Farmer vs. Fireman

 Southwest Virginia is no stranger to farmers and livestock.  My boys are not strangers to all sorts of farm animals but it is always an adventure for them to really get down and explore all that a farm has to offer.  This fall we helped in the birthday celebration of Hayden at Fern Valley Farm.  We had tractor rides, animal petting/feeding, and authentic pizza cooking.  We all had a blast and I could hear the animals breathe a sigh of relief when it was time to go.

 Hunter taking his turn holding Peter, the bunny.

 Here is Lucas holding Peter.  He loved it so much that he waited in line to hold him twice.

 Tractor rides are the best and even more fun on Mrs. Kelly's lap....now on to feed and pet the sheep!

 The Abingdon fire department hosted a family day for folks to visit the station, learn some fire safety and check out the trucks and other fancy equipment.  It must be every kiddos dream to use that hose!  The guys out there were so sweet letting them all take a turn putting out the fires.  What you can't see in these pictures is that they are actually trying to put out fires in the windows of a little wooden house.  It was kind of like the game at the fair where you point your squirter and try to knock down some monkey.  In this case, it was a wooden house with wooden fire blazes in the windows.

 Hunter looked like a professional.

 This picture is out of order, but this was fun pizza making back at the farm.

 Lucas and his firman loot bag.

 Climbing aboard wings.

 Sweet Larkin donning her hat.

I wasn't so sure about giving Lucas control of that hose, but he did a wonderful job.

The perfect outfit

 Hunter does a great job getting dressed all by himself.  He asks if it will be a hot day or a cold day and then goes from there.  He was up getting ready for school and came out wearing this.  Enough said.  I sprinted for the camera and told him the colors were great but it was going to be a little too cool for shorts.  Poor guy, I guess he gets his fashion sense from his dad!

Soccer, Otis and Cheerleading..oh My!

 Hunter played soccer this summer for the first time and we all had a blast.  We had a super star coach and a great little team, the 'Fireballs.'  You have to appreciate that Hunter is the shy, reserved type and is not really into aggressive runs with ball, (I don't see football in his future, Lucas on the other hand may be a different story) yet he was a great soccer player and enjoyed his time on the field during games and at practice. He is a fast runner and caught on to the rules and goals of the game quickly.  We were very proud of him for working hard, listening to his coach and cooperation with team play.  The funniest thing is the one game we had to miss for a wedding was the game Hunter scored 5 goals!  It was unbelievable!!  I was getting one text after another from parents..."Hunter just scored, oh goodness he scored again and I am not kidding he just scored another goal!"  We were so proud and excited for him and so glad my parents were there to share the experience but David and I were devastated not to be there and see it.  And would you know that little stinker never scored another goal the rest of the season!!

 Proud little man with his first soccer medal!  End of season celebrations are the best!

Hello Otis, welcome to life among the Simmons and the Hunters.  Be brave and patient with these other old dogs!

 Lucas and Hunter love, love that little puppy....one day we will get another one.  My heart is still heavy missing Abby.

The cutest cheerleader ever. Period. 

Really sweet Picture

Thanks to our great friend, Kelly!  She took this amazing picture of Lucas and Larkin hanging out before dinner.  It was a beautiful evening and she was able to capture a totally innocent moment from our two mischief makers!

The fair part two, including Lucas!!!

This was trip number two to the fair for Hunter and I.  We had fun with the Turner girls and Dawson boys.  Lucas was all over the fair and might grow up to be a carney!  The rides were open for this trip (oh boy!) so we rode rides and petted animals and made all kinds of fair mischief until David couldn't take one more minute!!! (you can insert a sigh here when he reads this)  Then we completed the fun afternoon with a nice dinner out.

Hunter and sweet Emerson daydreaming on the Polaris.

Lucas playing at the Marble run.  This was such a creative idea!!  They put together a slide and obstacle of sorts for marbles.  The kids loved playing with this as much as riding the rides.  I wonder if I could craft something like this up at home!

 I must have told him a 1000000000000000 times, "Do not touch the displays!"  So here is the evidence...caught red handed, with his trusty sidekick...Larkin!

This was the sweetest little black baby goat. She would literally whine when the kids walked away from her.  They are all such big animal lovers they didn't want to leave her all alone.  I was finally able to pry them away when they realized she belonged to a little girl they all knew.

It is amazing to see how big Hunter is on these rides.  When I look back at posts of the fair 2 years ago, he was such a baby.  I don't know if next year the rides will be as fun for him and there is no way he is riding those big, rickety ole scary rides!

Our sweet Turner girls!