family.fun!

This past weekend was quite possibly the best weekend I've had in a long time!

Saturday started off with a bang when the best husband in the world (John) let me sleep in until 9:30! After Sloane's nap we loaded up the car and headed down to Howell's Pumpkin Patch in Cumming.




If you have not been to Howell's I'd high recommend it! They have a wonderful selection of pumpkins, gourds, mums and Halloween/Fall decor and many, MANY things to keep kids entertained for hours--even young ones like Sloane.

The first thing that caught her eye was of course the baby pony. With no hesitation Sloane walked right up to it and "patted" it. Note- this pony was much smaller then Midas.



I think Sloane could have spent the whole day
feeding goats. I watched in fear waiting for one to bite a finger off but John assured me that that wouldn't happen. Knock on wood

I think the highlight of the trip (for me at least) was petting the Charlotte, the calf. I love cows and if there is one thing I miss about Winterset it would be driving to Des Moines and seeing all the cows on the way. I was so excited (as was Sloane) when we saw a single black calf just outside the grounds on a "leash". I didn't see anyone around her so I figured it was ok to take a closer look.


If we had room for her in the back of the Vue I would have taken her! She was so sweet and would have made a PERFECT friend for Midas.

After realizing that only two of the three hay bails we bought would fit in the car we headed home just in time to make some chili, put Sloane to bed and watch the Iowa game. (Well John watched the Iowa game...I went to the mall for an hour of alone time-- heaven!)



Sunday was just as great as Saturday. I feel like we're always saying, "Sometime when we have a free weekend we'll have to......(fill in the blank with a list of 100 things we should do)." With nothing on the planner today we had plenty of time to relax, clean, cook and play! Again, the best husband in the world started my day with a fountain pop and Sunday paper from Casey's! Love him!

We cleaned out both of our closets and stored Summer stuff and sorted Fall/Winter clothes! I love changing seasons-- bringing out sweaters and coats you haven't worn for months-- it's like shopping for free!

We finally hung Sloane's growth chart in her room, along with a few other pictures and last but not least we began our training with Midas! I know he's six years-old but he's developed a few bad habits over the past few years that we really need to break. We ordered "The Dogfather" training DVD's and so far, so good!

We even had time to go to the PapaJohn Sculpture Park in Downtown Des Moines. I'd love to have known what was going on in Sloane's mind when she saw some of these works of art!
Below are a few other pictures from the weekend!