Punk'in Carv'in, 2014 edition...

With the acquisitions of pumpkins, comes carving the bad boys. 

This was a great joy of childhood which I indicated in last years post, which sadly, includes Uncle Frank who  is no longer with us...

Today, this is not much more then a messy chore.  That's where my sister, delightful Aunt Doris, comes in!

She is wildly artistic in life as you can experience one creative outlet here, but also is a great aunt who likes to be involved in her nieces and nephews lives.  She enjoys carving pumpkins and as such, likes to do so with our boys.

The varmints, cleaning out their respective gourds from the pumpkin patch.

The deed being accomplished with Caleb, who was eager and willing, and Robby who was more interested in describing what he wanted to Doris and then approving her work during a commercial in the football games.  He'll make a great manager some day!!!

Aunt Doris and her subjects for a day.

Robert James with his pumpkin.

Caleb RongBo with his pumpkin.  I really truly love it when a camera gets the rare opportunity to actually capture the mood of the moment.  In this case, pure joy!

Pumpkin' Patch Kids

Another Fall has brought another trip to the pumpkin patch. For a few years in a row now, we've fallen prey to the most local of the patches since we usually spend 2 - 3 hours there and some of them are roughly an hour away.  That eats a significant portion of a Saturday, real quick.

So this year, as well as the two preceding it, we ended up at Giesler Farms which is located between Bondurant and Elkhart, immediately East of Ankeny, Ia.

The corn maze is always fun, that is, if you've slept the previous night!

They have many other "things" there that are fun for various ages.  Robby, I have a feeling, is beginning to discover that he is "aging out" of the pumpkin patch excitement somewhat, but he still had fun.

The beginning of the maize maze, Robby and Caleb are "leading" us at this point.

Having located one of the 20 numbered posts, they're punching their cards to get their free gift once you find all 20.

Robby pondering how to cross one of the muddier sections...

After the corn maze, the boys enjoyed themselves on the very large, and new this year, slide.  This thing is awesome.

The corn pit.

These are the kinds of go-carts kids should have. Pedals!!

Trying to race, but Robby wasn't have much success on keeping his racer moving.

Into the tumbling device!

The great pumpkin...

The boys, posing with their very large pumpkins after Robby got himself folded up into the wagon.  I was pulling them back to the area where we pay for our gourds, and I said to a giggling Caleb, "Dad needs a rest.  Let me get in there and you pull me.".  To which he replied, "Daddy, that would be difficult". 

And so another year has passed...

Next up, carving those bad boys with Aunt Doris!

Creative Use Of Bleacher Seats

It's sort of hard to figure out whats going on here, but Caleb is on Dad's new bleacher seat, laid on it's back, playing his kindle (Minecraft) using a waterproof Nerf football as his pillow.

Your 2014 (SEP) Superbowl Champions!

So it would seem in a season where Robby went from uber-excited to practice and play, to tentative, to wanting to quit, to tentative, to excited and finally, to actually start to get it, his team lost one game which was technically a tie, but the other team had more yards in OT, so they were awarded a win.  

They ended in first place and were therefore, the #1 seed in the Superbowl.

Who'd they play?  The team who beat them on the tie!  

That team has one of Robby's best friends on it, Noah.  It also has two other boys who always play football with Robby and Noah at recess during the school day.

So, with bragging rights on the line, they squared off again.  Oh, and understand in no uncertain terms that we allow NO bragging whatsoever and figuratively smack his mouth around to the back side of his head if I ever hear it.

Morrison's Rams, Robby's team, won this game 8 - 0.  It was a defensive battle all day long and save for one busted defense in which our teams speedster went 40 yards for a TD, we would have been in OT again!

Not many pictures of the day as I took several videos, but here is one where Robby is lined up on the D-Line.  It's hard to see him, but he's got on bright green socks and is in the 3-point stance.

And a shot of the Superbowl Champs after their hard-fought victory.  That's Robby in the front row, second from the left.

Mans Best Friend, Fishing and a Goat

This fella was in front of me one day on my drive home.  There's no window in the back of the van, which is convenient for the fishing poles to stick out.  The passenger side front window is rolled down in which the small dog is hanging out of.  But best of all, is the goat in the back seat.  That's its head with horns that you can see betwixt the seats.

Class Character Caleb, The hat trick!

The boy has done it again.  

Honestly, I'm not surprised because he is a model student/human being while at school.  His teacher has remarked about how he hasn't had a "count" against him in the first month of school, the only student in her classroom to achieve that. Little did she know, that he hasn't had a count against him either year in Kindergarten as well!  

