Pumpkin Patch 2012

Every year, I like to take the kids to Sweet Berry Farms for an annual pumpkin adventure. This year, the weather was perfect... not too hot so it felt a little like fall and not too cold that we needed jackets.  We went on Columbus Day so we got there right when it opened to beat the crowds.  First up were the obligatory pumpkin pictures.  I got a few good ones but not a great one of them together (not surprising!).

Isn't she the cutest pumpkin in the patch??

Look out! Caitlin's behind the wheel.

Good pic minus their strange smiles...

Probably the best of the two of them.

And we usually try to go with some friends to make it more fun for the kids. As in years past, the Blankenships and Matilda joined us!

Avery and Evan

And even more friends!

After pumpkin pictures, we headed over to do the barrel ride and hay ride.

Let's go Mom!

Evan and Matilda on the hay ride

Evan taking pictures with Matilda's camera

The barrel ride

On the tractor

Caitlin among the beautiful zinnias they have.

After all the fun, we had some lunch and then fed the goats which both kids enjoyed.

And of course, we bought some pumpkins!  One Friday, my MOPS group had a playdate and Evan and I stopped by a church to get a few more pumpkins so I took a couple pictures of just him.

Happy Fall!

Fall Soccer 2012

Evan is playing soccer again this Fall, and Bryce is helping coach as the Assistant Coach.  Now that we are into our third season at the YMCA, it's nice because we have about 5 friends on the team as you can request a coach/friend when you sign up so we all just keep signing up for the same team.  

This season, Evan's team is called The Clash!  And I have to say the colors are great (Go Irish!) :)

He loves to play and is doing well and learning more about soccer. Coach Travis and Daddy are really great at teaching skills and making sure the kids are having fun. 

  The Team

And here's a video from soccer. I've taken a lot of videos this year but here is one where Evan finally scored a goal.  He had to go around a ways, but he stuck with it that's for sure! 

Even when he doesn't score though, he is always out there excited for his friends and congratulates them.


And of course loves that his best buddy Alex is on his team.

Indy Trip - Becca's baby shower and Trip to Zoo

The big reason for our trip to Indy was to host a baby shower for my sister (who is due late December).  

My mom and sister

Party favor! 

Cake! - It was an elephant theme.

The party was a lot of fun and a good opportunity to see lots of friends and family. My friend Nikki and her kids drove in from Chicago so the kids enjoyed having playmates and I enjoyed visiting with all of them. We played some fun games and my sister got some CUTE stuff for the baby.  The kids loved helping unwrap all the presents.

On Sunday, my sister and I got to go to the Colts game as my mom gave us the tickets from the office... the really good tickets. Besides the fact that the Colts lost, the game was a lot of fun.  Thanks Mom!

Then on Monday, we met my friend Marie and her family at the zoo! We haven't been since Caitlin was very little so it was a brand new experience for her. The kids had so much fun.

Moira, Evan, Hannah, and Caitlin

Aren't they cute?

Watching the giraffe

The older kids watching the elephants

And last but not least, we got to go to the dolphin show! We have not gotten to do this before with the kids so they really enjoyed it.

Trip to Indy and Grandpa's House

Last month, my sister and I took the kids to Indianapolis to visit family and for a baby shower for her (she is due in December if you weren't aware).  It was a great trip although busy since we always try to squeeze in visits with as many people as possible.

Friday, we headed down to my Grandpa's house. I don't think the kids have been before. He lives in the country with a pond so we promised Evan he could go fishing.  He loved it!

Even Caitlin got in on the action.

They caught 3 fish so here is Caitlin with the catch....

And here is Evan with the fish in their "fish jail".

After that, we walked over to my Aunt and Uncle's house as they live on the same pond. They showed us their syrup kitchen. They make Shagbark Hickory Syrup... delicious!

Then back to Grandpa's for a few minutes. The kids loved playing with this music box. It opens up and there is candy inside. It was always a favorite of I and my siblings as well.

One last group photo before we left...

Caitlin's First Haircut

Caitlin is well over 2.5 years old and I FINALLY took her for her first hair cut. The ends were starting to look pretty bad and she has been wanting to go for a long time (i.e. every time I take Evan she wants to get her hair cut too).  Well,  I really needed to get Evan's hair cut so I figured it was time.  She did so well! She loved it and talked about it for days afterwards. I of course had to document the moment.

Caitlin is ready!

This place (Pigtails and Crewcuts) is great for kids. They get to sit in special vehicles and they have movies on for the kids to watch.

Looking down at the stickers on the bottom of the airplane...

Final touches...

All done!

She loved it!

And one real quick photo of Evan's haircut...

First Day of School 2012

I know this is a little late, but I don't want to forget. These are pictures from Evan and Caitlin's first day of school.  They are both attending Westside Church of Christ again. This is Evan's third year there. He is in the Young 4s class on T/W/Th with Ms. Julie.  This was Caitlin's VERY FIRST day of school ever!  She is in the Older 2s class on W/F with Ms. Amber.  

They were both so excited to go.... Caitlin especially.  Evan was the sweetest big brother. He walked her to her classroom before I took him to his. I think we are over the whole crying when dropping off that has been happening the last few months. He did awesome when I dropped him off and I can report that since then, everything has continued smoothly.  He is enjoying school and all the friends and activities. It's nice to see him really learning. He can write his name by himself pretty well and is doing better with the scissors. I'm excited to see the progress already in just a few classes.

Caitlin also did pretty well at dropoff. No crying although she was a little unsure and kind of just stood there as we walked away. I'm happy to report though that she LOVES going to school. I think she wakes up every day asking if she can go to school. She gets very sad on the days that Evan gets to go and she does not.  I love how excited she is about it.

It's also nice for each of them to have some time alone. I am off on Friday mornings so Evan and I get some alone time.  Caitlin still gets alone time on T/Th with our nanny... every Thursday they go to her daughter Lucy's school for lunch. Caitlin loves to have lunch with the First Graders and be one of the big kids. Plus, those 1st grade girls love to dote on her and Caitlin likes to be the center of attention I'm sure.

Here's to hoping they both have a fabulous year. So far so good! I'm looking forward to all the activities and to see how much they learn and enjoy it.  

Heather Walker photos

Way back in March, you might remember that you all helped me to win a photo shoot with Heather Walker. She's this fantastic photographer here in Austin whom I met through MOPS.  Thanks to everyone, I was the winner so we tried unsuccessfully to schedule our session until finally in July everything lined up.  She came by our house after dinner one evening to capture a fun activity and then our bedtime routine (day in the life series).  It was so much fun and the kids really took to her. Below are photos from the shoot (all taken by Heather Walker). Thanks everyone for helping us to capture these memories and thanks Heather for the beautiful pictures!

Our fun activity was eating ice cream then splashing through the sprinklers.

Bath time!

Isn't she precious?

And finally storytime! I think Daddy is much better at reading stories than mommy.

And last is the kids snuggling together before bedtime. They really are best friends. I think these two pictures are my absolute favorites.