Happy Fall!

It's official! Fall is here, and I'm loving the change! It was still about 82 degrees today and we were wearing shorts, but the leaves are starting to fall from the trees and pumpkins are everywhere. I love it! October is by far my most favorite month of the year -- the change in the weather, the crisp air, the apple orchards, the pumpkin carving, and watching the kids jump in piles of leaves. It's great!

This afternoon after the Hawkeye game, Matt, Katherine, Caleb, Isaac, Elizabeth and I went to Howell tree farm for the first time this season. The kids had so much fun playing in the corn, riding tractors, going down the slide, riding the tire swings, and driving these new little cars they added this year. Oh, and of course, eating kettle corn. YUMMY!!

We didn't end up getting any pumpkins yet though. I decided that I'd get some el-cheapo ones at Hy-Vee on Wednesday night after Katherine is done with dance to decorate the steps outside the house. Then, when it gets closer to Halloween, we'll head back to the patch so the kids can pick out their carving pumpkins. I can't wait!

Katherine has been practicing gymnastics all day today. Literally, every time she has 5 minutes of "down time" she's been working on her kickovers (you start standing up, lean back into a bridge and then kick your legs over your head and land standing up). However, she realized that she can "tick-tock" it back and forth (your hands don't leave the ground, but you kick your legs from the front to the back) so she's been obsessed with that today. I find it so amazing that she's willing to work on something with so much determination when no one (but Mommy) is watching. She's one determined little girl! And -- at least she's not practicing her beam routine on the side of the bathtub!

In other news ....

It's official. I have totally and completely driven Matt nuts. He's had enough of my cleaning fetish, and has officially begged me to stop. What totally threw him over the edge was that evidently I've been doing laundry when there is only 6 or 7 things that need to be washed and then expect him to put them away right away. Normally, he's OK with this, but not at 10 pm and not during some "really important football game". Let's just say, the poor guy is ready for this baby to arrive! Oh, and still... there's stuff I want to get done before the baby arrives.... sanitizing the refrigerator, cleaning out the pantry, and straightening this cupboard of random Tupperware that I have. Oh, that's been on list for quite a while, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. There's been other, more pressing chores to do! LOL!! Our new cleaning lady comes for the first time on Tuesday, and I can't wait. OH, I'm WAAAAYY excited about it!