Carving Pumpkins

Last night we carved pumpkins. Kelsey has been really excited for us to do this. We have gone for walks around the neighborhood and she was sad that we did not have pumpkins outside yet like everyone else. However, Kelsey is not one who likes to get dirty. Therefore, Daddy ended up doing most of the work. We asked her if she wanted to touch the gooey insides with her hands and the look of disgust on her face told us the answer right away. She did try to scoop some seeds out by using her spoon, but she still did not like having to get too close to touching the slimy parts. She stayed in the kitchen with us though and sang us some pumpkin songs that she made up the words to. Megan just watched and took it all in. No fussing from that chica. Kelsey chose an Ariel pattern for Daddy to try this year. I am sure I am a bit biased, but he did a great job with it! Mommy did the traditional Skala pumpkin. I am still working my way up to carving a more detailed pumpkin. As we were winding down with the carving, Megan was in the living room playing with her toys and she got up on her hands and knees and was rocking back and forth! Oh goodness--crawling is right around the corner. She already has on our toes with her rolling and scooting everywhere. Once the girls were in jammies and cleaned up we lit the pumpkins and enjoyed their beautiful glow. Another year of pumpkin carving in the books!

Pumpkin Patch

We made our annual trip to the pumpkin patch today. It was our first time there as a family of four. Kelsey calls it the "punkin pash." :) It was a bit windy and cool, but the sun helped a lot. We just added a few layers and were set for an afternoon outside. Megan was only awake for part of our time there so we took advantage and got a few pics of the girls together first. Kelsey enjoyed the big slide, jumping in the leaf pile, playing mini-golf, taking the hay ride, the bouncy house, the swings, the petting zoo, and the corn maze. She also tried apple cider for the first time and liked it. She was not too fond of some of the Halloween decorations though because she thought they were spooky. Megan enjoyed being bundled up and kept warm and out of the wind as she lay peacefully in her stroller. She was out of the stroller for a bit too, but once we cuddled her up, she went right to sleep and was very content taking a snooze. Mommy and Daddy enjoyed our family time with our girls. Before we left to go home, Kelsey picked out a few pumpkins to bring home for carving. She was set on pulling them to the car, too. It was a wonderful fall afternoon!

A Stroll in the Park

Yesterday was a perfect fall day. There was a chill in the air, yet when bundled up the crisp cool air felt so refreshing. We decided to take advantage of this and went to the park. On the way there, we had to drive through a wooded area and Kelsey goes, "We are in the forest." hehe Kelsey started with the traditional swings and then played restaurant on the bridge. She would ask what we wanted and then would tell us "Sorry, we're out of that." If we were lucky enough to pick something she had, she would tell us she had to write it down and would ask questions like, "Do you want ketchup with that?" She told us how much our food would cost and when Matt paid her a dollar, her eyes got big and she quickly put the money in her coat pocket. Quite the little server. We tried Megan in the swing, but as soon as it started to move she did not like it and got a look of terror on her face. She was perfectly content chilling with mama while big sis and Daddy chased around the equipment.

A little Megan update: In the past two weeks we feel like Megan has discovered so many things. Her vocabulary now consists of Dada and Mama. She will usually say Dada when she sees Matt, although she does like to ramble that one over and over too without him around. Mama tends to be said when I walk out of the room and is accompanied with a whiny voice or tears. She can now sit up on her own, too. We still need to stay close by, but she sits up and plays with her toys like a big girl. Another thing she does a lot now is stick out her tongue. Oh, and hold on to your stuff when she is around because she will grab for everything and wants to hold it or put it in her mouth. Prime example: I thought I had moved my milk far enough away from her seat, but the milk all over the floor proved me wrong. Lesson learned ;) Poor little chica has a cold right now so Mommy and Megan have spent a few nights this week sitting up and sleeping so she can breathe and her nose is not so stuffy. Along with a cough, she is a little under the weather, but you would not be able to tell from her attitude because she is her usual happy self.

