Autumn Fun!

Autumn is always a special time for the Tinkel family. Not only is it very beautiful in the mountains of Tennessee, but we also have a tremendous amount of fun. Just within the past couple of weeks we enjoyed a corn maze with our church, Cades Cove in the Smoky Mountains with the family and, of course, Halloween. Here are some of the highlights captured in pictures.

 

Autumn Acres is always something that we look forward to every fall. We have been to many corn maze/pumpkin patch farms over the years and this one is one of the best. We always have a great time. Here are the boys with one of their friends, Danny. Oh, and by the way, John Allen's pants were really long enough for him. I have no idea where the "high water" look came from!

 

 

The Smoky Mountains in the fall are BEAUTIFUL with a capital B! We love stopping at Cades Cove for a picnic and then driving through the loop. This year we saw dozens of deer, many turkeys (my sons not included!) and even a bear. It's even more fun when you can treasure it with extended family. This time around we enjoyed the company of Sarah's mom and nephew. Yes, the trees and the stream in the background is real. It's not one of those photography backgrounds in a studio. Have I mentioned that the Smokys are beautiful?

 

We are not big Halloween people. Usually we spend the evening helping our church with trunk-or-treat or having a special even at the mission that we direct. This year, however, we just decided to spend it as a family. The kids didn't sweat over dressing up (all three costumes were put together with things around the house with less than $10 worth of accessories purchased) and we went to a just a few places. Still the kids got quite a bit of candy and, of course, Mom and Dad had to collect a "candy tax" (all chocolate) for driving the kids around. As you can see, Jacob had a bit of a hard time deciding what he was going to be. Should he dress up like big brother with a crazy wig and glasses, or should he dress up as John Cena, his favorite WWE wrestler? John Cena won. So much for big brother's influence!