Happy Halloween!

my kids ROCKED it tonight

INSANE amounts of candy

more pictures to come

Preschool Pumpkin Patch

This morning as I was driving to a local pumpkin patch to meet up with Jason’s preschool class I was overcome with gratitude for the gorgeous area we live. Washington in general is beautiful, but the Snoqualmie Valley is breathtaking.

Although the sun was shining the near freezing temperatures made it clear that winter is just around the corner. We spent an hour or so walking around the farm. Jason spent most of his time running around with his classmates, which left me with this cutie.

Let’s pretend the flower isn’t half dead.

I had a brief chance to get a picture of Jason and Katie together. This was the best it got.

A little better on their own.

We met up with Jason’s preschool friends and their mothers – I’m thinking I need to come up with some “field trips” during my weeks as teacher. Sure beats planning lessons and entertaining five boys for two hours. Do you think the other Moms will catch on if I organize a field trip every week?

We were able to get up close and personal with goats, chickens, cows, and a donkey. I think this is the first time I’ve ever pet a cow before.

Jason was also brave enough to pet the cows while they were eating their hay – Katie was fascinated, but they were much too big for this little girl. She was much more comfortable with the donkey.

Next we roamed through the pumpkin patch. Katie found a nice little seat on a pumpkin.

And pretty much stayed put until we were ready to move on.

On the way home I decided to stop and walk around the Falls with the kids. Every time we go I’m amazed at its beauty and power. Between the sun and the mist it was hard to get a decent picture, but we were glad that we took the time to appreciate the scenery in our own backyard.

Carly’s Soccer Wrap-Up

Carly’s soccer season started in August with practices twice a week. Once games started after Labor Day they began playing games twice a week instead of practicing. We thought the format was a little strange, but her coach spent a few minutes before each game working with the girls on various skills so they did get a little time to practice. Carly’s last game was on October 12th. She played a solid season and quickly became known for her quick hustle.

She scored goals in nearly every game.

(I realize this is a terrible picture, but it’s the only goal shot I managed to capture at all)

Her team won most of their games and seemed to be fairly evenly matched with the other teams in the area their age. I think Justin and I are much to competitive because it was torturous to watch some of these girls at this age still go the wrong way or show a complete disregard for instruction from the coach. Carly was rock star – she played hard and had fun.

Keeping the goal in sight!

She was the only girl on her team to be voted MVP during the season and was given an awesome soccer necklace from her coach.

(The other girls received their necklaces at the end of the season soccer party)

Carly’s team was called the Husky’s and consisted of girls from three different elementary schools – her coach brought the team mascots to the final game for a team picture.

18 months

As of today Katie is 18 months and one week old.

Usually turning 18 months old is a much anticipated milestone because it’s the age that kids can attend nursery at church, giving parents two hours of peaceful Sunday classes; however, since Justin is a nursery worker she’s already been going to nursery for several months with him.

I think Katie might be our most curious toddler. She likes to get into cupboards, explore her sister’s room for restricted treasures, and make messes.

Compared to many other children though I consider ourselves very lucky - thankfully we still haven’t had any major coloring incidents, make-up messes, or items submerged in the toilet. Knock on wood…

Katie still takes 2 naps a day if our schedule allows.

We had a few weeks last month that I feared my sweet happy baby was turning to the dark side, but thankfully she was just cutting her four pointy teeth simultaneously, and once they all tore threw her gums she was back to her sweet, content self.

Katie prefers to feed herself; once her container is empty I can then step in and feed her everything she dropped on her tray, bib, and face.

The past few weeks we’ve noticed that Katie wants to have more control over things. Sometimes she’ll refuse to wear a certain pair of pajamas (she currently prefers jammies without feet). She’s also shows some interest in picking out her own clothes in the morning. This new independent streak also means she doesn’t want to sit in her booster seat in the kitchen anymore. Sometimes I’ll let her just stand by a chair and eat.

Other times she’ll sit on a regular chair and eat, but this can be quite messy since she can hardly even see over the table.

As you can see Katie has also found her cheesy smile.

Katie loves her binkie and unfortunately she’s become quite attached to it… I’m fine with her having it in bed, but we need to do better keeping it there.