Kelsey update: Oh boy, where to start? That girl is a hoot. She loves doing preschool stuff and is learning so much. She is working so hard on writing her name. The letters are not all made correctly yet, but she is consist with the way she makes them all. Each time is the same. I am guessing she will have that down by Christmas. Speaking of Christmas, we got the Fleet Farm Toyland catalog and she officially has a list as tall as she is. She even had to call Grandma and Grandpa to tell them her top picks. The conversation was funny though because she would say, " I want this, and this, and that." She did this as she pointed to things. Hopefully Grandma and Grandpa can read minds ;)

Apple Orchard

My dad and Chris came for our annual apple orchard weekend. We are never quite sure what the weather will hold for us. There are years we have had the kids in snow pants and others we are wearing shorts. This year mother nature was very kind and we enjoyed a summer like day. We met at the same orchard we have been going to for the past few years. Last year the kids all adopted a tree and this year we got to find the tree with their name on it and see what kind of apples it had. Unfortunately, all three of the trees has zero apples :( So, we had to look elsewhere for our stash of apples. The orchard is on a hill and with the sun shining brightly, we were all a tad bit warm from our hike. But, not complaining as we know what the alternative could have been. After gathering our apples, we headed back to our house for lunch. Later in the day, the kids watched The Lion King and played soccer outside while the adults watched college football, shared stories from our childhood, and made apple pies. The day was wonderful! I love this annual family weekend and loved being together. The kids all played well and even put on quite the performance as a cousin's band. It had been too long since we were all together, and it seems crazy to think the next time we will all be together it will be the holiday season.

7 months

Megan is 7 months old! She is so wonderful and is getting bigger and stronger by the day. She has tried almost all the veggies and most fruits now. She is quite the little eater, too. However, she is still a little one. There is a 2 month baby at daycare now and I think they weigh the same thing.
Megan finally takes the nuk. It is nice to have something to soothe her if she needs it. She is quite good at rolling now. Front to back and back to front. When she is on her belly, she really pushes herself up and has good upper body control. She can sit by herself for short periods of time without help. However, prop a few pillows around her and she is golden. She is still super ticklish and a giggle machine when you tickle her even a little. She is the happiest baby. We have thought she has been teething for awhile but no sign of the chompers yet. I have heard that teeth can move up and down in the gums before actually poking through so maybe that is what is happening. She still wakes at least once a night for a short snack, but goes right back to sleep. 7 months seems like it has passed in an instant. What a sweet baby girl we have been blessed with. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this tiny bundle of joy!

Barbie and Ken

Kelsey's imagination is something else these days. She loves to play pretend and gets into full character. She even has Daddy playing along. Kelsey's newest playtime routine involves Daddy being Ken, Megan being Skipper, and Kelsey as the role of Barbie. She stays in character too and calls Matt "Ken". She also likes to play Ariel and Prince Erik, Sleeping Beauty and Prince Phillip, and Rapunzel and Flynn Rider. Oh, and who do I get to be? I usually get the flattering job of being the villain--Ursala, Maleficent, or Mother Gothel. She does usually find something a little nicer for Megan to be. Kelsey also likes to play store, restaurant, house, and her days of entertaining are pretty consistent. We get daily concerts. She likes watching The Sing-Off and X Factor and we have said many times how much more entertaining it is to watch Kelsey perform rather than the TV singers. Good thing for DVR so we can fast forward through all the garbage and just let her watch the singing parts. Our little Kelsey is one fun girl to be with :)

Culturefest

Last weekend the girls and I went to Culturefest in town. It was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon. There was lots of authentic food, good music, a petting zoo, craft stations, and plenty of sunshine. Megan enjoyed her ride in the stroller while Kelsey and I explored. There were girls dressed in their Mexican quincenera dresses and Kelsey immediately thought they were princesses because they were wearing crowns. She had to get her picture with them. It was a fun event and a great Saturday outing.