Falling Waters State Park

We spent Veteran's Day checking out a nearby State Park. The weather was cool, breezy, and overcast as Tropical Storm Ida made her way east. The park was fairly empty, and we had a nice day exploring together. The kids probably could have played on the gravel pile in the parking lot all day, but we finally convinced them to check out the rest of the park.
Here are some of the cool things we saw....

(A tiny caterpillar)This is the kids trying to get the other football out of it's thorny landing place. They just HAD to throw it as we walked.

Here we are in front of the tallest waterfall in Florida. It drops into a really deep sinkhole and its total height is 73 feet. Pretty good for Florida I guess!

Kaylee on the falls overlook

TYPOS - the following signs had me laughing and/or rolling my eyes. Talk about being grammatically challenged! We need some quality control!!

This one just seemed funny...

Towards the end of our "hike," we came upon the playground and spent some time goofing off. Roger and Derek found a good place to practice throwing the football.

Brandon impressed us with his ability to swing quite high on his own.

Dustin decided to regress and learned that being a baby isn't really all that comfortable.

Hanging upside down seemed to be the preferred activity.

Kaylee and Brandon performing on the stage.

A great temple trip

I am in the Relief Society Presidency at church, and we decided at the last minute to make a weekend trip to the Orlando temple. It was a beautiful day with great company. I loved getting to know Kim and Trena better. I even got to visit with my wonderful friend Jodi, who happened to be there that day.

Halloween Festivities

The Panama City Stake did a really fun fall festival up in Bonifay. The temperatures dropped off and it felt seasonably cool. The kids had a great time.
I think Kaylee and Brandon would have done the cake walk all night if we didn't stop them!
Carving Pumpkins - Kaylee & Brandon helped cut the top and clean it out. Derek and Dustin each designed and cut out one side. It was a reversible pumpkin!
The Kindergarten through 3rd grade participated in a "candy parade" at school. Basically they walked around and around in the courtyard "trick-or-treating" at each door until the candy ran out.

It was a super hot day and Hermione couldn't stand wearing her robe any longer.

The kids went for a swim after school to cool off before the trunk or treat.

The ward trunk or treat - Kaylee and Brandon's primary teacher

This next picture really made me laugh, but you probably had to be there. The kids were all lined up for the costume contest when the parking lot light went out, plunging everyone into darkness. Several of us aimed our cameras into the dark to see what was going on with the kids. When the flash lit up this picture, everyone else was standing calmly against the wall. Brandon, on the other hand, decided to make the most of the darkness and started dancing.
Getting ready to trick-or-treat with friends. Derek's mummy costume was really funny. He kept losing paper, and by the time we finished our 4 mile trek, his legs and arms were bare. I think he has finally decided that it's not worth the humiliation of dressing up for free candy. We told him this was the last year he had the option anyway!

Homecoming Week

As part of spirit week leading up to Homecoming, the kids were given the option to dress up in various thematic clothing. Here are some pictures of Derek & Brandon on Western Day.
The Bozeman "Sound of Roaring Thunder" Marching Band - Derek is in the center of this picture with the tenor sax. They wore bandannas instead of their hats for Homecoming.

Derek's uniform (without the plume)

Another Boy Scout Court of Honor

Derek's first Court of Honor in Panama City. Kyle & Ammon handed out the awards.

Robotics Competition

Derek and Dustin participated in the Robotics club over the past couple of months. They had to build a remote control robot and compete against other robots to gather needed items for fuel. These pictures are from the competition in Pensacola.