a lazy morning and did some things around the house. In the afternoon we went to Maya's school for her class Halloween party. It was a little overwhelming for her I think to have all those kids and adults packed in her little classroom.

After supper it was finally time to go trick or treating. We went quite a long ways this year. I brought a stroller for Maya because I figured she'd be done before Alex and she did ride in it for a little while at the end. She decided that she had "more than enough candy for one person!" and just rode for the last 6 houses or so. (smart girl about the candy!)

They settled down pretty well considering all the excitement and sugar and still got to bed at a decent time.

Pumpkins!

Friday afternoon we went downtown for the Halloween walk. Maya wore her fairy costume from last year. Alex stayed in his Zeus costume from school that morning. I left my camera in the car because when we arrived downtown it was sleeting! It cleared up decently and we had a great time, saw lots of friends and the kids scored a ton of candy.

Saturday we spent most of the day in the yard raking leaves and playing. It wasn't a really great day to be outside but mostly dry and comfortable with hats/gloves.

Sunday afternoon we finally got around to carving our pumpkins. Maya designed hers by herself and Ben cut it (it's the smiling one). Alex designed and carved his all by himself. It has 5 eyes, 2 noses and 2 mouths. The last one was made with a template design.

Woodland School History Fair 2011

Welcome to ancient Greece and Egypt! Alex's class was studying Greece and he decided to go as Zeus! He made the beard himself, it didn't last long once the games started because he said it smelled to much like Elmer's glue.

He also ended up tucking his toga into his belt because he started getting a little competitive in the Olympic events.

All in all it was a really fun morning and it was extra nice that Ben and I both got to be there.

Second to last farm market

The weekend before last Ben was up in Marquette bird hunting with my brother. Saturday morning was beautiful here so the kids and I headed into town to see what was going on. We went to the farm market then walked down Front St. and checked out the Maker's Market (an art fair). On the way back to the car we stopped off at occupy Traverse City and hung out with some friends.

Jumping in leaf piles....in shorts?

The warm and dry weather made for some excellent leaf piles. We did discover a few hazards of playing in the leaves in shorts though - itchy and scratched up legs - that aren't usually an issue this time of year! The neighborhood kids made leaf mazes and huge leaf piles and made up various complicated tag games among the leaves.

Unseasonably warm

The first few weeks of October were amazing and warm...some days even hot! The Saturday before last Alex was at a birthday party in the afternoon so Maya and I went down to the beach for a while. Probably the last time we'll wade in the water for the year!