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Naturally, we headed down to the Grand Ole Pumpkin Patch this year for some pumpkin patch fun. It took longer to get down there than expected, so our actual time at the patch was a little short. But, we still had a great time scouting out our pumpkins. Samantha and I walked the whole place looking for the perfect pumpkin, while Ellie was content with a graham cracker in her hand.

Hm. Which one?

(This was originally posted a while ago, but got partially lost in the hard drive crash.  I’m just getting around to fixing and reposting.)

My granddad’s 80th birthday party was at the Lake this year.  It was lots of food, family, and great weather.  Even though the day started out with a major mishap involving a blueberry pie, I think all the evidence has been cleaned up by now.

And check out this great picture from Lizzie’s blog.  Boy, Sam sure does love pumpkins.  I guess it’s good that she’s an October baby.

We tried to get a family picture today.  This about sums up the morning.  (This picture has not been cropped.) I think we have entered the phase when it’s easier to hire a photographer.

This is something that I’ve wanted to do since college. I just didn’t know how to go about doing it.

There are great organizations like Engineers Without Borders and Water For People, among others. I didn’ t know about them until the last few years. I only knew about the PeaceCorps, and I wasn’t sure I was up for that. (Now, UA has a chapter of Engineers Without Borders. I’m jealous of current students who are able to participate.) This summer, I worked alongside a group from AmeriCorps rebuilding a Habitat for Humanity house destroyed by the April tornadoes. It sounded like a great organization too!

I now have the opportunity through Liscomb University and my work to go to Guatemala and help install a water system for the people of the Ulpan Valley. The plan is to go in January, and I’m really excited. I’m also really nervous. I’ve obviously never done anything like this before so I don’t know what to expect. I’ve also never been away from my kids for 10 days.

As a side, if anyone would like to contribute to my trip, I will happily accept donations!

I think I broke my toe yesterday. It hurt. I cried. Brian says I’m not to put a picture of it on the website. (You can thank him later.)

Happy Father’s Day.