Little Handyman

Gavin helped Francis and Grandpa Cermak pull nails out of some old wooden beams. He was very careful!

The sledgehammer is heavier than it looks!

Next it was time to cut up the wood. Francis did most of the maneuvering with the saws, but let Gavin "help." 

Danada Fall Festival

In October we went to the Fall Festival at Danada. Gavin went with his heart set on one goal: seeing Shadow.

Shadow is a guest at the Fall Festival. He and his rider are part of the drill team called Midwest Renegades. They do amazing tricks and Shadow is as gentle as a kitten. Gavin met him two years ago when he petted and brushed him for an hour, and we've come back every year since.

Shadow is 17 years old and used to be a jousting horse at Medieval Times. It seems he was happy to ditch the armor and let his new owner hang off him by one foot, or ride standing up - they are fun to watch!

Shadow's owner, Larissa, is super sweet and let us hang out with her horse for an hour (at least). She and some other riders painted pumpkins - I thought she was going to let Shadow nibble on it, but she gave it to Gavin instead.

Gavin had such an amazing time that he wrote a school assignment on Shadow. The kids had to write about a recent memory. He had to summarize the event in a paragraph with an opening statement, details, and then a closing statement. In second grade, they really start working hard on writing (which Gavin is doing very well at, if I may brag for a second)!

We hope to see you again soon, Shadow!

Sonny Acres Part Two

Here are pictures from our second visit to Sonny Acres. Gavin did a lot of the same things, but still had a great time!

Back on the pony, Spice:

And on the camel:

And the slide:

Sonny Acres Part One

We made two trips to our favorite pumpkin farm, Sonny Acres, in October. (I apologize for being so behind on posting these.) Here is the first group:

Gavin loves this huge slide. We each went down it with him, then he went by himself:

He also loves the ponies. This one is named Spice:

The camel ride is quite uncomfortable for adults, but luckily Gavin was happy to ride this animal by himself:

That's Gavin, on the right hand side of the rock wall! He zipped right up to the top.

Fun Run

Every fall, Gavin's school has an event called the Fun Run. It's a big obstacle course set up in the field behind the school. Each grade gets to run it for 45 minutes. Those kids are running like crazy the first time through...and by the 5th time, they are dragging! They all have fun though!

The hay bales are one of Gavin's favorite things:

The bouncy house is also a favorite!

Gavin and his friend, Claire:

Safety Town Trick or Treat

This year we decided to try trick-or-treating at Safety Town. It's very cute inside, and we weren't sure what the weather on Halloween would be like.

We waited for an hour to get in, but it was a nice day and we saw some great costumes!

One of the streets inside:

Gavin and a couple of the characters:

Under the covered bridge (just like Naperville's real bridges):