Pumpkin Patch

We spent the night at the cabin and then we went to Schwalliers again. 

 She wasn't too impressed with the baby goats.

It is an apple orchard with a pumpkin patch too. You can get fresh cider and fresh donuts. They have a corn maze, hay ride (orchard tour), cow train (behind a fast quad, not just a lawn mower!), a hay fort/maze, a huge tube slide, petting animals, and lots of things I'm forgetting that are geared for all ages. It was definitely worth revisiting. Their whole store is in the lower part of the barn and the upper part is for birthday parties - so neat! They have this sign up that looks very official that says something like "for your safety and to ensure that you don't catch any germs: don't touch anything and wash your hands immediately". Kinda funny right next to the petting zoo area. Ha ha, made this farm girl laugh; imagine all the stuff I was "exposed" to growing up. 

Golfing on a bog

at least that's what it felt and looked like! The ball would splash when it hit the ground. Apparently Borculo received a lot of rain earlier that week. 

 We headed out with Derek's middle sister and her husband to do some golfing

 Dan and Sarah

Wedding Day!

It was a beautiful October day when Derek's youngest sister Elizabeth got married. Most of the photos speak for themselves. 

 We were all three in the wedding party: flower girl, groomsman, and matron of honor. 

 We all threw on coats between photos. Perfect crisp day! 

 We wore these for a few photos, but not in the wedding. 

Great Grandpa & Great Grandma Boeve

Great Grandpa & Great Grandma Wright

  ripping up the dance floor

foreshadowing?

Pink and Black

I didn't have to go very far for this party. We hosted it right at my house. Derek and Abbi had a daddy/daughter date. (psst. I heard they ran around Menards looking in all the empty kitchen cabinets. Seems to be a favorite things lately). 

Elizabeth and Sarah

 Anywho, we had a merry time, ate some good stuff, laughed a lot, and celebrated our sister soon-to-be-bride. 

"Just Married"

Down by the river...

...there is a little cabin with a charcoal grill waiting to be used

 with a deck and picnic table wanting to be climbed on

 and a boat that is wishing to be taken down that river. 

Good thing there's a guy willing to run the 5 miles back to get the car and trailer after our boat ride...

Middlebury, IN

We drove down to Middlebury, IN with Derek's parents, sister, and grandparents to have lunch at Das Essenhaus. Always good food, family style. 

 The grounds are always so pretty (during any season) and it was good for a toddler to run around. 

 They have lots of little shops with neat stuff. The Amish make some quality stuff I tell you. 

Art Prize 2011

It was one of those unseasonably warm October days when we decided to wander around downtown GR for Art Prize. We had a fun evening and Abbi liked watching all the people.

 This truck was so cool! Someday maybe she will have her own Tonka trucks to play with in the sandbox.

 We ate at The Dog Pit by Rosa Parks Circle.

 She LOVED riding the escalator and did it many times. She may have even thrown a small fit when we had to walk away.

 The coolest garden full of water bottle flowers!

Crane's Apple Orchard

One sunny afternoon in mid-October Abbi and I headed down to Crane's in Fennville with Aunt Elizabeth and Grandma and Grandpa Wright.We picked some apples and then ate dinner in their little restaurant.

 She was hamming it up in the car...

 She loved eating the apples. She wanted to just take one bite though and throw it down to get another so we had to watch her closely.

A "trunk" for an American Girl Doll

My niece was planning on getting an American Girl Doll for her birthday a few weeks ago. I knew she'd be getting various outfits as gifts too so I thought she should have a place to store her clothes.

They have these cute wardrobes for the dolls:

I decided (since I was short on time and budget to order one and have it shipped) that I would make her one. I found a nice, hard suitcase from a thrift store and jazzed it up with some paint.

 It has little pockets for store accessories and straps to hold your doll inside.

 It even has a secret compartment!

After I gifted this I saw this on Pinterest: 

I guess my idea wasn't so original...