Our Week - The One with Grandparent’s Day, Pumpkins at Callaway, and Spirit Halloween

Last week was a great one, and the recap is coming right up!

Monday, September 12

Monday was blog and laundry day, so I dropped the kids at school and then headed straight home to get to work after a quick stop at Walmart for Grandparent’s Day supplies.  I wrapped up three blog posts and started another one, and I also knocked out four loads of laundry, so it was a successful day.

After school, Jacob and I dropped Olivia at dance, and then we headed straight to his piano lesson.  Since his golf matches were scheduled for Thursdays, we had to move his piano lessons to Monday for a few weeks, and this was our first week with that change.

After piano, Jacob and I headed home, and I worked on dinner (that had already been started in the slow cooker), and Brian picked Olivia up from dance when she got out.  We all had dinner together, and then Olivia worked on homework, and then while the kids showered, I got in a 2-mile jog/walk. 

Once everyone was ready for bed, we watched an episode of Nailed It, and then after the kiddos went to bed, B and I resumed our Vampire Diaries binge after two days without it!

Tuesday, September 13

Tuesday was Grandparent’s Day at the kids’ school for the high schoolers and middle schoolers, and I was co-chair for the committee, so I hit the ground running!  I dropped the kids at school first, headed to a different Walmart to grab more napkins since the other one hadn’t had everything that I needed on Monday, and then I made a quick stop at UPS to drop a package before heading to the donut shop to pick up 60 dozen donuts.  The whole back of my car was full of donut-y goodness!

I got to the school and met up with a few other ladies who were helping out, and we greeted all of the grandparents as they came into the church.  Once all of the kiddos had located their grandparents in the church and Mass started, the ladies and I headed to the courtyard to set up for the reception. 

The weather on Tuesday was absolutely GLORIOUS!!!!  We woke up to 61 degrees – the first time in the 60’s since, probably, April – so we were glad that we’d decided to host the reception in the courtyard.  It was a perfect sunny, clear day with bright blue skies, a light breeze, and the perfect chill in the air.  Yes ma’am!

Everything ended up going well, and after the shindig was over, I helped clean up and then I hit the road.  I had a couple of hours before I had to pick up the kids, so I headed home to eat lunch, get caught up on blog reading, and do some more laundry.

After school, the kids got some homework done and then Jacob and I dropped Olivia at dance, and then we headed back home so I could start cooking dinner.  B grabbed Olivia from dance when she got out, and then we all sat down to eat together.

Tuesday is Olivia’s late dance day, so by the time dinner was done and everything was cleaned up, it was time for the kiddos to get ready for bed.  I took Maui for a short walk and did an arms workout while they did that, and then we started watching the finale of America’s Got Talent. 

Much to the kids’ dismay, we sent them both to bed just before 9 (they hated not being able to watch the whole finale live, but it went until 10 and that’s just too late) and then B and I watched an episode of Vampire Diaries before bed.

Wednesday, September 14

Wednesday morning, I dropped the kiddos at school and then headed straight to Target to live my best fall life.  I was in search of pumpkins for the front porch, and I found them!!  On the way in, I stopped by Starbucks so I could be even more basic and walk around with my pumpkin spice latte, and y’all, THEY WERE OUT OF PUMPKIN SPICE.  Are you even Starbucks if you don’t have PSL ingredients in mid-September?!  It was a bit of a disappointment, but when I got home, I had a couple of pumpkin snacks with my hot cinnamon tea to make up for it.  ;o)

Anyway, back to Target – I feel like this year their Halloween section is bigger and better than ever and they had SO MUCH good stuff.  I had to have some serious restraint to not buy all the things, and instead, I just stuck to what I was there for – pumpkins for the front porch, and stuff for our annual spooky Halloween dinner.  Yes, I’m already crossing stuff off the list for late October!

After Target, I headed home and worked for a bit in my office, and then I did a few things around the house – more laundry, some fall porch decorating, and some photographing for the blog.  I got a text from my brother Wednesday morning, and he sent me some pictures of Olivia's "Flat Stanley" playing in the International Space Station simulation room at NASA.  

After school, we didn’t have anywhere to be – Wednesday is our low-key day! – so we hung out at home all afternoon.  Both kids did homework and then they spent the rest of the afternoon playing.  We all ate dinner together when B got home, and then we spent the evening in the back yard.  Jacob practiced chipping and then he and Olivia played frisbee for a bit.

