Mommyhood and Ministry in Mississippi: Autumn Awesomeness

I love fall, the cool mornings, low humidity (well, most days...), changing colors, & an excuse to bake & devour pumpkin bread. Ahhh...these are life's simple pleasures.

Another thing I love about fall is the endless array of outdoor activities there are to choose from here in Mississippi this time of year. I think there's a particular concentration of fun things to do right now because we've finally risen out of the oppressive heat & awakened to remember that there's a beautiful world out there to enjoy!

Earlier this month, Ryan & I enjoyed a date morning after dropping the boys off at their Mom's Morning Out class at a local church by going to the Canton Flea Market, which is a huge outdoor arts & crafts festival. We had a good time, mostly browsing, but I was thrilled to purchase a cute, artsy birdhouse (it's actually a bird-chapel with a cross steeple, perfect for our manse) for our backyard. The boys were excited too, & we bought birdseed, but for some reason, we've had no takers. Not sure how to get the birds to visit. Any ideas?

For about two weeks in October, THE thing to do around here is to visit the Mississippi State Fair. We took the boys & they seemed to really enjoy it. There's a petting zoo, pig races, lots of spinning rides (which neither Ryan nor I care a thing about), and more carnival junk food than a person could possibly eat. .

Evan can barely contain his excitement awaiting the pig race.

Ryan & Levi at the pig race

And they're off...

The boys loved feeding the animals

The cute furry bison

Notice the striking (albeit frightening) resemblance

Ah, the pure joy that comes from eating fried batter with
powdered sugar on top (aka Elephant Ear)

Finally, this past Saturday we went to the Mississippi Agricultural Museum for their Pumpkin Patch experience. We got to take a hay ride, have a milk & cookie snack, & pick out a pumpkin to take home. It was a beautiful day, & the boys had a great time.