Family Photos 2010

The other day, I looked at the family photo we have hanging up on our wall in the living room and realized that Lily was maybe 9 months old when that was taken! :O So, I decided that we needed to have some more family photos done. I would love to get a professional photographer to do a session with us but for now I had to settle for getting cute shots on our digital camera and photo editing them myself. I think I did a pretty good job!

We all wore black shirts and jeans but of course Logan put a little kink in that plan by insisting on wearing his favorite Toy Story 3 shirt. I figured if I wanted him to smile at all in any of the photos I would have to let him wear it. I think my dad got some great shots of all of us!

We are so blessed to have this beautiful walking trail right up the block from us. We decided to go on a family walk with my parents. It was such a beautiful fall day! There were so many scenic shots but unfortunately I didn't get all of them. The kids were very restless and just "done" with photos about a half hour into our walk. Oh well, I at least got a few good ones!

Mike and I got some great couple shots too.Now I just need to get them printed out and put in this collage frame I have my eye on at Kohl's. Hopefully, the next family photos we get done will be by a pro but for now, these shots my parents took aren't half bad!!

Partridge Family Fieldtrip - Hayride 2010

I am one of the many people who really, really loves autumn. Summer is great but to tell the truth I crave the days when I can put on that snugly sweater and enjoy a pumpkin spice latte and some good down home chili! Of course, the other great things about fall are all the fun family activities!

We went on a hayride with the kiddos and it was such a blast! The trip was organized by our ECFE program so we loaded the bus at the Elementary school parking lot with about 20 other families.

It was Lily's first time on a school bus and on a hayride. Logan, Daddy and I went a couple of years ago when Lily was still a baby but this was our first together with the entire family. It was so much fun for the kids! They had a grand old time throwing handfuls of hay on us and at each other.

It was also a very beautiful, warm day! I think it was around 75 degrees so the kids weren't even wearing jackets. We saw some beautiful colors as the hay wagon went through the woods. It was absolutely picturesque as the sun set. This time the hay wagon was pulled by a tractor instead of horses but it was surprisingly quiet.

After the ride, we let the kids play in the dirt pile an don the tire swing. Then we roasted marsh mellows around the campfire. It was great to see Logan trying so hard to melt his marsh mellows without burning them. Usually, they ended up in my tummy since I love the burnt ones!

Finally, it was time to get loaded on the bus and go back home. The kids were definitely tuckered out by that time and Lily was very cranky. All the fresh air and excitement exhausted our little ones and they slept great. I think we will be doing the hayride again next year!

Playing in the Leaves

I love watching my kids playing in a big pile of leaves. There is nothing like the joy that abounds from them as they run and jump into them. I love hearing their giggles, the smell of the dry leaves and the warm sunshine on my back as I watch them. Yes, these are the memories I will always cherish.
It makes yard work worth doing. Of course, I have to admit that most of the raking and bagging Mike takes care of but I know he enjoys having the kids play in the leaves. It takes a little bit longer for the work to get done but we don't mind be outside a bit longer on perfect fall days!

Autumn Walks

We are so blessed to have a really great bike trail right by our house. We walk a couple of blocks down and then we have a fantastic 2 mile long trail through the woods. It is astonishingly beautiful during the fall. There are so many beautiful colors!

The trail is pristine and it feels like you are in the deep woods up North when walking on it. It leads to a fantastic stream with a waterfall and bridge. The kids love playing in the creek and we have to stop there every time we go for a walk. There is also a clearing that is perfect for a picnic.

Another great landscape feature is the field of wheat growing alongside the trail. We have seen so many breathtaking sunsets this fall over the wheat field. Logan and Lily love going on walks. Logan rides his bike and Lily sits in her stroller and takes it all in.

I think we go on walks on this trail three or four times a week. It is great excersize but it doesn't feel like it because the views are so beautiful. Another great view is watching my son ride his bike like a pro along the trail. He whizzes past us and sometimes rides too far ahead. Boys will be boys!