I’m not entirely confident in Katie’s ability to come down the stairs yet, though she goes up several times a day on her own. Sometimes I’ll find her sitting at the top of the stairs dangling her little feet; testing her limits no doubt.

Has learned to climb onto couches and some chairs. Yesterday I actually found her standing on the kitchen table. Katie has even managed to find a way to look outside the windows that are too high for her to see out normally.

Katie is beginning to say some words – hi, "sh" for shoe, ball, car, “bu” for book, “bo” for bowl, dada, ma, “k” for truck, “aba” for Abigail, and “nana” for banana. She also has a few signs she uses regularly like: more, drink, all done, and binkie. We love that she now nods yes or no when we ask her something.

Katie is often at the mercy of everyone else’s schedules and has been quite the trooper at soccer practices and games, even in the freezing cold or the pouring rain.

Katie loves to play outside and has reached the point where she can play at the park and I don’t have to follow her around everywhere. That is always a wonderful milestone for parents.

Katie is generous with her kisses. She puckers up her little lips and makes a little humming noise. Katie kisses are the sweetest!

This girl is loved!

Remlinger Farms

Saturday, October 8th was our community fall picnic at Remlinger Farms. We waited too long to register for it so we ended up on the waiting list and didn't find out we would be able to go until the day before. So glad we got the opportunity and in the future will be one of the first to register so we don't miss out on this fun activity.

Abigail had a soccer game that morning so we arrived a little late, but there was still plenty of food. All you can eat hamburgers, hot dogs, BBQ chicken, corn on the cob, chips, soda, slaw, and a variety of fresh pies.

We'd heard conflicting comments whether the rides were included in our discounted admission and were thrilled that to find that all the fun the farm had to offer was included. The kids were $5 for the huge lunch, unlimited rides, and a free pumpkin - SCORE! And Katie was free!

We went to Remlinger a few times when the girls were small, but it’s been years since we’ve been back. It's a really cute park and the rides are perfect for young kids.

This was Jason’s first time riding on amusement park rides (not sure you can count Disneyland when he was only 15 months old). We went on the roller coaster first and I could tell he was nervous while we waited in line, but he didn't hesitate to give it a try. When the ride ended he had a huge smile on his face and exclaimed, "That was awesome!" Next month we’re returning to Disneyland for a few days with Justin’s family so hopefully Jason (and the girls) keep their sense of adventure.

I think the pumpkin ride is the cutest of all the rides and fitting on this perfect fall afternoon. Everyone took a turn (or two) throughout the day.

The kids know that their Dad can get any spinning type of ride going ridiculously fast – he shows no mercy on those kids.

The kids could have stayed in the hay maze for hours. I had such a hard time getting them out there so we could move on to something different.

Try to ignore the ridiculous man standing in this picture. The kids stood there for several minutes waiting for him to get a clue and get out the shot but he clearly didn't catch on.

You can’t go to Remlinger Farms and not ride on the little train.

Jason was very excited about driving the antique cars. He took his job very seriously. Katie did a great job helping him steer from the backseat as well.

Another classic Remlinger ride is the boats, perfect for the very young. Katie spent most of the short ride dipping her hand in the water and watching the plastic ducks floating along side her.

I was really excited that the kids had the opportunity to ride the ponies while we were there. Carly has read several books this year about horses so I knew how much this would mean to her. She's a natural.

We learned from experience a few years ago that Abigail is allergic to horses and will puff up like a balloon if she rides so she had to miss out while everyone else got a turn.

This was Katie’s first time riding and as you can see she wasn't sure what to make if the situation. She loves animals and as we waited in line for our turn she kept making growling noises at the ponies, once on though she was perfectly still and silent.

Carly and Jason also rode another kind of horse.

Looks like this will be the last year for Carly.

The small ferris wheel was another big hit. Jason enjoyed swinging his cage back and forth as it went around and around. Katie looked so cute sitting next to Abigail and didn’t want to get off when the ride was over.

Abigail and Carly can’t pass up an opportunity to conquer a rock wall.

We ended up staying until they shut everything down at 6pm and we had no choice but to head for home – near the end of the day we basically had the park to ourselves and could ride anything we wanted without a wait.

It always feels great to come home after a fun filled day with our family. We can’t wait to return to Remlinger next year!