The Corn Maze Rebellion

Last Saturday, we decided that it was high time for a fun fall family outing, so we headed over to the Chatfield Corn Maze.  It was a cold and rainy weekend, so we bundled up all cozy and warm.

Landon and Brady raced over to the maze, they couldn't wait to get started!

Payton took her time, so I snapped a few windy shots of her.

Next to the corn maze is a massive pumpkin patch.  The pumpkin festival wasn't until the following weekend, but we enjoyed looking at the thousands and thousands of pumpkins!

Our ninja turtle...

There was a horse giving wagon rides, but given the rain and the extra fee, we were happy just taking pics.

And, they're off!  It was a little (ok a lot) muddy, but the kids had a blast running through the maze trying to navigate their way to each clue and check point.  The cloudy day made it perfect for pictures!  And, since I haven't taken very many during volleyball season, I tried to make up for lost time :)

On a side note, Payton is turning into such an amazing little girl.  She is having the best 3rd grade year ever!  It is such a blessing that she loves her teacher, her education, and her friends.  We had her PT Conference yesterday and it was her best one ever.  She is thriving, learning at the top of the class, and has great work habits and peer relationships.  I'll be honest, I teared up a little... :)  We are so proud of you Payton!

Please observe this corn cob carefully.  It will become very important later in our adventure...

Which way to go?  The corn maze is actually quite difficult.  It's the size of several football fields, and we  legitimately got lost several times.  We kept thinking we had found the way but then passed the same landmark over and over.

Lando gave up on walking fairly early in the maze.  He preferred the view from my shoulders!

There are a few bridges throughout the maze so you can get a birds eye view.  It didn't really help us get unlost :)

So, here's where the story gets interesting.  I put Landon down to give my shoulders a break and snap some shots.  Aren't the awesome?

Oh, the missing tooth.

While he was on the ground, Landon picked up this piece of corn.  Notice I said picked up, not picked.  It was laying there in the mud after being half eaten by a squirrel. Landon LOVED it.  I think he almost got frost bite because he refused to wear his mittens so he could hold on to the cob.

After about an hour in the maze, we were getting a little cold and wet.  We had almost reached the half way point and decided that we would call it quits so we could head home to get ready for Notre Dame football.  As we made our way towards the exit, a maze security guard approached us.  (Yes, there are maze security guards).  Here's how our conversation went:

Security Guard: "You are not allowed to pick the corn."

Me: "Oh, we didn't pick it, we found it on the ground.  We won't take it with  us, my son (who is 1 1/2!) is just having fun holding it."

Security Guard: "You need to put it down now."

Me: "Really!?  Uhh, ok."  

I pried the corn out my toddler's paws, threw it in the mud, and Landon burst into tears.

We walked a few rows further towards the exit and Wes picked up another piece of corn.  Why?  To stop Landon from screaming :)  We finally reached the crossroads where you can exit or continue on to the second half of the maze.  The same security guard came lurking around the corner.  I'm pretty sure he had been following us...or that the look out man up on the lift radioed down to tell him we once again, picked up corn.

Security Guard: "You guys are done for the day."

Wes: "What?!"

Security Guard: "Rule #2 says no picking or throwing corn.  You picked corn, you are done in the maze."

Wes: "It was so our EIGHTEEN MONTH OLD son would stop crying!"

Security Guard: "I have to ask you to leave."

Now, I'm pretty sure if we hadn't already been planning on leaving the maze, things might have gotten a little tense between  Wes and the Security Guard.  But, at that point, Payton burst into tears and asked if we were going to go to jail.  So, we had a long talk about the importance of following the rules, but assured her that we could not, in fact, get arrested for picking up corn.

So there you have it.  Our Corn Maze Rebellion.  It was actually kind of fun :)  

The rest of the pics are from our walk back to the car and our warm up session in the car.

Drinking hot chocolate, discussing what had just happened.

Homecoming 2012

I just remembered I took some pictures a few weeks back during Arapahoe's Homecoming Week.  The past few years, the parade has really taken off.  The route goes through Streets of Southglenn which is great. Spectators have a great place to sit and watch.  Almost all of the sports put together floats, so volleyball had three different trucks full of girls, one for each level (varsity, jv, and fresh.  The soph team was at a tournament).  

Here are my varsity girls...

Payton and Brady decided that they wanted to be a part of the parade this year, not just watch it.  So, they hopped in the truck with the varsity girls and Landon and I headed down the street to watch!

Brad, Jayne, Cohen, and Arie, my mom and dad, and Tim and Rylan met up with us at Streets of Southglenn.

The boys anxiously awaiting the marching band.

Here come the varsity girls and Payton and Brady.

Brady was on the other side of the truck so I couldn't get a picture of him...

The wrestling boys definitely enjoyed themselves!

Grace, another one of my players, rode on the junior float to help hold up the giant Empire State Building.

The jv girls and Jordan.

And the freshman team.

It was a beautiful fall day and great way to end a fun week!

Back To School!

A few weeks ago, Payton and Brady had their Back To School Night.  This night happens before school actually starts, and it gives the kids a chance to meet their teachers, drop off their school supplies, and get ready for the beginning of the year.  

Brady had been looking forward to starting kindergarten all summer.  He must have organized and reorganized his school supplies about 10 times!  He has Mrs. Dissler (the same teacher Payton had for kindergarten) in the mornings, and Mrs. Moody for KED in the afternoon.  Brady is adjusting.  He has had a huge change going from two mornings a week to all day every day, but he is starting to figure it all out.  

Payton has Mrs. Ahlgren.  She is absolutely fantastic, and Payton could not have had a better start to her year.  She is loving reading, math, and getting back into the routine of school.

 The 3rd graders actually get matched up with Kindergarten buddies, so Payton chose to be Brady's buddy!  They get to read together and do some fun activities.  It's cool to have them in the same school.

We are looking forward to a great year!