My little pumpkins!

This past weekend we took a trip to the pumpkin patch. It was a long haul to get there but it is a great farm and great family place. Some friends of ours, the Linder-Maloney's went with us and Stuart's dad Kenny tagged along as well.

After we arrived and filled our tummies with yummy brats and cookies, we headed out to experience the patch. They have numerous activities for the kids and parents. Including a petting zoo, a place to make a life-sized scarecrow shop and a firetruck that fires pumpkins.

We spent the entire afternoon at the patch and the weather could not be more perfect. We all had a great time.

Family Pictures!

At the end of August we celebrated 4 years for Blaire and 18 months for Presleigh. We were also due for some family pictures and a friend helped us out! I think they turned out great!

Family pictures by John Clodfelter/ Kids pictures by Erin Wagner Photography

Hello Preschool!!!!

Today was the big day! Blaire started preschool! She was so excited and I was too...really! Last night, I picked out her outfit and was so glad the temperature and dropped enough for her to wear some of her new clothes. I got all of her forms taken care of and filled out(you would not believe how many forms I filled out!). And got her backpack ready to go!



Blaire woke up this morning and got ready. I could tell she was a little nervous but she did great. Blaire went to school with me, and while a co-worker watched my class I took Blaire to school. Stuart met us there and we took her in. After we took all of our pictures and found her locker we stepped into the classroom and then she was off....Yeah that was it, see ya mom, I'm here and I am ready!!!

Preschool!

On Tuesday we took Blaire to meet her teacher and get "orientated". I was really excited all day long and was looking forward to Blaire meeting her teacher. But, as we parked the car and got Blaire out and started walking into the school I got cold feet. Not Blaire, ME. I wanted to put her back in the car, take her home and refuse to let her grow up.

I was a little surprised at my reaction. I did not figure I would be fighting back tears BEFORE preschool even started, but yes I was that mom. Baire has been going to day-care her whole life but something about the word school makes it seem so real that my "baby" is growing up and is quickly approaching kindergarten.

All that said, I am thrilled for her, and look forward to all the experiences this year will bring. She was thrilled to meet her teacher and gave her a hug when we left. I am sure she will do great and I will soon get more comfortable with the idea of "school".

It's been awhile!

I'm so sorry to those of my readers that have been neglected. I will try to do better! I would riddle you with excuses but you probably already know that my life is crazy! Going from full time mom to full time mom and teacher is always a big adjustment in August. This year seems especially so, not sure why.

Anyway, this past summer brought many adventures and treasured memories. Although, I have neglected my blog, I haven't neglected my digital scrapbooks that are already "filled" with pictures of our summer doings!

Knowing that my time is limited I guess I will highlight our big trip this summer to Branson, MO! We went with some friends of ours from Garden City. Rob and Mandee have two children, Zarin and Mayzee. Mayzee is about the same age as Blaire and inseparable. And Presleigh love Bubbie aka Zarin. So it was a great pairing of families for such a trek.

We kicked the trip off with a short stay with Stuart's cousin Scott and his wife Kim. We had a great time hanging out and catching up. We missed seeing their kids, but our kids sure enjoyed them!

The next day we made the final leg or our journey to Southwest, MO. We arrived on "the strip" and settled into our hotel. Let me tell you, Branson is like crack cocaine for your eyes, with more to look at than one can possibly take in.

With only 3 days to spend in Branson we headed our right away to find something to do. That evening we took a ride on the DUKWs(Ducks). They are WWII amphibious vehicles that we were able to see the sights of Branson and Table Rock Lake. Blaire and Mayzee even got to drive while on the lake!



The next day we spent in Silver Dollar City. It was soooo hot, but we had such a good time. The kids were so good and were able to ride most of the rides. Blaire went on the log ride with her dad and the Walcks. She wasn't too sure about the end result, but she didn't shy away from riding the other rides. Presleigh was a trooper, she wasn't able to ride as many rides but she smiled and even took a nap in the afternoon.



The following day we spent seeing more of Branson and of course eating! We went to a great Italian restaurant that I am still dreaming about. After that we headed to the Sight and Sound Theater where we saw an outstanding production of Noah the Musical. The acting/singing was amazing and the production was top notch. It even included live animals that boarded the ark(the small ones of course!).




As our time in Branson came to an end we made one final stop to Ripley's Believe It or Not museum, which I found highly entertaining! It was a great summation of a wonderful trip that none of us will soon forget.

Bye Bye Baby!

Our life has hit hyper drive with the addition of a second child on her feet. Wow, has that change things. All of a sudden I have a toddler and have to officially accept that my baby is not going to be a baby forever. I can still pretend though. At night when she lets me sing her a song and snuggles me with her paci in her mouth. I will take what I can get.

Anyway, Presleigh is walking and oh so proud of herself. She is keeping up with her sister more and pestering her more too. Blaire has taken to tattling on her sister and making sure that I know that Presleigh is doing something wrong. This is a challenge that I am not all to sure how to approach with Blaire, as explaining to her that I am the mom is not sinking in.

Anyway, life is on the move here! School is out and after I get my pedicure tomorrow afternoon I will be ready to dive into summer too!

Recital!

It has been a wild day! Blaire's recital was this afternoon and I would say all in all it was a success. Not only did she let me curl her hair, which was adorable but she also danced!

Now, when I say dance, don't forget that she is three. After they found their spot on the stage which was marked by a color, the girls made sure to all look back to the stage curtain to look for their teacher who reminded them what their moves were. This got quite comical as the moms all got in on the act trying to get their daughters to perform. We were jumping around too. Too funny!

I am so proud of my little ballerina. It takes a lot of courage for a little girl to dance in front of that many people. But, I think it was such a great experience for her. I hope that dance is teaching her self confidence and determination. She can do anything she wants if she has both!