Pumpkin Patch

Well here I am playing catch up again with my blog. Thanksgiving is less than 2 weeks away and I have hardly posted about many fun things we've been doing this Fall. While I may forgo posting about some things that would otherwise be blog worthy to me if I was posting regularly I definitely wanted to post our trip to the pumpkin patch since it is always such a fun time each year. This year like other years we went with a few family and friends.

Brynn, Kyla, Amy, Lilly, Johnathen and Addisyn

YUM! Hot mini donuts!

Lilly with the pumpkin she picked

Kyla and her pumpkin

Tony wasn't able to join us for the pumpkin patch this year because he was in Idaho for the week hunting for one of these:

Halloween Phantom

We've been "HIT"! Okay, let me explain. It is October and Halloween is approaching. In our wonderful neighborhood this means that the Halloween Phantom is lurking around. Every year in October our entire neighborhood participates in the spirit and good fun of the Halloween Phantom. Monday evening after the girls and Tony left for soccer practice as I was cleaning up the kitchen I heard a knock at the door. I opened the door to find that the Halloween Phantom had left a bucket of goodies for our family. In the basket along with the goodies is a note explaining that we had been "hit" by the Halloween Phantom and we have 48 hours to "hit" three more houses or suffer the curse of the Halloween Phantom. We also place a sign outside our door that says "We've been hit" so that everyone knows the Phantom has visited our house. Kyla was excited to find out upon returning from soccer practice that we had been "hit". The kids in the neighborhood look forward to this excitement every year. It is just as fun to get "hit" as to then take your turn at "hitting" your three houses. You have to be very sneaky to play the part of the Halloween Phantom and the girls LOVE it!

Planning ahead I usually find some great items on sale after Halloween to include in our phantom baskets for the following year. It always pays off to plan ahead! We also had some fun making a few things for our baskets this year. Here is a look at a few things we did.

Halloween M&M Cookie's in a Jar

Mummy wrapped Hershey candy bars

A look into one of our baskets

Our baskets at a glance - the girls decorated the outside of the $1 pails

Kyla helping fill the cookie jars, wrap the mummies and assemble the baskets

Friend and neighbor Claire helping, needless to say we weren't able to "hit" her house

Garden Girls

This year for the first time we decided to plant a garden. My mom came over and helped the girls plant the seeds. The girls were so excited to check the progress of the garden whenever we went in the backyard. A couple weeks ago it was finally time to pick the green beans and snow peas. Kyla instructed Lilly to only pick the snow peas that were "puffed up". I can't begin to tell you how many times I heard Lilly excitedly ask Kyla "is this one puffed up sissy?". We just picked the cucumbers and the corn is starting to grow in nicely. It is definitely something we will do again next year assuming that Tony doesn't turn this area into a concrete pad for the hot tub he has been wanting.

"Is this one puffed up sissy" - Lilly

Lots of pride and satisfaction on that face

Lilly starts pre-school

Last week Lilly started her first year of preschool! Can you see the enthusiasm! We spent a full summer looking forward to this! Every time we passed by her school (which was often because it is literally right up the street) Lilly would squeal "there's my school"! She talked about her teacher Miss Susan all summer long as well.

On the first day of school parents attended with their kids. It was such a joy to watch Lilly that day, meeting new friends and exploring her classroom. She was a bit clingy, sort of shy but eager. Lilly was familiar with the school having visited there last Spring and because she has two cousins that have attended Rocking H. We are also so happy to have her cousin Addisyn in the same class!

The second day of school was all about routine and Lilly was on her own to brave her big new adventure. I must admit I was very nervous for the "drop off"... yikes! I knew it could go either way, either she would rise to the occasion and show that eager side or emotions would take over and she would cry. I am very happy to report that she did beautifully! As I dropped her off and waved good bye she sheepishly looked back and gave me her shy grin, then turned as I watched her take baby steps toward her classroom. Whew.... relief set in as I drove off... then anxiety about how she would do for the 2 hour class.

Pick-up... I was so anxious waiting in the line of cars to set my eyes on her. Turns out she did great! The next day we were both a little more at ease and ready for the "drop off"! That day upon picking Lilly up she said "school is good mom"!

