Soccer, Pumpkins & Geocache

Happy Monday! I woke up to first frost this morning!

I also snapped a few pictures of the sunrise this morning because it looked so pretty in pink with a light fog blanketing the lake.

How was your weekend? We spent most of our time together as a family with soccer a majority of the day on Saturday and the pumpkin patch and a hike on Sunday.

Keep scrolling if you would like to read about all that in detail and have a great week!

Friday

We met daddy at Costco on Friday right after school to pick up some snacks for our soccer games. Drew drove home with me and Lucas and Owen went with daddy to find some Geocaches. This has become a new hobby in our family and the boys are obsessed! I threw some frozen pizzas in the oven for dinner and warmed up a mug of Witches Brew. It rained all day, but God still provided a beautiful sunset.

We also made a little snack bag for each soccer player on the team. Lucas helped put them together:)

Saturday

We actually got to sleep in on Saturday because our first game wasn’t until 11:30. The “Romp n Stomp” tournament took place in Maple City and the drive out there was absolutely gorgeous! The pictures never do the trees justice!

We arrived at Myles Kimmerly Park around 11:15. There were already several games going on, lots of people, food trucks, and the leaves provided a beautiful background. It helped keep my mind off the cold temperatures a bit!

Owen was up first…gameface ready haha!

Ryan warmed up with him a bit and then it was time to hit the field.

It was what I like to call “bumblebee” soccer haha. A bunch for 3- and 4-year-olds running around after the ball:) Owen actually did try until he got knocked down, then wanted nothing to do with it. He did make it back out there though after some coaxing and I think he had fun.

He received a medal after his game, and I think that definitely made up for getting knocked down!

Drew and Lucas were up next with their first game at 1:00. Coach Ryan and the team got the win!

We had a bit of a break until their next game at 3. Owen and I went to the van to warm up a bit because it was pretty chilly. Ryan gave his team their snack bags and they kicked the ball around awhile and played.

Unfortunately, we lost the second game but still left with full hearts. The team consisted of a great group of kids, they had a really fun season, made new friends, learned new skills…that’s what it’s all about!

After soccer we went straight home. Lucas and Ryan watched the Ohio State game he recorded from earlier and I made this delicious soup. Our neighbor invited us over for a bonfire later which was nice.

Sunday

We had two big plans on the agenda for Sunday: Pahl’s Pumpkin Patch and the High Rollaway Observation Deck. These are both must dos in the area during fall and we pair them together since they’re close by each other.

We arrived at the pumpkin patch first and snapped a few quick photos.

The goats caught the boys’ attention right away. They enjoyed petting them and watching them eat leaves off the ground.

Next, we looked at more animals, attempted the tractor pull with some success , and rode on the tiny merry go round. The little things bring them so much joy:)

We walked around a bit and then made our way to the corn maze!

Right as we were exiting the corn maze, we heard an announcement “Pig Race in 4 minutes!” so of course we made our way over! It lasts about 5 seconds but the boys LOVE watching it. Hampton won haha!

We looked at some cows, practiced our lassoing skills, then enjoyed some apple cider slushies.

Last but not least, we made our way over to the giant pumpkin patch.

This cheap mom already bought pumpkins at Costco, but the boys still had fun strolling through the patch looking at the variety of pumpkins.

Mom too! Haha!

Pahl’s is also a county store, and they sell a variety of really unique sheds. We walked through those a bit, Ryan dreaming about tool storage, the boys of a clubhouse, and me a “she shed”. Then the boys played in the play area, and we snapped a few more photos before leaving.

Mom and Dad took a break on the porch swing while some dancing singing skeletons entertained the boys.

We’ll be back to Pahl’s for the Santa Experience in December. We’ve made so many memories here already and lots more to come!

The lines for food were pretty long at Pahls so we decided to grab a bite to eat elsewhere. We drive through the town of Buckley to get to the High Rollaway hike so stopped at Buckley Roadside Bar for lunch. Boy did we have a hoot of a time in there! There were three couples about my parents age watching the Lions game and one of the guys gravitated towards our boys pretty quickly (apparently, he’s a football coach for young kids). He gave them several quarters for the arcade games, so the boys left with all sorts of little prizes. He also razzed Ryan for his Ohio State gear which was all in good fun.

With full bellies we were ready for a fall hike! Last year we drove the van and told ourselves we’d take the truck this time. It’s a bit of a bumpy road to get back there!

The hike pretty short to get to the main viewing area. One of my favorite noises is hearing the leaves crunch under my shoes.

Last year it was past peak season so while the view was pretty it was nothing like we saw yesterday. Absolutely beautiful!!

We walked along the bluff overlooking the Manistee River. I kept taking pictures because I just couldn’t get enough of the view!

While mommy was most excited about the leaves, the boys were all about something else: geocaching! We started geocaching a few weeks ago when we accidently stumbled across one while hiking Jack’s Landing. The boys just think it’s the coolest thing so Ryan downloaded the app, and now we have a new family hobby. It’s like a treasure hunt for them and they get so excited about the clues, who will find it first and where it will be.

Well after they found the first one, they were ready to find another! The second one was a little further away, so we had some more hiking to do.

It was a lot harder to find and I was determined to find it first haha! Owen found a salamander so that shifted his attention quickly. Lucas and I were on the hunt and mommy ended up finding the cache first under a fallen tree. I wonder where Lucas gets his competitiveness from;)

We decided it was time to head back. My phone was dying but I managed to snap a few more photos!

Ryan wanted to take the hike down to the river, but I vetoed that idea because it was getting pretty late. Maybe next time! If you ever come to northern Michigan during peak color season, I highly recommend High Rollaway Observation Deck.