How are we this close to the end of the year? Holy cow, this year has been barreling by!

We ended up packing this month to the brim with things to do.

We kicked off the month with a quick drive to Adams, TN to Shade Tree Orchard.

They had amazing, homemade apple cider donuts and slushies. We ended up buying a gallon of fresh unpasteurized cider to have when it cools off.

Little Man also had a fun time playing on the farm’s wooden tractor slides and tires.

We were finally able to make it to Home Depot for the kid’s workshop as well. There were significantly more kids there than the Lowes workshops, so Little Man was a bit nervous. Still, he had a good time and made a fun Fire Rescue Boat.

Later that week, we finally celebrated the Mister being promoted to Sergeant First Class on the 5th with a catered lunch and ceremony.

The weekend that followed saw Oktoberfest at Beachhaven Winery. We had great food and enjoyed some nice local beer from Star Spangled Brewing Co.

Little Man also attended his Lowe’s DIY Kids Workshop and built a fire truck.

We took some family photos at an old tobacco drying barn, courtesy of The Lovely Rose Photography and Design Co as always.

For some nostalgia in our lives, we bought Little Man his very first Happy Meal from McDonald’s when they released the Halloween buckets.

We packed the last beautiful weekends with pumpkin/Halloween fun by visiting two of our favorite patches: Gentry Farm and Honeysuckle Hill Farm. They were both way busier than in previous years so next year we will likely go earlier in the season to beat the crowds. The weather was gorgeous, so I’m sure that had a lot to do with the influx.

Gentry Farm – Franklin, Tennessee

Honeysuckle Hill – Springfield, Tennessee

We hadn’t been to Honeysuckle Hill Farm since Little Man was tiny (not that he was ever tiny). A lot has changed/been added and we were not prepared for some of the ill-mannered kids/adults we encountered — Little Man got pushed down a slide by a little girl and ended up flying backwards/upside down out of the chute, among other things. Still, we made the best of it and enjoyed the new attractions.

We might skip Honeysuckle Hill next year as Gentry still was the best experience (not to mention more bang for the buck).

In addition to the long-awaited promotion, the Mister was also recognized at our monthly potluck for his hard work. He was nominated for Cadre of the Year, but didn’t receive it. His commander/leadership didn’t like that outcome and decided he (and a handful of others) deserved a commendation. He was not prepared for an award, so he was even more grateful/humbled to receive it.

We finished out the month with a visit to Cheekwood Botanical Garden during their Harvest exhibits. We were also lucky enough to attend the weekend of their El Dia de los Muertos festival.

It rained on us for part of the morning but that certainly didn’t dampen our fun. We will definitely attend next year, since we missed the nice weather this turn.

We still enjoyed the fantastic altars, music, food, catrinas, and Aztec dancers. We got to do a few crafts as well, including painting clay “sugar” skulls and tissue paper flower crowns.

Finally, we wrapped up the month with a little Halloween fun.

Little Man dressed up as Bingo from his favorite cartoon Bluey.

We didn’t go trick or treating since he was really unsure/scared of most Halloween decorations. But, we did practice our doorbell ringing and holding out our bag at home. Hopefully next year he’ll be able to say “trick or treat”.

We also carved our pumpkins.

As I’m already super late posting this, I’ll keep my wrap up short.

November is going to be a bit calmer in our excursions. We’ll be busy prepping for the holidays and my mom is set to come for a visit. We might make a trip to the mountains for Thanksgiving, but no definitive plan yet. We’ll have to see how it plays out.

Until then,

Cheers!

–A. xoxo