This is what we see these days when we pull out of our driveway:

So when Grandmommy & Granddaddy Gong came from California for a 2-week visit, there was lots of Fall fun to be had! Like baking:

And choosing Halloween costumes:

And pumpkin picking:

The grand finale was the corn maze. And you know how you heap expectations upon events? You imagine that the corn maze will be a time of family harmony and laughter and hugs, something they’ll always remember with nostalgia? Well, it was fun, particularly playing in the corn box and taking a hay wagon ride before the corn maze. But the corn maze was huge, and what these pictures don’t show is how three tired, hungry, and bathroom-needing girls had to be carried out of the corn maze just minutes after we started it.

They’ll remember that the corn maze was fun. Erick and I will remember that just because an experience doesn’t meet the parents’ expectations doesn’t mean that it was a failure. And that often, the best moments are those that you don’t plan at all.