Menards, Boys Day, Combine Ride

We are officially in our fall routine! The weather has been pretty perfect (minus the major windstorm we had this past weekend that knocked out power for thousands in our area)...not warm but not cold with just a small chill in the air. John is still plugging along with harvest and the kids and I are working through all our regular stuff along with the excitement that is known as Halloween!! We literally talk about halloween every single day and cannot wait for the festivities! 

We've had a pretty busy couple of weeks, so here are some snapshots of what we've been up to.

Johnny snatched my phone....I love how his feet are in all of his pictures....

Spooky Movie Party @ The Okos'...ALWAYS a fall favorite! We have pizza, a "spooky" snack and watch a couple halloween movies! 

Just a normal trip to Menards for salt pellets

Mrs. Kelley went to have lunch with Charlotte at school and sent me this picture....Mellany got to join them and said it was the very best part of her day! 

BOYS DAY!!! Simon came home with us one day after preschool and spent the whole afternoon with us. We watched "Mighty Machines", made "Monster Mix" and played with just about every tractor in the house I think! When the girls got out of school, Charlotte got to ride the bus home with Mellany. All 5 kids could hardly contain their excitement at the bus stop! 

Love these moments! 

Purdue has a Christian Ministry program that is run by our friends we met at Calvary. Twice a semester they host a parents night out where you drop off the kiddos and have a date night. This past Friday was the most recent PNO and our kids couldn't stop talking about how much fun they had. Kelley sent me these pics that I'm assuming were posted on facebook and it definitely confirms they were having a great time. 

Tablet time! 

Reading through his new bible

These pictures almost deserve a post of its own....this past weekend our friend Jon let the Barretts invade his farm for a combine ride!!!!! Johnny had been asking about riding in Mr. Jon's combine since day 1 of harvest and it was finally time! To say he had the best time ever was an understatement! John said that Mellany was totally content and loved spotting the rocks in the field, Charlie was silent for the majority of the time except for the occasional "look dad", and Johnny didn't stop talking. Ever. I don't think anybody was surprised by his nonstop talking though....haha! 

Patiently waiting....

A little lesson on beans...

I know I say this all the time but we are so blessed to have such amazing friends! 

Johnny is finally starting to get the hang of his homework. We have reached the point of no crying and I think he actually enjoys cutting out all the pictures!! This is a HUGE improvement from when we started this process. 

Johnny's photography.... :)

Salon Day, Gammy Visits, A Goat Show & Tell

There's just a lot of randomness here lately. Harvest is here and John has been in higher demand to be at facilities this year which is sad for us but definitely part of the job. Hopefully the weather cooperates and harvest will move quickly without any further incidents/issues. In the meantime, the kids and I are keeping busy with school, ballet, bible study, small group, the gym, and all the events and errands in-between. 

Here's what we've been up to lately! Enjoy! 

Two cool dudes! These boys have become such good buddies with Mellany at school during the day. 

Our neighbor from our "old" neighborhood had her baby girl and we were finally healthy enough to go visit her. Johnny didn't really have any interest in holding her but Charlie was all about it. I'm not sure how my baby is this big though!! I feel like he was just this tiny yesterday!  

Mellany had our morning at the salon a couple weeks ago and one of the owners daughters came to spend the morning too coincidentally. She is 9 and her and Mellany love pretty much all the same things. They colored outside with sidewalk chalk, played on their tablets, had lunch together in the back room and even got put to work dusting. (Mellany was sooooo excited to earn $1.) Needless to say, I got ditched; but I was totally ok with it. 

Gammy came to visit over Mellany's birthday!! Sadly, I did a terrible job and only took this one picture (I guess I was too busy enjoying all the moments...). 

While she was here we ventured to the mall, got Johnny's halloween costume, read books, played outside, ate/played at McDonalds and Chic-Fil-A, Gammy took Mellany on a special shopping trip, went for walks and celebrated Mellany's birthday. It was a fantastic week and we were bummed when it was time for Gammy to leave. We always enjoy a visit from Gammy (or any family/friend for that matter) and it takes us all several days to not be so sad....If you ask Gammy though, I think she was probably ready to get home to her quiet and get some rest-this crew can be pretty exhausting and overwhelming!

Best buddies leaving school

Big boy with his headphones

While Mellany is at school she likes to leave someone in charge of taking care of her puppy, doll, etc. On this particular day, Charlie was in charge. He did a really great job...he's giving the puppy a drink in this picture....maybe we really are ready for a pet?! 

Charlie is doing really well and seems to be enjoying his Wednesday mornings at preschool. He usually cries when I drop him off but they say as soon as I leave he's totally fine.....so apparently he's just wanting to make his mama feel bad for leaving him. They have done some super cute crafts, are playing outside a ton because the weather has been really great, singing songs (most of which Charlie sings when he gets home but I can't figure out what they are) and playing with all the toys during free play (the cars are his favorite--I know this because he is always showing them to me when I pick him up). I just love the picture below with the 4 boys enthralled with the garbage truck!

Johnny is really enjoying preschool too! He is learning so much not just with letters, numbers, etc. but with skills like sitting during circle time, walking in a line, etc. He always comes home with such good things to say about school and that makes my heart so happy. (He's in the back row with his hand up in this picture. )

One of the little boys in Johnny's class brought a goat for show and tell. It was an absolute hit with Johnny! I am dying over the picture on the right for two reasons: #1: Simon's face and #2: Johnny picking his nose! Definitely one to keep for graduation! 

Reading tractor house that Mr. Jon gave the boys. I'm not sure which Barrett boy is enjoying it more though. 

Wal-Mart grocery pickup is always better with friends. This happens more often than not....it just seems that Kelley and I's schedules are pretty much the same. This was a Sunday after church....and when you live 15 minutes+ from town, you pick up groceries after church before you head home. 

Sunday afternoon at the library!

Playing with her color changing cutie cars she got for her birthday. She's watching them change colors as well as seeing which pieces float and which ones don't. She played with these for a large portion of the afternoon/evening this past Sunday. 

Watching daddy clean the tractor. 

HAPPY THURSDAY!