It's Fall Y'all

I love a good party.  Family. Friends. Food.  I don't think there is anything better.  Which is why we host several parties throughout the year.  Birthday parties, Superbowl parties, Thanksgiving breakfast, Christmas Eve...team parties and pool parties.  The list goes on and on.  Five years ago we started a pumpkin carving party.  We thought it would be fun to get together and carve pumpkins, make one big mess and oooh and ahhhh over each others' jack-o-lanterns. This is slowly becoming one of my favorite parties.  If you would have asked me a year or two ago, I would not have said that.  But this year I realized that no one cares about the decorations.  No one cares about the weather.  No one cares how the tables are set up.  These are some of the things I used to stress and worry about.  We used to start setting things up the week before the party.  This year we waited until the day of the party.  I dropped Rodney, Shawn and Colin (Shawn's friend) off at Rodney's mom and dad's house.  I went to the store to pick up the groceries.  When I came back the tables and chairs were set up and the hay bales were on the wagon.  Table clothes were on the tables and lemonade was made.  It was not exactly the way I would have done it, but it was done.  And it was fine.  This year we didn't put out my electric wooden pumpkins or the moving ghost.  We didn't hang my hand-made lanterns.  And you know what?  Not one person told me they missed them.  Nope.  Not one.

Don't get me wrong...I still ran around like crazy, but it was a different crazy.  I took pictures, went on all three hay rides, sang "Old McDonald" at the top of my lungs,  and sampled every sweet treat that was there.  I.had.FUN!  I think everyone else did too...

Shawn, Cory and Colin have been at all five pumpkin parties.  It's fun to watch the three of them.  Here they are at the first pumpkin party...

This year they didn't carve pumpkins - I guess they're too cool for that now.  But they did have a good time playing football, kickball and soccer in the dark.

They took a short break to eat.

Everyone else (The Bigs and the Littles) hung out in the barn eating, talking and carving pumpkins.  It was lovely!

Here's my sister and her two buddies Desi and Barbie.  Barbie is my #1 blog reader - she often tells Kerry what's going on in my life before Kerry even knows!  Thanks for reading Barbie! I am glad you could come.

The Littles played outside some too.  I am grateful that we had wonderful Fall weather.

Steve and Wayne - they are the life of any party.  They talk to anyone and everyone...they make their own jokes, and fit in with the Bigs, the Littles and the Middles (and that's not easy!)  Notice Wayne holding a bowl of chicken corn soup?  I think he had 6 bowls of it!  It must have been good!

Holly and Blake wait patiently in line for some yummy food!  Hopefully there will be some chicken corn soup left!

Jason and Erin - is that a smile I see? And is that a ring????

oh...it's just a spider!  Maybe next year...

Time to carve pumpkins... look how intense and serious people get about carving pumpkins!

Go Yankees!

We took three different hay rides.  We normally only do two, but with almost 70 people at the party this year, two just wasn't enough!

I love getting together with family and friends.  Look at these smiles...you would be crazy not to want to be a part of it.  It's contagious, wholesome, family fun.  I love these memories.  

Happy Fall Y'all!