Pumpkin Patch

For the past few years we've gone to the pumpkin patch with the CMOM's group. The past two years it has been unusually warm, so the kids haven't been able to wear their fun Halloween gear. It's always a wonderful time nonetheless, complete with a hayride and trip to the petting zoo. We end our morning out with picking out a pumpkin and having a picnic lunch.

Trip to visit Grannie

My mom, grandma and her two brothers got together recently and we decided to visit as well. Of course, I had camera in hand to capture some memories!

Tremendous Three's

How is it already time for Luke and Olivia to start a new year of preschool? We decided to enroll them at Cooks again, and even though there were a lot of changes for the school this year, we thought it would be the best program for them overall. After all of our debate over whether to separate them or keep them together, the school decided for us :) Instead of the usual two classes of 3's, they decided to combine the classes. So now there will be 22 kids and 3 teachers, which is a lot. We are going to see how the first few weeks go and then decide if the fit is still good for them. They are excited to be in class with some of their same friends and they will now go 3 days a week (Tues, Wed, Thurs 9:30-1pm). Their teachers will be Miss Mel Mel, Miss Karen and Miss Jessie. The classes are a little more structured this year in preparation for kindergarten, and they will focus more on incorporating learning into playing as well as develop social skills.

Kannapolis Baseball

Over the summer we decided to see our local single A baseball team play-the Kannapolis Intimidators. It's really a perfect sized stadium for our kids ages as it isn't too big and if they get restless, there is lots of room for them to run around. I think we'll definitely go to another game. Unfortunately (or fortunately for them!), it started to rain before the game was over. I think they had more fun splashing in the puddles and running in the rain. It really did make for a day we'll always remember!

Olivia and dance class

We signed Olivia up for dance class this year for the first time with Miss Rhonda, who has been teaching dance for something like 40 years. Olivia LOVES it! By love, I mean she looks forward to every Monday at 3pm. She picks out her outfit and "gets ready" by fixing her hair and all. It's so cute! She really participates in class and loves showing us what she learns each time. The recital in May should be wonderful and memorable! Love this little girl!!!

Boys and trucks

Luke loves trucks. I mean, LOVES them. He can name them all (excavator, bulldozer, etc) and lights up when he sees one moving. He could watch a lot being cleared for hours. His room is even truck themed, and he has lots of plastic and metal play trucks, too. Love this little boy!!!

3.5 Years Old

Happy 1/2 Birthday to the lights of our life! We captured a few quick memories of Luke and Olivia at a field in our neighborhood. I'm glad we used the area when we did because now it's been completely cleared to have a house build on it.

Olivia wanted to include her favorite baby doll, Pretzel. I also wanted to get a few "fun" pics of Luke (hopefully he won't be upset over them one day!) and we captured Olivia in my wedding dress. We thought it would be a great memory to maybe use at her wedding one day.

Mother's Day and Father's Day

It's always wonderful to celebrate these two special days with the kids. While it's nice to have some time to do something just for ourselves, it's more important for Dan and me to spend time with the two people that gave us our names of "mommy" and "daddy."