Lily can't wait until she is able to ride a bike. For now, she is stuck being pushed by mom and dad. When Logan rides fast down the hill, she makes us run with the stroller. "I wanna go fast! I wanna get Logan!" she cries. More often than not, Mike takes on this little jaunt down the hill. :)

By the time we get home, both kids are pooped out and ready to have a snack and get jammies on. I love our little ritual of the after dinner walk. It is one of the best parts of the day!

First Day of Pre-K - 2010

I can't believe that a month has already gone by since Logan started Pre-K for this year! He is always so excited to go and of course his favorite part of the day is getting to ride the school bus! Lily so badly wants to join him on the bus but I've explained that she will have to wait until she is bigger. Instead we wait for the bus with Logan and she waves goodbye to her big brother from the front steps.

Logan is excelling at Pre-K and is making some friends. He wants to invite Lucas, Alex and Maggie to his birthday party. Every day he comes home and tells me what he did in Ms. Fishers class. He is so proud when he's done something good like helping to clean up the toys or singing a song during circle time.


I'm so glad that Logan enjoys going to Pre-K. I feel that they are doing an excellent job of preparing him for Kindergarten.

We are so lucky to live in an area with a great school district. Every time our public schools need a little help the people in our community always step up to the plate and pass the referendum. We also happen to have one of the best Early Childhood & Family Education (ECFE) programs in the state. I know that Logan is going to do well in Kindergarten because of our awesome Early childhood programs. I'm so pleased that Lily participates as well. She absolutely loves ECFE!!!

I am a little sad that he is already turning 5 and he will be in Kindergarten next year! Where on Earth did the time go? I guess what they say is true, you blink your eyes and they've grown up! Please slow down Father Time I want to enjoy my little ones a bit more!

Partridge Family Fieldtrip - Ren Fest 2010

I admit it. I am a total Ren Fest geek. There is just something so fun about the Renaissance Festival. Did I mention that I worked there as a dunk tank wench? It was one of the first jobs I'd ever had and it was really, really fun. Aside from being plunged into luke warm water during cool fall days. Heckling people, people watching and dressing in period attire more than made up for that. During breaks, the other wenches and I would stroll the grounds and engage in conversations with the "tourists."

I've decided that next year I am going to dress up! It is so much fun, and really, who cares if I don't actually work there. I noticed that so many people dress up that are not actually working for the festival. I think it would be a blast to get Lily and Logan to go too. Logan would look so cute as an Irish peasant boy and Lily would be a beautiful little princess.

We had a really great time as a family at the festival this year. We rode an elephant, the kiddos each rode a pony a couple of times and went on various rides. They absolutely loved the "Butterfly" ride and the "Pirate Ship."

Logan petted a huge Python snake and he and Lily both loved touching a Tortoise that was almost 40 years old! Of course, we went to the petting zoo as well and Logan just loved the old blind horse they had in the barn. He kept asking me if we could feed it an apple. (We didn't have any apples so he tried to feed it some hay but the poor thing couldn't see.)

Of course, one of the best parts of visiting the Renaissance Festival is eating! I couldn't believe it when both kids finished two corn on the cobs and were eating some of Mommy's turkey leg. Usually, Logan doesn't like to try anything new but both he and Lily loved the Turkey leg!

Finally, near the end of the day we took the kids through the enchanted forest. They wanted to badly to go inside the hobbit homes, it was hard to explain to them that they couldn't go inside. They did, however, meet Little Red Riding Hood and a Woodland Fairy asleep in the grass.

There were so many attractions and we ended up doing a lot of walking. More than once we had to stop and rest. It surprised me that Lily wanted to walk most of the time and Logan ended up riding in the stroller when he got tired. She was just a little fireball of energy but passed out on the way home.

We had such a wonderful adventure at the Renaissance Festival. It was too bad that we didn't get to see the jousting, belly dancers, juggler's show or King & Queen during this visit. The kiddos were just too pooped out to stay. I look forward to next year and dressing up!