Addisyn and Lilly

Lilly using the classroom mailbox to deliver her tuition

bingo dobber art

First day of 4th grade for Kyla

Kyla had her first day as a 4th grader this past week. She is growing so fast and I must admit it is a little bittersweet. I feel like I blink my eyes these days and she has grown. Kyla was excited to have her two very close friends Kayla and Morgan in her class again this year! I had to settle for a few pictures before leaving for school because Kyla wasn't thrilled about me following her to line up with her class like a paparazzi as I would have loved to. She sweetly said, "that's okay mom, just drop me off and I will go and find my friends". We spend all this time wanting them to become independent, giving them the tools as parents to become independent... only to experience the feeling being a little crushed at these moments when they show you that they are independent.

Kyla with Sabine

Ready to meet her teacher @ Back to School Night

Catching up - 4th of July

We spent the 4th of July at my mom's house this year. The girls had a blast playing with cousins Addisyn and Johnathen. My mom's house is such a great gathering place, the kids love her backyard playground with swings, slide, basketball court, tetherball and a full size merry-go-round. Such a blessing to spend holidays with our family!

My girls, ready to head to grandma's for a celebration

Daddy's firework haul

love those faces!

Addisyn enjoying her white chocolate pretzel stick

I love this picture of Lilly, her big smile, this picture just screams 4th of July fun!

My mom and Kyla

Lilly and Addisyn playing on grandma's playground

Tony and our nephew Johnathen

Busy Summer

My goodness I cannot believe that it is already August! I had the highest expectations that summer would allow us to slow down a bit and bring me ample opportunities to keep my blog updated. It seems like we are still constantly on the run trying to take advantage of time with friends, family and good weather. We are often returning home in the evenings girls tired out from an active day and getting them tucked right into bed. Over the next few weeks I will post some of our summer doings in an effort to play catch up. We have been to lots of very fun and creative birthday parties, 4th of July, Tony and I took Kyla to a Sounders game, concerts and such that I have been collecting great pictures of. We are looking forward to squeezing as much fun into the summer we have left before Kyla's starts 4th grade (oh my she is growing fast!) and Lilly starts her first year of pre-school!

Rainforest Cafe

My girls love sunglasses, purses, flip-flops and lip gloss!

Kyla, Lilly and Amy at the Puyallup Farmer's Market

Kyla, Emory, Lilly and Makenna at the zoo

Kittens

Several weeks ago, May 28th to be exact Kyla's cat Rose had 4 kittens. I must say the arrival of these kittens was a little bittersweet. Rose is a beautiful pixiebob cat that has a wonderful personality (she fetches!) and we absolutely love her. Tony and Kyla had been begging me from the time we got her to breed her with another pixiebob. I firmly said "No, I don't want kittens" "I will be the one taking care of these kittens, absolutely not". Well... I kept saying "no" and I should have just scooped Rose up and taken her in to get spayed. She is mostly an indoor cat but she does go outside sometimes as she ended up getting pregnant by a neighborhood tomcat.

The kittens are now almost 7 weeks old and leaving this week to their new homes. I am happy to say that 3 of the kittens are being adopted by friends and we will be able to visit all of them and watch them continue to grow. Having taken care of these little cuties for the past several weeks I am so relieved to know that they are going to amazing people and will have a very loved life. Our family decided to keep Kyla's favorite kitten (Sabine - Kyla named her from a book The Underneath that was read by Kyla's teacher last year to the class) after relentless begging on Kyla's part.

Rose with kittens after they were born

Kittens (1 day old)

Sabine - Our new addition

Lilly snuggling with Georgia

"Pike" newly named Miley (adopted to Stephanie and her girls Amy and Bryn)

Crow with Amy (adopted to Stephanie and her girls Amy and Bryn)

Kyla on 4th of July snuggling with Sabine

Georgia (adopted to my friend Michelle, her hubby Davis and their girls Makenna and Emory)

Another picture of sweet Sabine

The kittens have been a lot of work, but have also brought us lots of smiles, laughs and joy. Overall I'm glad that my girls were able to experience this. These kittens have been dressed up, carted around, played with, loved and will be wonderful pets for their new families.