A Saturday to Remember.

Well the kids had their last day of swimming lessons on Thursday and they have really made some progress. Brooklyn was passed on to the next level while Maddux will retake his same class. Not because he didn't pass but because he will not be old enough for the next class when it starts. They will most likely take their next set of lessons during the Winter and will hopefully become a little more independent in the water. Jennie and I are at least a little more comfortable with them in the water now and they seem to really like swimming.

This Saturday may have been Maddux's last soccer game as he has a karate tournament next Saturday at the same time as his game. They did miss one game due to rain but it would not be played until the last Saturday in October and the weather may not cooperate for that game. He did very well in this weeks game despite being sick the whole day before and throwing up at 6:30 in the morning on game day. He went to Liam and Carter's to play on Friday as he usually does before karate but just wasn't the same. He didn't eat any lunch and was lagging behind in everything he did. When they brought him back home he laid down and crashed for the rest of the night. He didn't eat dinner and was a little warm the whole night. We ended up skipping his karate that night as he was wiped out. I was awaken at 6:30 to the sound of him throwing up in his bed and crying. I got up and cleaned him off and he fell right back asleep but was still a little warm. By the time he woke up around 8:30 it was like nothing was ever wrong with him. His fever was gone, he had his appetite back, and was his usual self. We then went to karate and his soccer game right afterward.

He wasn't bad until about the second half when you could tell he didn't have any energy and was spent. He had to take quite a few more rests than normal and was not his usual self running all over the field wreaking havoc. His team did get back on the winning side of things after their first defeat last week and won the game 8 - 4. Maddux had two goals and one was very impressive. Both teams were down the field by his goal and the other team got the ball and started taking off towards their goal. Maddux ran in the kicked the ball all the way down towards the other teams goal, then beat everyone down the field to the ball. He then turned around and kicked the ball half way down the field towards his goal and again beat everyone to the ball. Then with one big kick he kicked the ball from mid field into the goal. I wish I would have gotten it on video. I think he really had a fun time playing soccer this year and I hope that his last game does get rescheduled so he can play one more. With him being old enough to play baseball next year this may have been his one shot at soccer.

The surprise of the day came later as Brooklyn's team took the field for their second to last game. They haven't been within 5 goals of any team this year and were in the cellar for their league. The game was a stalemate through the first three quarters as no one scored a goal. I would like to tell you it was stellar defense but I just think the two worse teams got matched up against each other. Then at the beginning of the fourth quarter Brooklyn's team scored a goal. There was a little controversy surrounding this goal as the ref ruled the goal didn't count because the goalie touched the ball as it went in the goal. I have never heard of this rule before and have not seen it called all year but for some reason they ruled the goal would not count. However, about 2 minutes later her team scored again to officially go up 1 - 0. The other team did score one goal before the game ended but we are counting that as a 2 - 1 win. I have seen Brooklyn get a leg or hand on the ball and the goal has still counted and don't know where this rule came from. This is as close to a win as her team is going to get and that is a bogus way to not count a goal. Despite what the ref says we know that they really won the game. Brooklyn also has one more game left and then one make-up depending on the weather. I know that she has also enjoyed playing this year although I think it has been more for the friendships she has made and the girls that she knows and has been able to play against. We will see if she wants to play again next year. If Maddux does baseball and not soccer she may not want to play.



After the game Jennie and I had a surprise for the kids as we took them to a pumpkin patch.

They had a giant inflatable slide that the kids could climb up and then slide down. It wasn't that fast for some reason but if you look at the picture of Maddux you can see him right before he goes head over heels down. He decided to jump at the top instead of slide and got down a lot quicker than he probably wanted to.



Brooklyn took her time deciding if she really wanted to go up or not. She actually played in the bouncer underneath before deciding to take the journey up and then back down.







Here she is at the top getting ready to go down. I don't know how she could see anything with her hair all in her face. The kids also had their faces painted while waiting in line for the slide. Brooklyn had a pumpkin put on her cheek and Maddux had a baseball put on his arm. There were also other games and crafts that the kids could do. Maddux tried his luck at balloon darts but was unsuccessful at popping any balloons.



Here are some of my favorite pictures of the day. We got a really good one of Brooklyn in this same tube last year but didn't get her in it this year. The boys however took turns and were more than happy to pose for a photo opp.




















Here are the boys perched in a tree house. They have this big tree which they have just built a house around with all the branches poking out of the roof and the windows. The kids can climb up in the house and then climb on most of the branches while in the house. It is really cool and can hold 10 to 15 kids and / or adults. Nolan loved being able to climb on all the branches.














While the boys were climbing trees and riding the pony Brooklyn was over doing some crafts. She is quite the artist and loves to draw, color, and make things. She made a pumpkin on a stick and did quite a good job. I think we are going to have to copy Kathy and Harvey's idea of framing some of the kids art. She is very talented for only being 6 and Jennie and I are constantly amazed at the art work she brings home from school. I guess she does have that running in both sides of the family.

Maddux then took a little ride on the pony they had for the children. Nolan was going to also ride but had second thoughts as I was putting him on the pony. He then decided that he wanted nothing to do with it. I thought for sure that he would like it but maybe another time.






We then decided to take some pictures of the kids in all the pumpkins. The first picture is all 4 of them surrounded by pumpkins.


Next we have Nolan with a pumpkin that is probably as big as he is.












I think we have this same exact picture of Brooklyn from last year. Look at those long legs.












Here is Payton in the middle of a bunch of pumpkins. She is not the happiest camper but I at least had to try. I really wanted a picture of her propped up on her belly lying on a pumpkin but she wasn't having any of that. We did manage to get one decent picture of her. Never mind the belly hanging out.

From the pumpkins we went to the giant corn maze that they have every year although this year the corn was not very high and you could see over the whole field. It is usually at least 6 feet high but not sure what went on this year. They have a bunch of stations set up throughout the field were the kids can play and look for small little prizes. They had to find a pair of binoculars, a snake, a compass, a hat, and a spider ring. The theme was around Indiana Jones and they were given a little map to show them where to go. After they found the five items they came to the finish and got to hunt in sand for dinosaur eggs. By the time we were done with the corn maze the kids were pretty spent and had had enough.


I did manage to get one last picture on the hill on our way back to the car. You have to park at the top of this huge hill and then walk down to where everything is. It is a gorgeous view of the valley from the top as you can see the whole set up. They have a huge apple farm that they also promote throughout the year.

From there we went home took a little nap and went over to Grandma and Grandpa Kerr's. We had our Stake Conference Saturday night and Bill and Connie were gracious enough to get a couple of babysitters to not only watch our kids but also Greg and Tacie's 4 children. I am sure that they had a lot of fun without the parents. Conference was really good as they talked about strengthening your marriage and your families. There were some really good speakers. We were then treated to ice cream sundaes afterward and then called it a night. Thank you Bill and Connie for doing that a giving us a night out without the kids.