Let's Eat!

Kacy has just gotten really into pretending, and it's so cute! Her newest obsession is pretending to make us all dinner. She gets paper plates out for every one, she places them strategically on the floor, and she well tell us when dinner is ready. When we get there she usually tells us that it's too hot. Every time I ask her what we are having the answer is always mac 'n cheese and bananas or pizza! If I ask her for more, she will go to a place, pretend to get more and put it on my plate.If I ask her for something different, she will go to a different place and get a pretend scoop of whatever I asked for. She makes the cutest little face because she knows that she is being silly. She added to the game by writing our "names" on the back of the plates, so we would know which one was ours. Of course, they are all just a bunch of circles, but she gets mad if we go to the wrong one. I love that Adilyn goes along with the game, too. She will ask for more food or more to drink, and she never tries to take over Kacy's game. I absolutely love with they get along and play well together!

Pumpkin Patch #2

It was a beautiful day on Saturday, so we decided to go to another local Pumpkin Patch. It was a lot smaller than Dewberry Farm, but it was a lot cheaper and less busy. The girls enjoyed the tractor hay ride and playing in the covered wagon. Adilyn loved riding around on the pony, but Kacy was not too thrilled about it. She was fine sitting on it, but when it started to walk, she freaked out! So, Adilyn got lucky and got another ride. I still didn't get my cute "sisters in the pumpkins" picture for the year, but I am over it :) We had a fun time, and that's all that matters!

Bedtime Conversations

Adilyn has not been as tired as she used to be these days. I put her in bed between 8 and 8:30 every night, but last week it was taking her forever to go fall asleep. The first night, she sneaked downstairs without us knowing. Cory and went about our nightly routine...doing dishes, folding laundry, watching tv, etc. About 9;15 we heard a noise from the playroom. I went in there, and there was Adilyn. She was playing in the dark room with stickers and marker all over her. I couldn't believe that we had completely NO idea she was in there. I asked her how long she had been down there, and she said, "I heard you ask Daddy if he was cold." That was like right when I had come downstairs! That little sneaker! I couldn't believe that she played down there so long quietly. She totally knew that I would make her go back upstairs, so she just stayed quiet for as long as she could. I took her back upstairs and explained to her that she needed to stay in her bed when I put her in there at night. I definitely do not want to deal with a kid that won't stay in there bed at night!

Later that week, I could tell that once again she was not tired! I told her she needed to stay in her bed. I turned on the monitor and listened for any movements. She was singing different songs, "Three Blind Mice", "Old McDonald", and many more. Then she was talking about people at school, and it sounded like she was playing school. Finally, I could tell she was out of her bed reading books. Cory went up there and had her get back in bed. Luckily, she didn't fight it. She kept talking about different things. Then, her one way conversation turned toward God and Mother Nature. All of a sudden, her voice got real serious, and she said, "Do not be afraid, Mother Nature is with you." I don't know why, but it totally cracked me up! She went on to talk about how God makes every person, animal, and plant.

Even though I would much rather have her go right to sleep, it is very entertaining to listen to her talk to herself about what's going on in her head!

Rock-A-Baby!

I never posted the most exciting news that we have gotten in a long time...we are having another baby! We were surprised when we found out, but so, so, so excited to add another little cutie to our family. I waited until my 12 week appointment to tell the girls. I wanted to make sure everything was fine by then. We told them one afternoon, and Adilyn was so excited. She was confused because she said that my belly was not big enough to hold a baby. I told her that the baby was tiny right now, but it would get bigger. She asked some funny questions like, "How do you know it's in there?" "Who told you it was in there?" And of course, the best, "How did it get in there?" After she got over the confusion, she was really excited. Kacy didn't get it, which I expected.

Adilyn has had some sweet moments about the baby. The other day she found a baby toy, and she said, "We should keep this out for our new baby." There is a plate that Adilyn has that has little flowers on it of all different sizes. She said, "This one is my flower, this little one is Kacy's, and this tiny one is for our new baby." The Monday after I told her, she shared the news with everyone at school during their circle time, and she said she was so happy! She keeps checking my belly out and keeps saying that it keeps getting bigger everyday.

