Visit from Grandpa

Everyone was very excited because Grandpa Stata was flying in for the weekend to visit us and watch Johnathan play flag football for the Cougars.  As it turned out, Grandpa's visit came at a rather tumultuous time, as I experienced a sudden and frightening pregnancy complication, and began what would become two weeks of partial bedrest.  So Grandpa was put right to work, herding the kids and more.  Here's a picture of a quick game of Headbands they played.  They also saw Johnathan play, went to the children's museum, rode bikes outside, and went to church.  It was a short but sweet visit.

And One More Little Punkin

Every Boaz kids gets his or her own pumpkin, so we'd added one more to the line...

The little one carved with a heart is for a new Baby Boaz in the works, due next June!

You're the size of a blueberry right now, but we love you already.

Three Little Punkins

Time to carve up those pumpkins!

 Johnathan commissioned Daddy to creat this cool cougar.  He's nuts about predators these days.

 Mom made Naomi this dolphin.  She wanted a trainer, too, but her artist didn't feel like she could pull that one off.

Here's Ezra's name/running baby design.

Pumpkin Patch

Time to pick the perfect pumpkin...

 ...and the perfect pumpkin picture!

What's So Funny?

Don't know what they're reading, but it must be good!

Butterflies and More

Always looking for a good field trip opportunity, we visited the Butterfly Palace and Rainforest on our trip to Branson.  The rainforest was full of free-flying butterflies.

 And they didn't just have butterflies - Naomi and Johnathan were thrilled to find a basilisk lizard, because we just read about those for science!

 The big kids got up close and personal with the butterflies using magnifying glasses and binoculars.

 Ezra was just happy to tromp around in freedom and push this bee ride-on toy.  He led us on a merry chase through the paths!

What's that on my head? 

Branson

We took a fun fall getaway to rendezvous with Grandma and Grandpa Boaz and Aunt Karla in Branson, Missouri.  We stayed a a pretty B&B right on Lake Branson.  Ever eaten breakfast on formal china with a 16 month old in your lap?  It's an adventure!  But we survived and managed somehow to not break anything, though the sweet lady's dining room floor may never be the same!

The kids loved playing on the double swing and "sketching" rocks on the lake.

 We had a wonderful time checking out the town,

 hanging out with our family,

and we made it to a few shows, too. 

The big one we wanted to see was Sight and Sound's Noah: The Musical.  It was amazing, with a wrap-around stage that opened up so that it was as if we were inside the ark, filled with real and animatronic animals.  Even Ezra made it all the way through the show, with the help of multiple snacks!  Kevin and the big kids also went to a Chinese circus, which inspired Naomi and Johnathan to tumble their way through the rest of the week.