October Fun

Well, since snow is looming in tomorrow's forecast, I thought it best to post a few of our October outings while it still seemed like autumn.  Grandma Ann and Papa Dan came back to Maryland with us after our visit to the Outer Banks.  And even though apple season was well underway, Kate wanted to wait until Grandma was here to go apple picking.  I think we got the remnant of this season's pickin's, but it was a fun experience for Kate. Grandma and I peeled all the apples, dipped them in honey and lemon and froze them for winter pies and crisps.  (Thanks Grandma for the help peeling the apples!!)

Right next to the orchard was a pumpkin patch.  Of course Kate wouldn't accept any of the pumpkins Grandma or I suggested; she had to search out the biggest one for herself!  Now she's begging me to make pumpkin pie.  Maybe we'll tackle that next week!

Each autumn our local fire station hosts an open house.  Kate went last year and couldn't wait to go again this year.  Specifically, she wanted to ride on the firetruck - something she wasn't able to do last year.  We eventually got chosen in the firetruck ride raffle (thanks to a generous volunteer that noticed we had been waiting for more than 1.5 hours for our tickets to be called).  In the meantime, Kate managed to explore and have a lot of fun!

 Daddy was the patient on the ambulance as Kate checked him over.  He was a little sad, so the stuffed bunny made him feel better.  Kate said he was A okay and didn't need to go the hospital after all!

Daddy agreed; the firetruck ride was worth the wait.
It was a memorable day!

Another Farm Today?

So we've been visiting a lot of farms lately, thanks to my fascination with locally grown foods.  But usually when we drive up we see a barn of sorts or some animals.  Today, we saw... a castle!   Kate was thrilled of course.  "There are princesses at this farm?" She asked.  Well sort of.  Elioak Clark Farm in Clarksville, MD, does have grass fed beef and a local produce stand, but they also have a Fairy Tale Adventure Park and a kids' petting "zoo".  Perfect way to spend a Friday with the cousins.  We had a shoe slide for the old woman with too many kids, there was a well where Jack and Jill tumbled, a crooked house, Miss Muffet and well, a few others.  The kids spent very little attention to the nursery rhyme part.  They were more interested in the "rides" and animals.

The first ride of the day was a hay ride.  Aunt Deb took the kids while I kept Nathan far away from the hay, due to a weird rash he had that finally went away.  (Didn't want to risk hay setting him off!) 

Apparently, Collin felt he could do a better job driving the tractor than the lady.  

After the hay ride Brenden, Kate and Collin hopped about Old Bessy (or Dora as it was), for a good ole' cow train ride.  I didn't know there was such a thing as a cow train until Friday.    

But the big event of the day was the Pony Ride!! Kate could not wait to climb on.  I was worried she was going to knock a little girl out of the way so she could go first.  After waiting a few minutes, Kate pushed forward for her turn.  Luckily her cousins are gentlemen and let their pushy cousin have her way and go first!

 Nathan had his first pony ride too.  Honestly, I thought he wouldn't do it.  The little guy continues to surprise me.  He LOVED it.  He wouldn't hold on, but that didn't stop him from having fun.  He didn't want to get off.  Guess, horseback riding will be in his future.

I  love Fridays. No work (for me).  Days with the kids and their friends or cousins.  A little adventure to start off our weekend. 

Oh, and we did stop by the Clark's produce stand on the way home for some zucchini, patty pan squash, tomatoes and cantaloupe.  Yum!

Look Who is FINALLY Walking!

I owe everyone a big apology; this blog is long overdue for a number of updates.  I just don't know where the the time goes. 

Nathan has been itching to walk for months now.  He perfected the butt-bottom scoot around the house.  Then for weeks he moved to the hold on to walls, chairs, couches and legs.  But this weekend he has taken off walking.  Finally.  We all said he was waiting for Papa Dan to arrive before he showed off his moves. But I am happy to say that he not only waited for Papa Dan, but he also waited for me to come back from my trip to California last week.  I was hoping I wouldn't miss his debut.

So with no further adieu, here is Nathan (wobbly as he was - but steady as can be now).

