Pumpkin Patch 2011

This was our first year (since 2004) not going to Hawks' pumpkin patch in NC. I have 2007, '08, '09, '10 documented here on the blog in case you're interested. I was feeling sad about missing that tradition and the Dixie Classic Fair, so I wanted to do something really fun with the kids. Dan had a Saturday off a couple of week's ago, and we headed to a farm in the city after Elena's soccer game. We were all exhausted after.

The hay ride:

We saw some Chincoteague ponies:

At the pumpkin patch they had some fun stuff:

I love these kids!

Posing with our pumpkins:

Then we took a hay ride over to the petting zoo/picnic area. Kevin kept running up to the goats and asking them how they were doing and what their names were. He seemed sincerely disappointed when he didn't get any responses. Also, he asked me if he could ride one of the goats.

Elena takes a more cautious approach:

There were lots of wooden things for the kids to play on. Besides the tractor, they had a train, a monster truck, a couple boats, and a castle. There was another bounce house in this area too.We had a great time and are excited to carve our pumpkins tomorrow. They've just been sitting on the porch looking pretty for the last two weeks. Happy (almost) Halloween, everyone!

October, how I love thee...

As a kid I hated fall because it meant the end of going to the beach each day and the start of school. As a mom, I love the weather, the colors, the holidays, traditions, and helping to teach Elena's preschool. There is so much going on. I didn't even realize how busy we'd been until I downloaded the pictures.

Dan had a birthday:
Our preschool class and some friends/siblings went to the botanical garden on a gorgeous day:
Shelby (she's having a baby a few weeks before me) and I were able to take our kids to the zoo together:
We visited a pumpkin patch, but that will be a separate post. Also, we've been enjoying a lot of time outdoors at parks. Today we flew kites with friends (Brooke and her kids Sydney and Carson):
We also had an ultrasound and found out that we are definitely having a boy! We now have to spend the next four months discussing names. Girl names come to us so easily. Kevin's name is perfect, but I have no idea what to name another boy. We'll see what we come up with. For now, don't ask. :) This picture is of me today at 21 weeks:
It's been a great month. The only thing missing was a visit from Whitney. We soooo enjoyed having her visit last fall. I hope you all have enjoyed your October so far!

Jungle Golf

Thanks to my mom's Groupon which was about to expire, we got to go to a Putt-Putt place by the beach. We purposely waited until tourist season was over and it wasn't so hot out. Perfect timing because we were basically the only people there.
My sister Bethany came along and the kids got to golf for the first time. We are dressed like it's freezing, but the weather was great. It was one of the first nights were it was in the high 60's and we were so used to temps in the 90's that it felt nice to bundle up a little. :)

Taking her best shot:

Cutie boy getting some help. He teed off at all 18 holes and then ran to scoop up his ball before taking a second/third putt. He loves all things blue. I was worried that he wouldn't give it back.
It was such a great night! Thanks, Mama for treating us. :)

Playing at the Children's Museum

I laughed so hard when I took this video. It's just my two kids, but Elena moved around a lot.

We went to the museum on September 30th because that was the day that my year-long pass expired (we originally bought it to use at the museum in NC). I wonder how long we can go without buying another one. :)

Soccer

Elena is playing soccer this fall, and she is enjoying herself. I actually tried to talk her out of it because it costs twice as much here as it did where we lived before, but she really wanted to do it. It's working out well because the season is twice as long and everything is more organized plus she's meeting some new friends. One of the girls from her dance class is on the team with her, so that was a happy coincidence.Kevin loves to come to her practices and games: "Go, Elena, go!" It is very sweet. I found some free cleats for Elena, but they didn't quite fit, so Kevin wears them. :) He is very eager to wear his "soccer shoes" whenever we are doing something outside.
You can see his skills in this video right before he falls. He is so cute I can't stand it (Dan too).

Elena had her first game two weeks ago and she had fun. They play 3 on 3 and don't keep score. The game was rained out last Saturday, so her second game will be this weekend. Here she is hanging out during half time.
She is not the most aggressive player as you can all imagine, but she did score a goal. You can see her casual playing style in the video below. At one point her coach holds her hand and helps her to get where she needs to be. She finally got her foot on the ball when one of her teammates fell down, and my baby girl capitalized on the other players' confusion. :)
There is a lot of yelling in the background because there is another field right behind me, and of course I yell once she scores, so prepare yourselves for that. :) The magic happens right around the 30 second mark.

Dan's week off

Dan had a vacation week at the end of August. We had a great date for our 9th anniversary on the 22nd (P.F. Chang's, shopping, and a movie with free babysitting). As a family we spent the rest of the week at the beach, Busch Gardens, bowling, and at home during two very rainy/hurricane-y days. Below are the best pictures from the week, but first: Awww, all 3 kids together.

At Busch Gardens:

After her last dance class (watch the video in my last post), I took her to the ice cream store next door. I let her get the chocolate dipped cone in sprinkles and everything. I don't think I've ever had one of those.

Chocolate on the face of one happy girl:

I figured that you guys have seen enough beach pictures of us, but this one was so random. Elena wondered what it was like to lay face down in the sand.

And then Kevin wanted to try it too, but he didn't quite figure it out.
We walked right by some free brochures and the kids each wanted one. They loved the maps in the back and "directed" us on our way back to the car and as we drove home.

At the bowling alley:

Evidently, this how Kevin bowls:

We paid $4.50 each for this shoe rental, but at least they were cute. I think we need sport matching footwear more often.

We loved having Dan around so much and look forward to his next week off (5 days for Christmas). Right now he's working a full 80 hours each week. He comes home with just enough energy to run around and play with the kids for a bit before we do the bedtime routine. He's working so hard and enjoying his job. We could not be more proud of him!