While they got ready for bed, I ran a couple of miles, and the weather was just amazing!!  Last week we had a few cool nights as well as low humidity levels, so the evenings were not only bearable, but nice!

When I got back home, we finished America’s Got Talent and then B and I ended our evening with a Vampire Diaries.   

Thursday, September 15

Thursday was Grandparent’s Day, round two, so I had to be at the school at 8:45.  I had about an hour to kill after I dropped them off, so I headed to Starbucks – one just opened right down the street from their school!! – and I finally got my first PSL of the season.  #basic

After that, I picked up 70 dozen donuts from our local donut shop, and then I headed to the school.  My friend, Becky, and I co-chaired Grandparent’s Day together, so she and I stood outside the church to greet all of the grandparents as they came in, and then all of the sweet little kiddos walked over to the church from school.

My parents and in-laws all attended, and they were able to sit with Olivia during Mass.  Once they were all settled in the church, the four of us ladies who worked on Grandparent’s Day headed to my car to load all of the donuts and napkins into a couple of wagons so we could deliver them to the classrooms.

Olivia was chosen to read during Mass, so once the donuts were loaded up, I popped back into the church sanctuary just in time to see her read, and after I gave her a thumbs up and blew her kisses, I snuck out and walked back over to the school. 

The ladies and I got all of the donuts delivered to the classrooms, and then Becky and I headed back over to the church to thank everyone for coming and direct the grandparents to the school as they were exiting the church.  My Momma took a few pictures in Olivia's classroom and they're just so cute!

I had a meeting at the school after that was over, and Becky and I were asked to chair the Reindeer Run fundraiser for this year.  After accepting, we met with the president and principals and director of fundraising to discuss our plans.  I was on the committee last year as well, so I’m hoping that planning for this year will be a breeze!

By the time I got home, it was after 12, so B and I ate a quick lunch together and then I retreated to my office to get a few things done, and I also had a long phone convo with my momma. 

After school, the kids and I headed home, and then the boys headed off to Jacob’s golf match while Olivia and I headed off to voice lessons.  After voice lessons were over, she and I headed home to get dinner ready, and then we all sat down to eat together when Brian and Jacob came home. 

Jacob improved his overall score by one stroke last week, and he got a bogey on one hole which he was thrilled about!  The kids on our team tee off in small groups of 2-3, and Jacob was second place out of their group of three.  So, it was a small improvement overall from his first match! 

After dinner, the kids got showered and ready for bed, I did an arms workout and then we watched some more of the AGT finale results show, sent the kids to bed, and then watched another Vampire Diaries before heading to bed a little earlier than usual.  I was exhausted Thursday!

Friday, September 16

Friday, I had nowhere to be, so I dropped the kids at school and headed straight back home to work on blog stuff and tie up a bunch of loose ends around the house.  After school, we all headed straight home and got changed and into some festive attire because… it was Pumpkins at Callaway night!!

Callaway Gardens is quite a haul from our house, so the second B shut down his laptop, we were loading up in the car to make the drive.  When we arrived, we basically had the place all to ourselves.  We were the first of our friends to arrive, so our family of four walked around to take in the sights, and we also scoped out the food trucks to see what options there were for dinner.  We also watched an entertainer on a unicycle and he was just the best!!

My friend, Jeannine, and her family were running a little bit behind, so when my friend, Khristina, and her son arrived, we hit the ground running.  First up, the kids all wanted to scope out the pumpkin forest so we could see it during the daylight, and then we spent some time in the big tent where they had added some games this year.  The kids played games for a while and then we headed back outside to get dinner.

Jeannine and her family pulled up right as we were coming out, so it was perfect timing.  B and I grabbed some beers and corndogs and chicken fingers and sweet potato fries for our family, and then we met back up with everyone else to eat. 

The weather was absolutely PERFECT Friday afternoon and evening… the temperature was in the 70’s, and miraculously, the humidity was still low.  It was also opening night for Pumpkins at Callaway, and there were surprisingly very few people there all night, so we couldn’t have picked a better night to go.  It was just perfect all the way around.

