Sunday, October 15, 2017

Outdoor Fun in October

A^4 had a good week that went by too fast!  Ayson and Daddy had their last football practice of the season on Thursday - yay!!!!!  We had a week and weekend of wonderful weather and we made sure to make the most of it!  Friday involved a play date with Neighbor Denise for the kiddos and a night out for Mommy and Daddy.  While Ayson and Daddy were at their last game on Saturday (the TOOLON Tigers lost :( Mommy and Addie made a last minute decision to attend a Fairy Festival with some friends.  SO much fun!!!!  Sunday found us outside most of the day catching up on chores and we picked out pumpkins!  We hope all of our family and friends found time to be with people they love because we sure did!!!!

Ayson reading the Book of Farts during his nightly 15 minutes of reading session.  During bedtime, Ayson now reads us a book (he requests this) and then we read him a book.


On Friday night, Neighbor Denise offered to watch the kiddos so that Daddy and Mommy could go out.  Daddy went to the Syracuse/Clemson football game and Mommy went out to dinner with a girlfriend (not enough tickets [with seats together) for Mommy to go to the football game too).  Mommy is pretty sure that she had more fun than Daddy ;)

Ayson writing Denise's name with his toes :)  Addie is wearing pigtails and they look SO cute!




The kiddos drew lots of pictures for Denise.
Ayson's


Addie's


Their spinart creations


Mommy's dinner with a view and time with a great friend!


Clemson lost  - poor Daddy:(  Syracuse played a great game!


Sunshine sent Mommy a picture of Ayson and Khanlen riding their bikes from a previous weekend in September


On Saturday, Mommy and Addie attended an "Autumnal Fairy Festival" at Baltimore Woods with Mikhan and Sunshine.  The girls has such a great time!!!  Mommy loved watching all of the fairies flit around :)
The girls getting their pipe cleaners so that they could make a bead bracelet.  A new bead was added at each station:  face painting, games, story time, fairy wand making, crossing the bridge with the troll under it, potion making, catching the wizard, a bead from the Fairy Queen, scavenger hunt, making a fairy house, AND a bead for dancing! Whew!




The Fairy Queen was a luna moth


Games with a wizard


Both Mommy and Sunshine agreed that any guy in a hood or mask was scary/creepy and we were not surprised that the kiddos were hesitant to approach the wizards.


Fairy wand making


Talking with the Fairy Queen :)


Picture time


Follow the Fairy Queen, it's story time!


Walking through the woods


Three Billy Goats Gruff


Mother Earth


Addie spotted the "apartment" tree (animals [or maybe fairies] MUST live in all of the holes)




Walking down the trail to the troll bridge and potion making!


The not so scary troll (thank goodness!)


A teeny tiny fairy house :)


A fairy in the woods


Crossing another bridge to get to the potions!


The kiddos had to find a rock or leaf, make a wish, and add it to the potion cauldron.  They then got a tiny vile of their potion to wear around their neck.  TOO cute!




The Potion Fairy handing over their vials.  (Little glass vials with cork stoppers with an eye hook loop in the cork which was then threaded through with twine)


Another forest fairy and a face on the tree stump


Collecting supplies to make a fairy house


Addie's fairy house






Dancing!





Addie talking with the Wood Fairy


It's hard to see, but our basil (with all of the flowers we did not pinch off) is covered in bees!


On Sunday, we picked out our Pumpkins from the local apple orchard, Deer Run.  $24 for 4 huge pumpkins - not too bad!




While waiting for Daddy and Ayson in the store, Addie climbed up the hay bale mountain.




Addie listening to Ayson read her Duckling book that she checked out of the school library :)


Daddy had the kiddos stack the last two face cords of fire wood.  Mommy was on the very western portion of the yard picking grapes and could hear Daddy giving military (boot camp - left, right, march, MARCH!) type words of encouragement to the kids :)  It took a while, but the wood is now ALL stacked!!


Then Daddy had the kiddos sweep the driveway.


Mommy sorting through the grapes.  Addie requested a grape pie - stay tuned!

Sunday, October 8, 2017

A busy week with a Field Trip, Sick Kiddo, Daddy Away, and the Apple Festival

Mommy, Daddy, and the kiddos have so much to be thankful for and we try to make the most of everyday!  Daddy was gone for another trip and Mommy and the kiddos survived :)  A HUGE thanks to Neighbors Dave and Jo for helping Mommy with the flat tire on Monday night!

On Tuesday, the Kindergarten classes went to Beak & Skiff for their fall field trip and Mommy was able to join :)  Addie is in the middle row on the far right.




The section of orchard that the little ones picked apples from was the FIRST pick ever for these three year old trees.  The tree were at the perfect height for the kiddos! Mommy grew up with apple trees in her yard and the kiddos also have experienced apples in our yard and it was sort of surreal to see every apple on the tree be beautiful, red, spot free, and with no bug holes...




Addie and a prized apple


Chow time


The view from the top of the hill looking east towards our valley


Addie and Matthew


Big smiles :)


Getting SO big!


Playtime before lunch


On Tuesday, Ayson was not feeling well (just rundown) and ended up staying home on Wednesday.  It was a gorgeous day outside but Ayson spent the day inside, with his hood up, reading, doing homework, and drawing :)




Addie wanted Mommy to send the below picture to her teacher, Mrs Long :)


Addie playing on Friday at the After School program


Ayson and his buddy Graham


On Saturday morning, Addie woke Mommy and Daddy up with the news that she (finally) lost her first tooth!!!!


TaDa!


Saturday and Sunday was the Apple Festival and we had Ayson's friend, Caleb, join us for the day.
No really, Addie had a GREAT time on Peaches, the Apple Festival Pony :)


Addie and Caleb sitting in a HUGE tractor.


The kiddos wanted a picture on the wagon.


Too cool!


After Ayson and Daddy got home from their away football game, the kids posed for a picture before heading off to the amusement rides!  Mommy STILL takes a photo of what the kiddos are wearing before we head out to any big activity where they could possibly get separated and lost.


The boys on the Tilt-a-Whirl


Hi Addie.  Mommy thinks we rode the Merry Go Round 5 times :)  :)


Weeee!!!!


Ayson LOVED the slide but Caleb had a look of fright!  (but Caleb said he loved the slide :)


Surprise, Addie and Mommy on the Merry Go Round!




Big smiles


Sunset on Saturday night






Grandma came out Saturday night so she could attend the Apple Festival on Sunday.  We enjoyed an apple pancake breakfast Sunday morning (minus the apples for the kiddos) and then Grandma shopped her heart out with Aunt Becky on Sunday :)


Homework
Addie worked SO hard last week!  She earned 2 purples for the week!  Outstanding job, Adduie!!






Addie's weather calendar


and bar graph