Pumpkin Patch

We go out to the pumpkin patch every year, this year we did it twice. Once as a family, and then me and the girls got to go with Hayden's Kindergarten class too! I love the pumpkin patch. Its a photo-taking extravaganza! We get to take a hayride out to the patch. This year, we rode the John Deere-both times. Pretty cool! The Monday night we went as a family, it was very quiet out there, maybe two or three other families. Now, pumpkin hunting is a very individualized sport. I like an enormous fat pumpkin, especially with deep grooves and lots of bumps on it. If there is some green, even better. Hayden does not appreciate the green pumpkin, as it is not ripe yet in his eyes. He likes them round, with little or no grooves. Sage just hopes to be able to lift one some day. Heath prefers them pre-gutted, pre-cut Jack-O-Lanterns-or pureed with some cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Marlee likes them best when they are small enought to get ahold of and chew on. We got two great pumpkins, just perfect for carving. We did the hay bale maze and pyramid, always fun. Lastly, before they shut the lights out on us, we got to pet all the animals in the barn. One of the ladies who worked there got the bunny out for us to pet. Sage was speechless for a good 30 seconds. She loved the bunny. When speech did return, she just kept saying, "He's so soft!" with an enourmous grin on her face. She loved the pig too, gave him a good snort. Hayden talked to all the animals, but I don't think he got too close to any of them. He did get a kick out of quacking with the chattiest duck ever.

totally ripped this pose off from Jamie :)

And it wouldn't be a trip to the pumpkin patch without getting some of their homemade candy at the cute store. I prefer the dark chocolate covered caramels with almonds. Heath went with the chocolate mint truffle. Really, you can't go wrong in there. Fun, fun, fun!

Hayden's class went this week. It was a gorgous sunny day. I put Marlee in the backpack which she loves. Sage knows most of the kids in Hayden's class and just blends in. A couple of the girls have adopted her as a surrogate little sister and she couldn't be happier about it. Turns out that our favorite pumpkin patch has a special patch of little pumpkins. Perfect for a bunch of kindergarteners needing to carry their own pumpkins. It was really cute. The kids all got to do the other fun activities: maze, pyramid, barn, and they got a snack. A cookie and cider. It was so fun watching the kids play and enjoy this great place.

The pink blob is Marlee, she desperately needed a nap, but was having a tough time falling asleep with so many kids around to watch.
The kids had a great time climbing around on this pyramid. When they were told it was ok to climb, it was like watching an ant hill the way they swarmed their way to the top and ran around. Sage followed her brother all the way to the top. When we got home, we discovered her pants and shoes were full of hay from sliding around on.Hayden reached the top!

The Sweater

So 6 years ago I found out I was pregnant for the first time. Heath and I were very excited and wanted to buy something for the baby. Not knowing if it was a boy or a girl, we bought a t shirt with a basketball on it(boy) and a rainbow sweater with a cute star(girl) . We had to buy something for each sex as we didn't want to seem to be tipping the scales in either direction. Well, we had a boy-yes, old news. The basketball shirt was really cute, we have had many more basketball shirts, some cute football, soccer and all other sport related clothes in varying shades of blues. We have boxes of way fun boy stuff. But, I was sorta sad to put the sweater away, however a little part of me knew that it would see its day. Well, then Miss Sage came along and I was tickled to pull out the rainbow sweater, a few years old, never been worn, tag still on. It was darling on her as I imagined when we bought it. Anyway, that is the history of the sweater. Well, it was pretty special when I pulled it out of the box a few weeks ago. I recalled the excitement of the original purchase, the hope upon packing it away, and the joy of getting to use it after all with Sage and now, with Marlee, it just seems like a great reminder of what a joy each of my children are. I still love this sweater.
This is Marlee in the sweater at 5 months old. I have a cute picture of Sage at 4 months in the sweater as well, but Blogger does not seem to like it and won't let me put it on here. You would have enjoyed it very much and probably left me a comment on how much they look alike.

Nap Time

You know how when an almost 3 year old disappears and the house is just way too quiet? This usually means trouble. Well, Sage is the exception to the rule. If it is after lunch and she vanishes, I know that she has found herself somewhere quiet to take a nap. No need for me to help, she has it all taken care of. Sometimes her nesting habits just make me laugh. Today, it was the laundry basket that she put one of her pillows in. Cozy.

As her 3rd birthday approaches, I know that the end of napping is also getting closer. Not sure when that day will come, but know that I will cry. Yeah, not just because it means an end to the peaceful mid-day quiet time, but also because I will no longer be able to stumble upon this sweet scene.

5 months

Marlee has turned 5 months. Time is flying. This month we learned more and more that this girl has got personality! We have really seen her develop a sense of humor. She cracks herself up spitting, pretty much all day long. Its pretty funny. Hayden and Sage are really funny too, she gets a big grin on her face when she catches sight of them. Each day when Hayden gets home from school, she gets pretty excited. They have a pretty special relationship. He sits behind her in the car and I get to listen to her squeal and laugh all over town as he entertains her. Who needs radio!