After dinner, we snapped a few more pictures at the main area, and then we jumped on the trolley to take a sunset ride around the lake to the corn maze.  The corn maze was new this year, so we were all excited to try it out.  I wasn’t sure what to expect – I basically expected it to be in the middle of nowhere with nothing else around – but it was so nice – in addition to the corn maze, there were a couple of shops and food trucks and twinkle lights everywhere and the grounds were just beautiful.  They also had music playing, and every few songs, they sprinkled in a Halloween song.  There’s nothing like walking through a corn maze to Thriller by Michael Jackson on a cool night!  ;o)

We arrived at the corn maze at sunset, so it was just the perfect time, too.  The Callaway employees handed papers and crayons to the kids on the way in, and their goal was to find all of the little stops in the corn maze to complete a scavenger hunt.  We ended up hitting up all but one (I think??) and they were able to get their paper mostly completed. 

The corn maze was HUGE and there was a bailout path right in the middle in case anyone got tired and didn’t want to make it all the way through, but when we reached the middle, the kids decided to keep on going, and we ended up making it out!  I wish I’d looked at the time when we went in, but I want to say it took us about 30 minutes to make our way through?

By the time we finished the corn maze it was almost dark, so we hit up the shaved ice truck so the kids could get treats, and then we took the trolley back to the main area so we could see all of the pumpkins at night.

We watched the big pumpkin tower performance, walked through the tunnel of lights, walked through the pumpkin forest again, and then ended the evening with a dance party in the dance area.  On the way out, we stopped in the tent one more time for a group picture, and then we hit the road to make the drive back home. 

By the time we got home, it was laaaate, so the kids went straight to bed, and then B and I grabbed a bowl of ice cream and watched an episode of Vampire Diaries to wind down before bed.

Saturday, September 17

Saturday morning, we slept in a bit, made some homemade waffles for breakfast, and then Brian and Jacob headed off to play a round of golf, while Olivia and I had a lazy morning at home together. 

She and I snuggled up on the couch and went through all of our pictures from Pumpkins at Callaway while we watched ESPN College GameDay, and then after an hour or so of that, she busted out the crafts!  Haha. 

She received a string art craft a couple of years ago as a gift, and it was too complicated for her to do at the time, so I ended up doing most of it for her.  She had a second one in that same box (that’s been sitting in the play room for two years), and she wanted to give it a go since she’s a bit older and more coordinated.  This time, she was able to do almost all of it herself!  She just needed me to help her tie it off at each stopping point.

By the time she had finished that, the boys were home, and it was time to turn on the Georgia vs. South Carolina game.  While we watched the game, we ate a light lunch, I did a stair stepper workout, I did all of the meal planning for the next couple of weeks, and I got my planning done for the week ahead.  We whooped South Carolina, so the game didn’t require my complete attention.

We watched the first half of the Auburn vs. Penn State game while we got ready, and then we headed off to 5:30 Mass.  After Mass, it was dinner with my parents at our favorite local pub, and then we swung by DQ to get Pumpkin Pie Blizzards.  When we got there, B and I saw that they had a Blizzard called Cinnamon Roll Centers, and we opted for that one instead since we’d never seen that one.  It was SOOOO good.  And now we need to go back again so we can get Pumpkin Pie!  Haha.

When we got home, we got the kids in the bed, and then B and I watched more football, and I fell asleep on the couch.

 

Sunday, September 18

Sunday morning was cinnamon rolls and two episodes of Nailed It with the kids.  We are loving watching that show together, y’all.  It is laugh out loud funny.  I laughed so hard Sunday morning that I had tears in my eyes.

After that was over, I got in a short yoga stretch workout, and then we all got ready for the day.  

My MIL and step-FIL didn’t cook Sunday lunch, so instead, we headed to a local restaurant down the street from our house.  They had the garage doors open since the weather was nice, and we were able to eat in the open air which we always love.

 

After lunch, we headed to Spirit Halloween and then Target to scope out Halloween costumes.  Jacob found a winner, and Olivia found a potential winner, but we’ll be ordering another costume on Amazon for her to try out and see if she likes that one better since they didn’t have exactly what she wanted elsewhere.  The kids also picked out their haunted gingerbread house kits at Target, and we’ll be building those sometime in the near future, too!

We headed home after that, and we all got prepped for Monday.  The kids tidied up and played video games and I did some work in my office for a bit, and then we went to my parents’ house for Sunday dinner.

My Momma made Santa Fe soup for dinner, and we had chips and salsa and queso from one of our favorite local Mexican restaurants that we’d picked up on the way.  After dinner and dessert, we headed home, got the kiddos in bed, and ended the weekend with an episode of Vampire Diaries and an episode of House of the Dragon.

Happy Tuesday, y’all!