Park in the Dark

The Washington County Recreation Department put on a fun night for kids called "The Park in the Dark" last Friday night. Everyone was encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes and there were lots of different activities for the kids to do.

Abby will be a witch for Halloween this year but decided she wanted to be Princess Jasmine that night. And in the background you can see a very grumpy looking Dumbo (this costume makes me chuckle every time I see him in it!) Landon actually loves this costume too, but he was obviously upset about something or other at this moment!

And Nolan is our little "Bat-man" this year! He spent most of the night looking just like this!!

Landon especially enjoyed all the hit/roll/throw the ball games they had to offer...

And Abby did pretty well at them too!

The favorite activity of the night were the jump houses and obstacle course...

Our "frightful" threesome...

The Rec Department does such a great job with these kid events. We are lucky to live in an area that offers so many fun family activities!!

Growing up in the Pumpkin Patch

I had never, ever set foot in a pumpkin patch before I had children. I never went growing up but it seemed like as soon as Abby was born, it was something that I looked forward to doing each year with her and later with Landon and Nolan now too. When Abby was about 8 months old, we went to one in Texas. We forgot our camera that day but we haven't made that mistake since. Here are our pumpkin patch adventures since 2007...

Reynolds Farm, PA (2007) -- Abby (20 months)

Summers Farm, MD (2008) -- Abby (2 1/2), Landon (4 months old)

Reynolds Farm, PA (2009) -- Abby (3), Landon (16 months)

Reynolds Farm, PA (2010) -- Abby (4), Landon (2)

Reynolds Farm, PA (2011) -- Abby (5), Landon (3), Nolan (almost 4 months)

Pumpkin Patch

Abby had last Friday off from school so we took advantage of it by hitting up Reynolds Farm in Pennsylvania. We have been almost every year since we moved here and the kids always have a great time. The weather was a bit chilly that day but it didn't stop us from enjoying our pumpkin experience.

All three kids at the front sign (After this Nolan spent the rest of the time asleep in his Beco carrier since we went right during his nap time!)

Abby almost to the "4!"

With Landon quickly catching up!!

They loved exploring all of the different boxes full of different-sized pumpkins...

But the real fun came from the slides and playground nearby (I think Landon liked this slide although you wouldn't guess it from the look of this picture!)

Abby really liked this caterpillar slide too!

I think their favorite part in the playground was this pile of hay that they could jump in. We spent most of our playground time here...

(Don't worry, no child was hurt in any of these pictures!)

Abby really liked these tractor bikes, but alas, Landon was still a bit too short to ride them again this year!

Then it was time to go on the hayride out to the pumpkin patch to find our Halloween pumpkins. My only requirement was that each child find a pumpkin that they could carry (I had my hands full with Nolan!) This proved to be harder than I though since most of the pumpkins in the patch were HUGE!! After much searching though, we finally found some that were the perfect size!

Abby was a bit grossed out when she accidentally stuck her gloved hand into a rotting pumpkin. She wasn't such a huge fan of the pumpkin guts!!

Another successful visit to the pumpkin patch!!

Dancing Diva

Abby has been taking dance lessons since the end of August through the Washington County Recreation Department. Their lessons were a fraction of the cost of some other places that I had checked out so I thought this would be a good chance for Abby to try them out (she's been begging for a while) without forking over a ton of money. It's a good thing too...she has decided that she's done with dance lessons after December so we'll try out something different then. I think she thought that dance lessons would be something like performing on a stage every week and not just the same movements that they perform over and over again!!

Regardless of her current feelings about dance, she was excited about "Parent Night" so that she could show us all of the things that she has learned (She is quite the little performer!!) It was really cute to see her perform both her little tap and ballet routines for us. She's a good little dancer so maybe she'll change her mind about dance lessons someday!!

Looking Good

I find that it's better when I don't set foot in the outlets located just minutes from our house. Every time I go, I can't resist picking up some cute things for the kiddos. Our visit last Saturday produced these adorable matching ties and hats for Landon and Nolan. I love me some cute church clothes!!

Abby didn't want to be left out of the picture loop either (I just love Nolan's look in this one!!)

All dressed up and ready for Stake Conference. They all made quite the hit!!

Puzzle Boy

Landon has officially gained the title of "puzzle-maker" in our family. I am amazed at how this little boy can put together puzzles. He loves them and does at least a few everyday. He has now graduated to 100+ piece puzzles and does them quite well.

This Spider Man puzzle is his current favorite. He will often sit next to Nolan's bouncy seat and do these puzzles on the floor next to him so "Nolan can watch me" (in Landon's words.) I can't believe how big and grown up my "first little man" is becoming!!

Three Months!!

Nolan has now officially reached the "magical age" for me. The first three months are always kind of a blur between nonstop feedings, sleepless nights and a newborn who really doesn't interact much with the family. But it seems like a little switch goes off at 3 months and suddenly feedings are less frequent, sleep is improved and best of all, we get to see lots of personality, smiles and giggles. It makes the first three months so worthwhile!!

So here is the man of the hour in the 12-month outfit...

And then the 3-month outfit...

We sure do love our little Nolan man. He is such a good little guy and is so content for much of the day. We all love to make him smile and laugh and he seems to be thoroughly entertained by all of us. I probably kiss him over a hundred times each day but I just can't get enough of his lovable chunky cheeks!! I have been receiving lots of comments lately about how much he looks like me and I'm really starting to see it now too, especially in the eyes.

We sure do love our little 3-month old!!

Princess for a Day

On Saturday, September 17th, Abby and I attended a "Princess for a Day" party put on by the county recreation department. Abby looked just like a princess in her Sleeping Beauty gown and curly blonde hair!

Each girl got some tokens that they got to spend on some fun princess treats and prizes of their choosing. Abby chose a wand, some bracelets, a necklace and some stickers.

Next on to the Princess "Fairy Dust" table...

And a picture with a painted princess!

She was also treated to a little princess "makeover" complete with glitter for her hair and a jeweled heart on her cheek!

They had some "real princesses" in attendance too (Miss Teen Washington County and Miss Washington County!!)

And what princess party would be complete without a fun little obstacle course to enjoy?!?!?

At the end of the party, we all enjoyed a little dancing...

And Abby demonstrated her own "princess groove!"

It was a very fun afternoon and I'm glad that we were able to share this day together. She said over and over again "Thank you mom for taking me to this princess party." It was definitely a big hit. We'll be attending a similar event this winter with Landon based on Superheroes. He'll love it I'm sure!!