Hello Fall!

Hello to my most favorite time of the year!

Andy and I celebrated our 19th anniversary at the end of September. The actual date was a pretty busy day, so we went out to dinner the following Friday. It was just a simple, low-key dinner at Panera. For our 20th anniversary next year, we'll splurge a little more. 

Mabel is happy that fireplace season is here! 

Graydon had his first band concert this past week. He is really motivated musically. He's been learning the saxophone over the past two months and he recently bought a used trombone with his own money so he could start teaching himself to play that instrument. I am so proud of all the time and effort he puts in to learning his music. 

It might be hard to tell in this photo, but he also recently got his bottom row of braces put on. 

Curtis was feeling left out of the picture-taking, so we got one of him too! 

I decided to treat the boys to ice cream after the concern. (Bella was at basketball and Andy was doing a cleanse - so no ice cream for him). On the way there, Graydon decided that he wanted chicken strips instead. We pulled up to DQ and tried to go inside, but the dining room closed at 7pm. It was 7:01pm. AND, there was a sign on the door that said they were out of chicken strips due to a national shortage. Long story short, we ended up at Burger King.

A young couple from our church got married last night. It was a beautiful wedding and a fun evening. One of our friends was helping DJ and she snapped this photo of us dancing. I didn't realize she was taking a photo until just after it was snapped - so that's the explanation for my face! 

 

Brocktoberfest

Brocktoberfest is back! 

Our family hasn't celebrated Brocktoberfest for three years. It used to be held at my Grandma's farm. After she sold it, there just wasn't a great spot that felt right. Then, my uncle and cousins went and bought their own farm and it is so perfect for this celebration!

Hammerschlagen is always a big hit!

 

Lots of rides throughout the evening. 

Branko loved petting the sheep and he even gave a few kisses.

One big hayride for everyone! 

Brockhaus family picture! Not everyone could make it, but it is sure fun to have Brocktoberfest back! 

Labor Day Weekend

The boys were supposed to play their first flag football game of the season that Saturday morning, but the weather wasn't cooperating and the game was canceled. Curtis was disappointed. He has been so excited to be on a team sport and was really excited for that first game. Later that morning when the weather cleared up, we decided to have our own football game. 

A new coffee shop opened up in Columbus. We like to support locally-owned businesses (and treat ourselves to some delicious drinks), so we took a little family visit. 

After church the next day, we took a mini-vacation to an Indiana State Park: Spring Mill. 

We did a bit of hiking on this trip. I've discovered in recent years that hiking is something I really enjoy. If we had more hills nearby, I'd do this more often. Instead, I go for daily walks. 

He gambled here. . . and he lost. Wet feet for the rest of the hike! 

So he just embraced it and got more wet.

We're a pretty colorful group. 

There were some ping pong competitions. Both guys have got their game faces on! 

We watched a Harry Potter movie that evening. Bella was so happy all cozied up in a big blanket.

The next morning, we ordered breakfast and ate it poolside. I didn't bring my camera with me, so no photos from that. The pool was heated and was an indoor/outdoor pool - you just had to swim under a half wall from one side to the other. The water was so warm that even I got in. And we had the whole pool to ourselves. It was the perfect way to start our day. 

After we checked out of the inn, we did some more hiking. This time, we hiked to the pioneer village and spent some time exploring the buildings and the old spring mill. 

Curtis looks a little worn out. 

This family time together was so nice. Time seemed to move just a little bit slower while we were there. Even though we were only gone for one night, it felt like we had more time together than that. Of course, I was a little sad to the morning after we got home and we all had to go our separate ways. Quality family time together will always be my favorite.