Happy Halloween 2024!

We  had such amazing and unseasonably warm weather for Halloween this year! Albion and the surrounding areas set heat records on multiple days that week. The boys had lots of fun as usual. We started out with carving pumpkins for the porch, then Beggar's Night downtown!

For Halloween night Nick loaded up the bowl with candy to hand out, and I took the boys on our usual loop around the block. There were a ton of kids out, and Nick ran out of candy within an hour!

No jackets needed!

Brad got tired of us lagging behind, so I let him go off on his own for the first time! I told him just not to get lost or killed haha! He was successful. I got back with Jacob around 7, and Brad came back around 7:45. They were both exhausted but enjoyed their hard earned candy.

Another holiday in the books! Now I've got the turkeys up, and a calendar full of craft shows to keep me busy.

Fall Fun

Autumn is such a beautiful time in western NY! I wish the season lasted longer, but I've been trying to get out and enjoy all the vivid colors and scenery around while I can.

Last week my friend Christina and I headed down to Letchworth State Park which is never disappointing! The fall colors were on full show there, and since it was a weekday afternoon it was much less crowded than it typically would have been. We brought snacks, drinks, chairs, and even a hammock to enjoy the afternoon! Look at that view.....

After walking around the park and seeing all the waterfalls, she took me on a scenic drive through the country. We also stopped at an apple stand for cider slushies! YUM.

On a different afternoon Nick and I headed off to the Albion cemetery to walk the trails there and wow did the trees there put on a show! Beautiful colors and scenes everywhere we looked, and the spooky mood of Halloween greeted us as well....

The boys are carving their pumpkins tonight, and tomorrow is trick or treating!! Thankfully the weather will be unseasonably warm so hopefully we can leave the coats at home.

I also managed to finally get some nice family photos!! These boys are growing so fast.

Family Getaway to West Virginia

This year we never really took a family vacation (I'm NOT counting Oklahoma, as that is not a vacation for us...) so before the year was I up I was able to squeeze in a 3 night trip over the past holiday weekend! I wanted to share the beauty and serenity of West Virginia with my boys, and they were not disappointed.

I found an amazing vacation home nestled in the mountains that was perfect for us: hot tub, game room, fireplace, balcony, and breathtaking views. The cherry on top was the spectacular fall foliage gracing the hills around us. It made the drive down there scenic as well!

We made it to the ski town of Snowshoe just before dinner time on Fri evening and as the boys unloaded the car, I got dinner going in the kitchen. I had planned delicious home cooked meals for each day were there so we didn't have to stress about finding somewhere to eat.

That Friday evening we enjoyed our first mountain sunset from the spacious living room.

We had lazy mornings with coffee and breakfast as we all just took our time waking up for the day. I brought a couple of {large} books with me that kept me quite entertained in the comfy chairs.

I found a couple of easy hikes that we could all do, and we were blessed with perfect weather for the weekend! After lunch on Saturday we headed out for a few hours to hike Red Spruce Knob trail in Marlington, WV. This short trail led us up thru forests and hills to a scenic view of the valley.

On the way back we stopped at some more scenic overlooks for even more views!

We spent the rest of that day relaxing in the house. For dinner that night we built a big fire and roasted chili dogs! For dessert of course we made smores. The sun gave us another amazing show as it lowered behind the mountains...

The next day we spent another lazy morning relaxing, then after lunch we headed for another short hike. This one was in Snowshoe and winded around Shavers Lake there. It wound thru fields and forests and was a lovely nature walk on a beautiful day.

We spent our last evening there with a yummy meatloaf dinner and some competitive air hockey in the game room. Me and the boys enjoyed a night time dip in the hot tub before they retired to their own rooms, and I continued reading my book by the fireplace. After breakfast and some quick packing the next morning, we headed out and returned home Monday evening in time for dinner in our own home! Cuddles was happy to see us come back.

Everyone loved West Virginia and I'm sure we'll be returning in the near future....