First Dance Recital

Kate was so excited to have her first dance show.  She certainly looked the part of a ballerina.  She also loved being the center of attention.  She sang the loudest, and made the most fuss when she got tired and wanted to stop dancing.  Still, she was beautiful.  And it was a wonderful memory for us all.

A blurry picture, but I love it none the less!

This is Miss Melissa, the best dance teacher ever!  She is a perfect fit for Kate.  She has the patience of an angel and the energy of a 3  year old!  We love Miss Melissa!!

Bike Ride Anyone?

I can't believe my little, baby girl is old enough to  have a bicycle!!   Josh found this perfect blue and pink princess bike for Kate.  It comes complete with a basket in front for Benjamin the cow and a baby seat on the back for Lambie, of course!

Kate was so excited about her bike!  She helped Daddy assemble it.  (Good thing Daddy has machines like metal grinders because there were some
quirky assembly issues with this bike!)  


Kate's helmet doesn't arrive until next week, but we had to let her sit on it and try to peddle around the front street for a few minutes.  She had fun, but we still need to work on the peddling thing.  :)

Now, Nathan couldn't be left out of all the fun.  He strolled up and down the street on his little Red Flyer. be He loves to be on the move.  Kate had a little bell  on her bike; Nathan had a horn on his car.  Our street sounded like a rush hour traffic jam.


We are looking forward to more family bike rides

Nathan's First Birthday

There were so many pictures to choose from as I tried to narrow down the celebration we had for Nathan's first birthday last weekend. I wish I could have added more, but I hope this provides a little feel for the evening.

We had a jungle animal theme. The kids all got face masks to wear, as did some of the adults too! Kate had the job of handing out the masks as the kids arrived; a job she took very seriously. Of course she scouted out the masks first and saved the bunny rabbit for herself!
In first birthday party tradition, I wanted to do a fun, special "cake" that I made myself. So I used 24 cupcakes to make this fun crocodile. It was a hit with everyone.

I wasn't sure if Nathan would really get into eating his cupcake; he is really picky about food textures, but as you can see below, he LOVED every minute of it!




And he knew exactly what to do when it came to the presents. His cousins and big sister were standing by ready to help, but he showed them he had it under control!

Of course, the piles and piles of wrapping paper were of the best gift of all.

We were very blessed by the family that came to celebrate as well as a few close friends. Nathan is a gift to so many. We love this little guy! Can't wait to see what this next year brings...

First Hair Cut

Well, I really did try to wait until Nathan's first birthday before resorting to cutting his hair; however, it was just way too long! Every time he ate anything it ended up in his hair. So I broke down and got it cut one week before his first birthday! Close enough, I suppose. Here is a before picture of the wild waft.

Nathan was so good during his haircut. Normally, he is a constant wiggle worm. Luckily, I think the new surroundings mesmerized him enough to keep him still and distracted.




Here is my little man with a new hairdo. It's still damp in this picture, but once it dried it stuck right back up again. Oh well...

And of course, Kate wanted to get her hair cut too. I have been trimming her hair until now, but she really enjoyed getting it done like big girls. She looked beautiful afterward. (And her hair was cut in a straight line for the first time ever!)

Our Day at the Circus!

What an incredible day we had on Sunday! My wonderful brother, Shaun, and his incredible wife, Debbie, took Josh, Kate and I to the circus! (Brenden and Nana Linda were there too!) Shaun says I've been to one before in my childhood, but I have no memory of it. So to me, this was my first circus! The day began with an exciting (Metro) train ride into D.C.. Kate and Brenden thought that was pretty special. Brenden was yelling, "All Aboard!" while Kate hollered, "Choo, Choo!". We probably could have just rode the Metro all day and they would have been happy!

The show was very exciting (and long!!). But much to my surprise, Kate was captivated for most of the show. She did loose it during the last 10 minutes, but that's not bad for a one-year old. Unfortunately we missed the grand finale.

The elephants and tigers were the favorite part for the kids. Surprisingly the clowns held little appeal. Oh, and Kate really liked the daredevil motorcycle riders, too! (Yup, she's her daddy's girl!)

Nana Linda bought the kids cotton candy. Luckily, Kate didn't like it. But it came with a really crazy hat. Hey--you have to leave the circus with something crazy!