Diaper changes are still one of her favorite parts of the day. She gets wild bug eyes when she hears the Velcro fasteners and grins and laughs when the diaper comes off.
I’m not sure but perhaps teeth are getting closer as she has been gnawing on everything she can get her hands on. I love to watch her gnaw on her toes, its amazing how flexible babies are.
Oh she loves toys. The caterpillar bug is one of her favorites and she attacks if you put it close to her. Its sorta like watching a Venus fly trap, you set the bug on her belly, and she gets the wild eyes again right before she folds up around it and bites its nose. Too cute!
And talk! This girl is a chatterbox. Look out Hayden and Sage, you’ve got competition.
We all love that she is able to farm on her exersaucer. Free hands for mom, and the kids can play with her toys entertaining themselves and her. Win-win-win.
Cereal started out strong, but a few days in, she changed her mind. She clamps that mouth shut and its game over. We took a week off and tried again with oatmeal which seems to be going better.
This month I worked another weekend (boy, my work schedule is grueling!) and she did great with the bottle. Heath said she sucked it down like she had been doing it forever.
Her schedule seems to be pretty consistant. Up in the morning about 7, a few naps and down for the night about 8:30 pm.
She now prefers to sit propped up or stand, lying down is for tiny babies, she will let you know if you forget and lay her down.
Her hair is getting thinner on top, the baby fuzz is falling out and it seems awfully light where it is coming in. The little bald patch in the back is perfect for little kisses.

Highlights:
Rolls over-same night she tries cereal. Can roll back to tummy, and tummy to back.
Being out side for all Hayden’s flag football games-being outside is the best, and when there are a ton of funny kids running around, well, it just doesn’t get any better than that.
Trip to Seattle for Auntie Angies birthday
Getting loved at Heath’s company picnic.
Girls time when Hayden is at school

Something to laugh about

So, my kids are pretty funny. Last night we went to a friends wedding reception. The best man gets up and says that in a few minutes they are going to do the toast. Sage got pretty excited and asked me if I thought they would put her toast on her cake.

This morning, I announced to the kids that tomorrow is the first day of October. Hayden got really concerned and said, "uh oh, then we won't be able to get any more cars at the dealership." Sorta confused, we gave him a blank stare, then he told us that is what the guy on his radio said.

Well, Marlee doesn't talk yet, but she cracks up and spits at us randomly. Today she kept trying to grab Hayden's face and suck on his nose. Yes, I feed her. She wasn't hungry, she just is funny.

Goofy times here.

So, while I've got your attention, my sister is having a give-away on her site AllThingsAvery. She is the talent behind weelittledesigns.com and if you leave her a comment congratulating her on her 2 years of blogging you can win free christmas cards. Cool, check her out!

Treasure Hunting

We got a GPS so we had to try out geocaching. It is so much fun. The kids call it treasure hunting. We actually took these photos a couple of Saturdays ago. We took a nice drive up to the hills and hit a few spots along the way. Check out geocaching.com if you are not familiar with treasure hunting. Not really sure what else we will do with the GPS, but its a way fun toy, and this is an excellent family activity. We had a blast!

Sage ended up with a yo-yo and a princess bracelet, and Hayden got a shiny plastic Washtucna fire department badge and a little T-rex. Marlee was totally into it too, seeing that it is an outside activity, but she didn't get any treasure.

We got to see lots of wildlife too: a few deer, some squirrels, bugs, bugs and more bugs, oh, and who could forget the giant boa constrictor that I was within inches of stepping on. Thank you Hayden for saving me! (Heath says it was just a bull snake, but I think it could have been a python.)

Nobody puts baby in the corner

Fruity

Well, not a lot going on, so I thought maybe a little braggin needs to happen. :) We did well on our fruit trees again this year. The pears knocked our socks off. They were awesome. We had way more than we could eat, so we canned. This would be our first experience canning, and I must admit, I quite enjoyed it. When I was little, mom always canned all kinds of things. (man, I would kill for that salsa recipe) I loved to hear the little pop as the jars sealed. So I must tell you that there was great pride when my own pears gave the tell-tale pop. And are they soooo beautiful? Never seen any prettier!

EIEIO

Toes

Last week, to celebrate Sage being such a potty pro, we got our toes done. Just us girls. We had a good time, well, perhaps Marlee was not so happy that she didn't get her toes done, but hey, she still is wearing diapers! She will get her turn.

Sage thought it was the greatest thing to sit and visit with all the other women getting their nails done. Big surprise, she picked pink. The lady gave her cute purple flowers for her big toes too! I was shocked that it only cost $3.00. Best 3 bucks I've spent in a long time!

I love those chubby little feet! "We are girls!"

Mush

Oh yummy! Miss Marlee got to try cereal. She performed really well the first night but I am thinking it was just show for the camera. She hasn't really shown us much interest since the first night. Might be safe to say she is not into it at all. Oh well, thats all thats on the menu for now. Sage was tickled that she wore her "I love my big sister" bib. Maybe they will become friends afterall.

