My 34th Birthday

Every year on October 23rd I turn a year older. Even though 34 is nothing spectacular, I was looking forward to my birthday because my mom would be here to celebrate with me. This is only the third time in the past 14 years that I was able to celebrate my special day with her. So as a thank you for being here and taking care of our kids while we were away, I took her out to Al Gusto, a local Italian restaurant. 

Birthday preparations were in full force already days before my special day. Here is Oma and Amelia making me a special card with leaves, an ornament and baking the cake:

The night before my birthday, I convinced Derrick to go with me to Scarrigan Farms to the haunted trail. It is the most terrifying haunted trail in the region and it was awesome. I screamed like a kid because they did such a great job designing this thrilling Maze and those scary characters haunting us along the way. Definitely have to do it again next year.

Luckily, I didn't had a heart attack and was able to wake up the next morning to celebrate my 34th birthday with my loved ones. Birthday cards and gift opening in bed:

And then it was time for breakfast and yummy cake (apple cheesecake). Amelia and Oma did a great job on the decorations, it made me feel really special. 

Since it was such a beautiful last fall day and I didn't feel like going out to eat, we decided to do a picnic in the park instead. We picked up some delicious, fresh burgers and enjoyed a lovely meal in the park. The kids loved that the playground was right there and some (older) kids wanted to play with them. 

We also took some family pictures while we were at the park:

To finish the day off, we had ice cream at a local creamery in downtown Mooresville and took a walk around the neighborhood to look at all the Halloween decorations. 

My birthday was a perfect day and made so special by people who love me and care about me. Thank you to all for the birthday wishes. I'm looking forward to a great new year. 

Fall Festival Extravaganza

October is the month of all things fall and here in NC, there are lots of fun fall activities happening during the entire month. So no wonder that we went to a fall festival every weekend. First up was Amelia's preschool festival, which was very wet and rainy but still fun (see previous posts for pictures). On Saturday. October 17th, Oma, I and the kids went to a Fall Festival in Huntersville, which was held at a local elementary school. It was a warm and sunny day, just perfect for bounce houses, pony and hay rides as well as other games and activities. 

The kids enjoyed the pony rides the most. Even my little boy sat proudly on his horse and rode it around in a circle, This was the first time he was not afraid of being on a horse by himself. And of course Amelia looked like an old pro on her pony (she reminds me a lot of myself when I rode horses as a teenager). Yeehaw!

 

The next day, Amelia's preschool sang at their church so we attended the service there. Her preschool exists for 25 years and the teachers are all great. They have 13 staff members and 48 children this year. But most importantly, Amelia loves her school and her teacher, Ms. Susan.

Last Saturday, October 24, my kids were invited to celebrate their friend Dori's 2nd birthday with a party at a local park. Again, the weather was just perfect and the decorations and activities for the party were beautiful and so fitting for a fall birthday. Happy Birthday, Dori!

A face painter was at hand too and Amelia decided to get a scary spider painted on to her face. It looked great.

After the party we went home for a quick nap since there was a fall festival at our church that same afternoon. They had lots of fun games, a hay ride, bounce house, hot dogs, popcorn and of course prices; fun for young and old:

The kids slipped in to their Halloween costumes, a dragon and a bumble bee, and even I got in on the action too: 

 

But the highlight of the afternoon was Trunk-or- Treat, where people opened up their decorated trunks, and handed out candy. Elliot didn't know what to think of it in the beginning (last year he was too little for trick-or treating) but he grasped the concept very quickly and loved collecting candies in his bag (and tasting them, with wrapper or without).

The festival was fun but it was even better that our friends were there too. Amelia with Eva and Noah with Elliot:

While the men chatted away, we girls took selfies: Betsy Jo and myself, dressed as a witch;

Fall is so much fun. And this week, we are in to all the Halloween activities and parties. The kids are looking forward to go trick or treating on Saturday. 

Family Time at Lake Norman

From Thursday thru Sunday, Derrick's parents and his brothers were renting a cabin at the lake and as soon as we got back on Friday from our trip to Asheville, we joined them there. We took the boat out to the lake and while the men went fishing (from the pier and the boat), the women enjoyed the beautiful lake view and hanging out around the house. 

 

The fact that the house sat right on the lake and had a great pier to walk on, was perfect for soaking in the last warm and sunny days.

 The kids were all excited to see grandma and grandpa again and to play with their uncles and aunt. 

On our way home (only a 25 minute drive) that night, we saw some hot air balloons land on a field and we had to stop and check it out. There was a balloon festival going on that weekend, so we saw quite a few balloons in the sky. 

The next day, after visiting a fall festival in the morning, we came back out to the lake house and enjoyed a wonderful afternoon and evening with the family. Despite the language barrier (my mom doesn't speak much English and no one else speaks German), we all had a great time and got along fabulous. The best part was being out on the boat, one last time before the season is over. 

And then there was the food, wine and fellowship, making lasting memories for the years to come. 

Sunset over Lake Norman: 

To finish the day off, we made S'mores in the fire pit and watched a firework on the lake. 

I'm glad we were able to all meet up and be together as time spent with family is worth every second, especially since my mom was here to join in on the fun. A great weekend to remember!