Owens Pumpkin Patch

The girls and I took our annual outing to the Pumpkin Patch today. We usually go earlier in October, but it just hasn't worked out this year to go sooner. Despite it being a little windy this morning, the girls had a great time. Last year when we went, I had Ashlyn bundled up in a front carrier. This year, she walked all over the Pumpkin Patch. I didn't even think to bring a stroller, which I guess worked out fine since she did a good job keeping up with her sister. The girls started out feeding the goats. Their feed quickly disappeared so we made our way to see other animals on the farm. Makenzie LOVED feeding this little pony that was all by itself in one particular area. I actually don't even know if we were supposed to be over in that area, but it was the only place that didn't have tons of people. We found some hay on the ground and the little pony kept gobbling it all up. Ashlyn had fun feeding the goats and also petting the pony. However, she did not like the fact that her big sister was allowed to take a little tractor ride without her. I explained to her that next year she would have the opportunity to ride, but I don't think she quite understood what I was saying. Here are some pictures of the girls...

Halloween at the Heard Museum

We spent an early halloween at the Heard Museum this past Saturday night. I first heard about the event from my friend Jennifer Stein and then heard several commercials on KLTY. The science teacher in me wanted to see the "dinosaurs alive" exhibit where you have the opportunity to see life-size animatronic dinosaurs move and roar. Along the trail, there were people handing out candy to the kiddos. I was a little surprised at Makenzie's lack of interest in the dinosaurs. Ashlyn paid more attention to them than her sister and didn't mind me taking pictures of her in front of them.....perhaps because she really has no clue what they are.
I think it is fair to say that we were all a little disappointed in the outing. It was a pretty pricey event for the little offered. Jennifer and I decided we would go back with the kids when they are older and enjoy the museum in a non-halloween related event. Here are some pics from the outing....

Comments of a 3yr old

Over the past 3-4 months, Makenzie has said some pretty funny things that if I don't write them down, I will forget them. Now let's see if I can remember all of them...

I was vacuuming one day and I said, "Makenzie, mommy needs to teach you how to vacuum so you can vacuum while I mop." My 3yr old's response....
"Mommy, why don't you do both and I will just play."


In the excitement of having pooped in the potty and wanting mommy to come see, my 3yr old's response.....
"look mommy, it looks like chicken." (okay, that one is pretty gross)


Makenzie is having her daily morning oatmeal and says....
"mommy, can you get me a drink?..... because that's what mommies do!"

During prayer time before bed.....
"thank you God for my bears, the curtains, the door.....no, not my door....my pillow, for Ashlyn, mommies, and daddies....and please God help mommy get me dressed for church in the morning." (not sure why I need help, but she is very kind to pray for me!)

I know there are lots more......these are the most recent. I eagerly wait for what's next......

Ashlyn's new words

Ashlyn's vocabulary has really taken off this past month. For the longest time, she wouldn't say much. Perhaps that is because her sister did most of the talking for her. Some of her new word/phrases are backpack, oh my, book baby (for baby book), please, thank you, go play, and mommy..tee tee (no, not me, but she is telling me she wants to). At this, I find it hard not to smile and take her to the toilet and let her sit on it. She seems interested, so I figure I might as well try. I am hoping she will be easier to potty train than her sister!

Playing with Daddy

It's been a while since my last post. I am doing good these days to just check my email. The girls are growing up so fast. Makenzie is now 3 1/2 and Ashlyn is 17 months. I love to watch the door open in the evenings when Aaron comes home. The girls squeal with delight and run down the hall to greet their daddy. Makenzie barely gives him time to change his clothes before requesting him to place chase, hide n seek, or her new favorite, duck, duck goose. I captured a few pictures this week that display their affection for daddy.

Vacation

Two weeks ago we went on our first big family vacation since Ashlyn was born. We flew to Florida to spend a week on Fort Walton Beach. The place we stayed at was very nice and included four different pools for the girls to play in. However, we spent most of our time at the beach which had beautiful white sand and blue/green water. Since I grew up close to Houston, Galveston beach was the closest beach near our home. I have to say that unless we happen to be in the Galveston area, I can't foresee taking a trip there with the girls after going to Florida. The not so white sandy beach and murky water pale in comparison to the views we had in Florida. We took the girls to the Gulfarium one morning which I guess would be a very, very, very small scale version of SeaWorld. I think Aaron and I cared more about seeing the shows than the girls. We also drove into Destin a couple of times which was only about 6 miles from where we were staying. You hear a lot about Destin, so we had to check it out. From what I could tell, the beach is the same whether you are in Destin or Fort Walton Beach. I am so glad we took our vacation when we did because there weren't many people at the beach until the end of the week when more arrived due to the holiday weekend. We had a great time and definitely decided we would go back!

Grass Maize

I found out about this new place to take the girls from my friend Renae. There is a place in Allen that has a caboose, small wooden buildings made into a mechanic shop, bank, train station, and a grass maize in the shape of Texas. The girls enjoyed running through the maize and Makenzie enjoyed pretending to be a banker and fireman. Afterward, we enjoyed some frozen yogurt from Yogilicious. If you are looking for a new place to take your toddlers, I would recommend both stops. They are located in the new shopping development at HWY75 and Stacy Road near the Toys R Us/Babies R Us stores.