Paul McCartney Concert - October 2014

In October 2014 I crossed an item off my bucket list - I saw Paul McCartney in concert!  Collin knew how much I wanted to see my favorite Beatle perform; I had been heart broken when he was performing in Seattle in July 2013 and I knew that I wouldn't be able to go because I would have a newborn (Vaughn was born July 7th).  Collin found out that Paul was performing his last concert of the "Out There" tour in Greensboro, NC, and, having no interest in seeing him perform, he sent my mom and I! 

 

 It was a quick trip; we were in Greensboro for seriously 48 hours.  I had done a bit of research on tourist sites to visit, and after a red-eye flight, we arrived in the city in the late morning, had a quick nap, and we hit our first stop - The International Civil Rights Museum.  It is housed in the historic Woolworth building that was front and center of the Greensboro Lunch Counter sit-in of 1960.

 

The Woolworth Building with the original façade.  The outside of the building looks exactly the way it did 50 years ago when four black college students started the lunch counter sit-in movement that swept the South.



The iconic photo of the sit-in participants.

Mom and I found a little lunch place after the museum.



Greensboro has a rich history, and historical marker plaques are found all over the city.



The next morning we visited the Greensboro Historical museum, which had a variety of exhibits including a huge collection of Civil War artifacts and weapons.



The museum is a super cool building...



...which was once used as a Confederate hospital!



The impressive lobby of the museum.



In the evening was the main event - Paul McCartney!



Mom and I waited for the concert to start.  I was beyond excited!



Paul!



It was an amazing concert.  He sang for three straight hours!

 

Wow! It was an amazing night!

 

The next day we were on a mid-morning flight back to reality.  I took some videos of the concert, and I watch them occasionally to hear him sing again, and I love that I'm singing along with him!

Finnian - The Star of the Week, and Bellewood Acres Field Trip

Finnian was the Star of the Week at Preschool last week, and he was very excited for it.  I had to make a poster, and then he presented it to his class.  All week hew kept asking me if he was still the Star of the Week.

 

 

Yesterday, the preschool had a Field Trip to Bellewood Acres, a local apple farm.



Photo op at the front door of the Bellewood Acres' distillery/café/shop.



We all loaded on the tractor-driven carts out to the orchards and processing plant, which makes apple cider, dried apple slices, and candied apples.

 

Even with all the cloud cover, Mt Baker was visible in the distance.  Beautiful!

 

Finnian served as the example of what an apple goes through in the inspection process, and then he was "stamped" (notice the produce stickers on his hand) to be put in a box and shipped to a grocery store.



Picking apples in the orchard.

 

Vaughn was happy to be out of my arms and able to wander freely.



The return cart ride back to the shop to sample fresh apple cider and apple slices.



That cider is amazing!!!



Vaughn wanted nothing to do with the samples, until I literally poured some apple cider in his mouth; then he couldn't get enough.



Class photo



My handsome boy - ignore the boo-boos on his nose and forehead.  He was rubbing his face on the carpet again; when asked why he said he was "acting like a bronco."  Weird kid!



After the tour was over, it was play time at the playground and time for more photos.

 

I highly recommend Bellewood Acres tour - it was informative and fun!  The cart ride, the tour of the processing plant/sorting machine/the large refrigerators, picking apples, and the samples at the end.  A great day with the kiddos!

Yes, another lawn mowing post...

Collin has another helper, but this one actually helps!  We got a second lawn mower a few weeks ago, and Collin taught Ronan how to drive the old one.  They can now get the lawn done in record time!

 

Ronan is a responsible 8-year old, and he takes his new responsibility very seriously!





 

Stoney Ridge 2014

We did our annual trek out to Stoney Ridge Farm a little early this year since we looked at the October schedule and realized that it would be the only weekend Collin would be home this month.

 

We started with the corn maze, and actually made it from beginning to end!  Usually we end up leaving the same way we came in. 



Ronan was our navigator, and he did a great job!



My men



Next was the barrel car ride.

 

This is one of the boys' favorite things to do at Stoney Ridge. 



Vaughn and I waited on the sidelines.

 

We did the photos in the cut-outs like we always do...



...and fed the goat at the top of the high pole. 



The lucky goat

 

I was extremely happy to get this picture of all four boys; photos of all boys looking reasonably well are few and far between.  This is a contender for the Christmas letter, for sure! 



Ronan - 8 years old now and in 3rd grade. 



Boys #3 and #4 (Finnian and Vaughn)



Boy #2 (Latham)



Collin and Latham feeding a cow.



Of course we stopped for pumpkin donuts... 

 

...which is another of the boys' favorite things at Stoney Ridge. 



Finnian

 

Latham 

 

And a walk through the pumpkin patch,

 

Finnian was on a serious mission! 



Picking the perfect pumpkin 



The middles (Latham and Finnian)

 

It was an unseasonably warm day, with only a 5-minute rain shower, so it was the perfect day to go.  Latham is going there for a field trip later this month with his Kindergarten class.