Lost

Well, week one of kindergarten is in the books. Hayden loves it. He gives great recaps of the days events. He has even had a bit of homework. Mostly a great week...except there was the bus incident. So I have this little kindergartener, and I was a little nervous to send him off to school and a little anxious about him riding the bus. We are carpooling in the mornings, but the bus will drop him at our door after school, so how scary can that be right?

So, Tuesday, Sage was playing at a friends, and me and Marlee were excitedly waiting outside with camera ready to take pictures of Hayden getting off the bus. waiting, waiting waiting. It was the first day so I knew it would take awhile for the driver to get the route down. School is out about 11:22-approximately. About 11:45 the bus comes rolling down the hill. I start snapping pictures. The door opens and... nothing. The driver says, "I'm calling him but he isn't answering, maybe he is shy. You can come call him and see if he comes for you." My Hayden shy??? So I jump up there and call him. There are 4 kids on the bus, none of them belong to me. I tell the driver he is not here. She says that maybe he got on the wrong bus. WHAT??? So what if maybe he didn't? Then where is he? She tells me to call the school, they will know. Yeah right, they will know. Well, what other options do I have. So I tell her good bye and in a nervous, slight panic I tear my house apart trying to find the phone number to the school. Should have it handy, but of course its not. Finally I find it. School has been out for 30 minutes now. So I call, and guess what? The answering machine comes on and informs me that the voicemailbox is full, please call again later! Hayden is missing and the school isn't answering, and I can't even leave a message! You have got to be kidding me! Now I am onto full fledged panic. So I hear the bus again. I go outside and its the same lady as before. She opens her door and asks if he has turned up. Freaking out, I tell her no. What does she do? Shrugs her shoulders, closes the door and drives off. So I call my friend Stacy, her daughter was supposed to ride the bus home with Hayden. Her daughter has made it home! She tells Stacy that Hayden took the other bus. The other bus? Great. Well, at least he is not roaming the streets. Still, I don't feel much better. I call the school again. Someone thankfully answers. She tells me that the bus driver will take him back to the school when he finishes his route. But I shouldn't go to the school because what if he just brings him home. I am a mess by now. A few minutes later (seemed like eternity) a little after noon, the bus pulls up- this is the 3rd time a bus has been to my house. Camera long forgotten, I run up to the doors and burst into tears the second I catch sight of his huge grin. The bus driver tells me that this is his bus. The other woman was confused and he will bring Hayden home each day. So, there was no need for the whole fiasco! In fact the whole thing was of my own making. And as awful as it was for me, Hayden LOVED the bus ride. He tells me that he wants to be a bus driver when he grows up.

Not his bus!

Believe it or not, I did send him back the next day and let him take the bus home. Here he is getting off. That's his buddy, Dean, the bus driver

And how cool is that to have Mom come take your picture as you get off the bus? Never mind that I hug him and kiss him too!

Dora

So this happened two weekends ago, but it needed to be shared. We were at the park, and guess who shows up? Dora! Yes, Sage's absolute favorite. It was great. Sage got to give her a big hug. Sponge Bob was there too, but, well, he just isn't cool like Dora. Dora the Explorer, that was big, probably more exciting that seeing Mickey (that says a lot, Sage loves Mickey too). Believe it or not, Sage was even speechless for a bit. Since that day, she keeps saying to me, "mom, 'member when Dora was at the park?"

We don't really know why Dora was at the park, but it totally made Sage's day to run into her.

4 Months

Wow, 4 months already! Number 4 proved to be quite a busy one for Miss Marlee. It was filled with trips, outings, visitors, and nice long naps. What a little adventurer! She begun to notice the world around her and she discovered a great love for all things outside.
This last month, she started to become interested in toys. She found it to be quite fun to shake a rattle and bat at her bug. We got her a little mirror for riding in the car and she loves to laugh at herself as we cruise around town. She did not show the enthusiasm for her jungle gym that I expected, however the bouncy seat has proven very entertaining (perhaps the gym will get more use in month 5). She discovered some built-in toys: her hands and feet. I love how she goes cross-eyed looking at her hands and wiggling her fingers. Lay her down and she will curl into a ball and grab her feet. She enjoys grabbing a handful of my hair and tugging. She loves to cuddle with a blankie; at bedtime she does not settle down with out one pressed to her sweet face
This last month found me working a weekend, which meant Marlee’s first bottle. We did a practice bottle before the Saturday I was scheduled so we could see if she would play our game. She wasn’t crazy about it, but managed to suck the thing down with some help from her brother and sister. Well, Saturday arrived and Marlee decided that the bottle would not do and just refused to eat until I got home. Lucky Heath, she decided if she couldn’t nurse, she would just sleep all day.
Highlights of the month:
Fun in Seattle-got to see everybody!
First bike ride-you prefer the stroller however
First night in a hotel-you turned yourself 180 degrees in your sleep, mom found your feet where your face should have been!
Lots of fun in Idaho with Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Gretchen, Uncle Will and the boys.
Auntie Kim came to visit
Kyle, Jamie and Avery came to visit
First boat ride