We told her that at conferences and she was blown away.

I asked Caleb if he's ever had a count, and his reply was, "No daddy, 3 counts and you get letter home. I don't like that."!

That's my boy!!

Calebber getting his 2014-15 CC dog tag.

His teacher congratulating him.

They always have games after the ceremonies and Robby was selected from the 4th grade class to participate.  I'm not sure what that girl in purple is doing to him, but he appears to be listening intently!

The first part of the race, the sitting on your butt, scooter race.

After going underneath the anti-hurdles, a student had to spin around three times with their forehead on the top of the bat.  The dude in the 73 jersey was hardcore in his counting which meant that every team that drew his row, lost the race.

The final stretch!

In past posts about his "characterness", I've included a photo that had the dialog that his teacher wrote about him.  Since I did not do this post immediately, I seem to have lost that piece of paper...

Go Fly A Kite!

With so many devices on which humans can now take pictures, it's no surprise that some get by me. 

These pictures were on G'ma's phone and I loaded them to our computer last month when we took family pics.  Didn't look thru them other than the family photos... until tonight.

This was back in late Spring or early Summer when we were up at G'ma and G'pa's house.  We went over to G'mas sister Karen's house to visit and Marlen had a little surprise for the boys. His kites.

One is the standard run of the mill kite that you would get kids knowing that they would likely soon after have it ruined.  The other was a big daddy of a kite complete with the long tails n' such.

Very cool.

Not as cool was the fact that the wind was very intermittent so while getting the kite up off of the ground was not a huge challenge, keeping it there or elevating it higher, was.

One of the better runs!

Marlin doing the old between the leg flying the kite trick... or something.  That's me in the background with Caleb trying to get the other kite launched.  The big kite fared much better.

And so it went for a while until we all got damp (it was sprinkling on and off too) and tired. 

Vacation Post 12 - Black Hills Caverns

I'll get thru all of these vacation photos yet... you just watch me!

This time we're due West of Rapid City SD at the Black Hills Caverns which are a privately owned enterprise, but wonderfully maintained and quite fun, if I don't say so myself.

On this tour was our party of five, Me, Momma, Robby, Caleb and Aunt Molly joined by another dad and his two kids. One of which could out talk Robby and proved it all the way thru the hike.

This is the bridge over the creek outside of the mouth of the cave entrance...  somewhat obvious.

And we soon start our descent.

Not too many of these types of hairy passages, but it was nice that they did everything in their power to help you maintain your footing.  Note the rubbery mats on the ground around Molly's feet.

That's the back of Mom and Mollys head at the bottom of the photo.  This was the narrowest of all the passages and they also requested that you not touch the wall, which was really hard to adhere too and also really hard on my back. Thankfully, it did not take very long to get thru here.

Not down far enough yet?  Note the railings at the top of the photo. That's where we just came from.

Really cool to see these signs every so often, or at least until it soaked into my thick skull that we now have to go up 225 feet!!

And so the ascent begins...

I don't have many pictures of the ascent because it's a loop inside of the cave.  You go a ways into it before encountering a fork in the road, so to speak.  The first tour goes one direction, and the next tour goes the other direction and then your cross paths roughly half way thru the loop.  Meaning, you see that first part of the cave twice, once while entering, and again while exiting.

Once back with the living, Robby and Molly signed us in the guestbook and are filling out a survey card.

And while they're doing that, Caleb RongBo catches a rest in the old office chair.

Vacation Post 11 - Reptile Gardens (Rapid City, SD)

Today we find ourselves in the fine city of Rapid City, South Dakota. 

We did a few things there, not the least of which was eat at the Fireside Brewery in downtown Rapid City. We also went to the Black Hills Caverns (next post on the docket) and the Reptile Gardens.  Probably not one of my more desired stops, but I do recall being there with my family at one point while I was in High School.  I didn't recall that until we got inside the walls and "stuff" started coming back to me.

I think the boys enjoyed it although Caleb was concerned a few times!

The varmints in front of the giant turtles.

The boys petting one of the giant turtles along with several other lads.

What warrants a concerned look like this from the Chinaman?? 

The snake show!  That's what...  He was revved up once this was over and he realized that he would not perish.

I walked since Molly, Momma and the boys went to the Croc show almost immediately after the snake show.  My back can only take so much metal bleachers.  This fellas job was a bit more tense as he had to be aware of what was coming up behind him and from the sides.  At all times!

Robby in the red sweatshirt petty the baby crocodile.