WYATT'S FIRST FLAG FOOTBALL GAME

 I truly never thought this day would ever come. Turns out, you can only press your desires onto your children so much. Sports have always been a thing that Brad + I both loved and wanted our kids to enjoy and participate in. We had given tee-ball, buddy-ball, and basketball a try, but Wyatt's heart was never in it - evidenced by him running up and down the basketball court with his arms out like an airplane during nearly every game last year. =/

Thankfully, his love for Taekwondo hasn't diminished.

But last week, we were driving in the car and he asked if he could play football this year. I don't recall his exact words but he mentioned something regarding the men that play in the Superbowl. The next day he asked Brad about playing, so I took it upon myself to see if signing up for the flag-football league was still an option.

It was!

I picked him up from school and told him the great news last Friday. We picked up some hand-me-down cleats at the local Play It Again Sports ($9.99 Nike's were a total steal) and a PeeWee football.

And then Sunday, after church and lunch (#Priorities) we arrived at Field #2 for Wyatt's first EVER flag football game. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves for a bit and fill you in more at the end.

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ADORABLE THINGS || BACK TO SCHOOL 2016

Not so surprising, I'm definitely talking about my children and their Back To School Photos! Wyatt started Second Grade and Delta Mae started her First Year of Preschool this week. Yes, that's right. She's never been to preschool or daycare before. Just a whole lot of one-on-one time with her Mama. =)

Let's get started with Wyatt's First Day, which was Tuesday, September 6. He asked for pancakes shaped like a bat and sausage for breakfast. Apparently, he thinks I'm a pancake molding genius. I'm not - but I tried. He said he loved them even though the wings broke off during the flipping-over process. Sweet Boy.

He was happy to oblige me with some sweet smiles before heading off to school.

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THE ONE WITH THE CHEESE + THE COAST

 On Friday, I loaded up the kids and headed toward the coast. All I really had in mind for us to do was to visit the  Tillamook Cheese Factory. Sampling cheeses. Eating ice cream. It's a dairy lovers dream, right?

Yes. Yes, it is.

So we went. It was busy but the kids and I enjoyed seeing the cheese move along the conveyor belt and get sliced and packaged.

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EXPLORING OREGON || CRATER LAKE

This past weekend we took a family road trip south + visited Crater Lake, a location that's been on my bucket list since the first time we lived in Oregon. We timed it just right as the one and only hiking trail that leads to the shore of the lake was scheduled to be closed for repairs the following day (today) and won't be accessible until next summer.

We didn't partake in any tours but rather took it upon ourselves to drive around the rim and make the trek down Cleetwood Cove Trail to the shoreline. The hike was classified as "strenuous" due to the steep grade (there's a 700-foot elevation change in 1.1 miles) but the Little Brumfields powered through. Wyatt was a brave soul and was the only one of us that took a swim in the chilly lake waters that have an average temp of 59°F in August. I only stood in the water for a bit. Brad stuck with Delta Mae - it was just too rocky to get her close to the water.

Here are a few quick tidbits about Crater Lake:

• At 1,943 feet, it's the deepest lake in the US; visibility is 140 feet.
• It's clarity + intense blue color are a result of it only being fed by rain and snow. No rivers or streams lead to the lake. 
• Some 7,700 years ago, a caldera formed when Mount Mazama, a volcano, erupted and later collapsed. Crater Lake rests inside the caldera.
• Wizard Island formed during a later eruption.
• Crater Lake is 4.5-6 miles wide.

Hands down, this was my favorite place to see in the State of Oregon to date. It was just So Stunning. Marvelous. Grand. #AllTheFancyWords This wonder of God was too amazing to capture in photographs, but I gave it my best shot. Here are my photos.

If you're planning a trip, you might be interested to know that they DO NOT SELL BOTTLED WATER at the Rim Cafe. You can purchase a water bottle at the gift shop but it's going to cost you a pretty penny. We'll file that one under lesson learned.

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