My Student And The Corn Maze

Right now, I'm laying in bed.  Lifetime Movie Network is on and Makayla is snuggled in close to me, snacking away on kettle corn, chex mix, and pretzel balls.  The girl loves to snack and she's this close to dozing off. 

While we're all cozy in our warm bed, it's a different story outside.

It's cooler with wind and a cold, autumn rain.  A part of me doesn't really care for nights like this, but another part of me loves a night like this...every once in awhile...during the fall season.  It's a perfect excuse to heat up the house, put jammies on early, eat a hot bowl of chili or soup, and call it an early night - to sit in the house, which we rarely do, and listen to the rain fall and the leaves blow.  Tonight, I love this weather.  And after Makayla's preschool open house, we took a drive around town to look for "Halloween" (yes, we're already looking around for Halloween decorations) and went home to enjoy this "fallish" weather from the inside of our warm home.

I love how Makayla has embraced her new role as 'student'.  She loves going to school and she loves learning.  She looks so forward to going to school and I look so forward to seeing her get excited to go to school.  Tonight, we had the opportunity for Makayla to take us to her classroom and for her to show us all of her crafts and artwork she has done over the past month.  Grandma and Grandpa Allen joined us in the open house and Makayla loved every second of us being at school with her.  She showed us the owl she made, the squirrel she colored, the stained glass she created, and we looked at her and  her classmates "All About Me" posters.  We did a cake walk and won cupcakes and we bought a couple of books at the book fair.  Makayla has done many activities in school which include bringing in her favorite colored apple, wearing the color red and bringing in a red toy (her Clifford dog), and bringing in three things that can be found outside that God made (a rock, a leaf, an orange flower).  She gets to check out a book from the 'library' once a week and by doing so, has discovered a new favorite book "Max and Ruby".  She loves school and I hope her love for it continues to grow throughout the years.

*On a different note, we got to experience something for the first time over the weekend - A Corn Maze.

 We went with a great group of friends. 

...and we all have kids that I hope will grow up together in close friendship.

It was a great setting. 
The sun was setting and we sat around the bonfire outside of the maze eating hotdogs, brats, and ribbon fries.

When supper was done, we herded into the maze.  

It was getting dark and I was nervous.

There's something about tall corn stalks - at night - not knowing where I'm at or where I'm going.

I was nervous.

Of course, our group got divided.

Not once, but twice.

The second time, I was left alone...

with Makayla...

She had no shoes...

I had no cell phone...

I had to carry Makayla due to no shoes (WHERE were her shoes?...I have no idea!)

I had no light...

I had no map...

I began to have a panic attack.

The tall corn stalks were closing in on me and the sky was becoming pitch black.

...

...

I was this close to yelling out.  I'm not sure what I was going to yell out, but I needed help.  And I needed help now.

...

Eventually, we got paired up with a few people from our group and some how made our way out. 

It really was a fun time, regardless of our separation from the group, and I hope I didn't scar or scare Makayla for the rest of her life from corn mazes!