Back in September we made a trip to Pangburn to visit with Rhonald's parents. We always enjoy going there because it is so different than where we live...we love the country life! The weather was crazy - raining then sunny over and over every day. We got outside to play and explore every chance we got. Cole loves to walk through the woods and look for new things. Paw Paw and Grandma surprised Cole with a baseball bat and ball this trip which turned out to be very fun. Cole and Paw Paw practiced baseball quite a bit and Cole was even able to hit the ball a few times! Once Lily Kate goes to bed we always enjoy a nice big campfire and every one's favorite...S'Mores! Cole will finally eat his with chocolate and agrees with me that they are divine! It is so nice to hang out around the campfire and totally relax. We had a great time and we always appreciate our time there!!! There really is nothing like a few days in the country.
Holidays are getting more and more fun as our kids get older and we are LOVING it! Halloween was a busy day for us this year. Cole had a party at school and was totally pooped when he got home. After a quick nap we were all rushing to get dressed and head over to Rhonald's office to show off the kids and their costumes. I was so bummed that Rhonald had to work on Halloween this year but hey-that is just part of it. Cole loved wearing his Batman costume (even though it was a tad small) but Lily took a little time to fall in love with hers. I did not do a traditional costume for her this year because I thought she would be miserable. I just made a cute Halloween inspired tu tu and off we went. Once we were out and about she chilled out and actually enjoyed her night very much. She loved watching the kids running every which way and all of the smiles and laughter. Sweet Cole was so excited to show his costume off at Rhonald's clinic and did such a great job that one other the other Dr's let Rhonald off early so that he could enjoy the night with us! We had 2 happy kids and a very happy mama after that! Since I thought I would be parenting solo I planned things a bit differently this year. We went over to Emily and Jim's for pizza and cupcakes before we ventured out trick or treating with them. We are friends with just about all of the kids (and parents) in their neighborhood so it was awesome to be able to share the night with them. Ben and Cole were both Batman this year....as was Mr. Jim. That was a big hit with Ben and Cole for sure!!! It was such a blast walking around their neighborhood with friends, laughing at our sweet kids as they ran like maniacs from house to house laughing! We did make them stop for a few pictures here and there but other than that they just simply had fun. Holiday (aka Strawberry Shortcake) was the funniest...she would scream "I'm Strawberry Shortcake" as she ran up to the various houses! She was hilarious. I loved Halloween as a kid. My BFF, Melissa, and I would trick or treat together and I have so many wonderful memories from that. But I have to admit....watching my kids and their friends enjoying it was much more fun! Oh my heart is full with love for all of these kiddos...
I do my best to cook dinner all throughout the week. At this stage in life it is easier for us than going out and I love to have family meals at home. Cole loves when we all sit down at the table together. He comments on it every time. The weekends, however, are different. There are times we cook and there are times we are so busy (or I want a break) and we go out. This past Saturday was a great family day for us. Rhonald had been working a lot of weekends but he had this past one off. We started the morning together at the Pumpkin Patch and then after naps (from everyone) I mentioned I would love a pizza. Well, Cole had the great idea of making our own pizzas instead of ordering one. So, we all made a quick trip to a local grocery store to buy pizza supplies. They turned out really good actually and were very quick. We all had fun and got what we wanted on our pizzas! It was a great idea that I plan to do again for sure! The best part was that we were making them together and enjoying each other's company...funny how the small things turn out to mean so much!
This weekend I realized we had forgotten something...we had purchased our pumpkins but we forgot to carve them! So, in our pj's one morning we brought in the smallest pumpkins we had and got to work. We planned on carving all of our pumpkins...honestly we did...but after doing 2 we decided we would wait and do the others later. By later I mean never :) Cole was much more into it and helpful this year. He even volunteered to stick his hand in the pumpkin to pull out the "goo." Lily Kate wanted to be on some one's hip the whole time watching what was happening. I'm sure she thinks we have lost our minds half of the time! In the end, I think they turned out to be very cute! Cole was happy and really, that is all that matters.
A local church that we have been visiting hosted their first ever Blocktoberfest last night and there are 3 words to describe it....So. Much. Fun! We invited the Burrow crew to come with us and we are so glad that we did. We got there when the gates opened and I am so glad that we did! There were people every where. We have never been to anything like this...there were carnival rides and carnival food...a petting zoo, games, bouncy houses and more! We enjoyed the fun for 2 hours and when we left we still had not seen and done everything. This was Cole's very first experience with a ride of any kind and he loved it! A trip to Disney is in our future for sure!!! Lily discovered both cotton candy and funnel cakes and was in toddler heaven. Cole and Ben got their faces painted and thought that was just the neatest thing ever as well. It's funny - we ended up running into just about everyone we know (or at least we felt like we did). I cannot tell you how much fun we had - spending time as a family and with friends and enjoying fall. It was a perfect night!