Kacy hasn't really said or done much because I think she's just too young, but she did the absolute sweetest thing this morning. She was sitting on my lap while I was putting her shirt on, and she put her hands on my belly. She started shaking my belly back and forth, and singing "Rock-a-baby" which is her version of "Rock-a-bye, Baby." I didn't know if she was doing that on purpose, so I asked her what she was doing. She said, "Singing, baby" and smiled so sweet at me! It brought tears to my eyes. It was a great start to a Monday!

I can't wait to see how this new little bundle will fit into our family!

Dewberry Fun!

This was our 3rd trip to Dewberry Farm, and each year it is a wonderful time! Cory was in San Antonio at drag races, but the girls and I met up with the Griffins there. The only thing that I was so excited about was that our short-lived cool front was already gone, and it was in the upper 80's. I was really hoping to get some pictures at a pumpkin patch with at least long sleeves, but no such luck!

We got there right when it opened, and apparently that was everyone else's plan, too! There were a ton of people in the parking lot, and I knew it was going to be pretty busy. Fortunately, there were tons of things to do, so we never really had to wait in any lines! We waited for the hay ride out to the pumpkin patch for just a few minutes, and every thing else was just ready and waiting for us. Every mom goes to a pumpkin patch in hopes of getting a super cute fall picture, and most years I succeed. This year was not so successful! Every time I pulled the camera out, Kacy would literally look the other way or run away. It was impossible! Luckily, Sonja snapped a few cute ones :) When it comes down to it, though the pictures are the most important part by any means - they are just an added bonus (one that I didn't get this year)! :) When we were out with the pumpkins trying to get that great pic, Adilyn kept "falling off" them, and Kacy kept trying to roll them around. I gave up pretty quickly! We rode the hayride back to the main area, and we looked at the geese, watched the pig races, looked at the baby chicks, played in the haystack, and rode on the rope swings. Carl and Sonja had to leave to get home for naps and a birthday party, so the girls and I hung out for a little while longer. We played in the hay some more and went back to the playground where we started. The only time I got a little frustrated was when we were trying to leave. I was hot, sweaty, and starving, and all Adilyn wanted to do was pick weed flowers. I let her pick some, then she dropped them all and had to re-pick...I was so done. Luckily, the car wasn't too far away, so once she finally got a couple more flowers, she was okay to go.

I am so glad Sonja, Carl, and the boys came with us. It's always more fun with friends! Kacy loves Luke so much. She absolutely loves holding his hand and "helping" him...poor Luke doesn't love it so much. Kacy finally realized this trip that Isaac was ready and willing to hold her hand any time Luke wasn't in the mood, so she found a new buddy!

Dora

I try to not have the girls watch too much tv, but we usually watch one 30 minute show each night before books and bedtime. I know there are some people out there that would say that it too much, but I also know there are toddlers out there that watch tv all day long. I figure we are probably okay. We have been through many different favorites...Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Handy Manny, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, but the most recent is Dora the Explorer. Thank goodness for Netflix streaming because we have over 80 episodes, which means we don't have to watch the same ones over and over. (Good for them, better for me!)

Some people get really annoyed with Dora's repetitiveness and excessive wait time, but it doesn't bug me too much. I think the show teaches good lessons - helping friends, sharing, solving problems, not giving up, wearing seatbelts and lifejackets, etc. Anyway, I also think the Spanish is fun for them to learn and listen to. It always cracks me up to hear Adilyn yelling, "Corre! Coree!", "largo...corto, largo...corto" or "Dora, take the azul path!"

Kacy really likes Dora, too, which helps. She has picked up some of Dora's favorite sayings, too. At the end of each show, Dora always says, "What was your favorite part of today's adventure?" Kacy has started repeating the whole thing, "My favorite part is..." She usually says, "Dora" or "Boots." Recently, she has started saying it all the time for different things. She will just randomly say, "My favorite part is..." then whatever is on her mind. She says it so cutely, too, like she is trying so hard to say every word just right. Kacy also loves Map. The other day when Dad and Kris were here, Kris said something while they were playing like, "Which way should we go?" Kacy yells, "Map! Map!" Dora always says, "Who do we ask when we don't know which way to go?" and of course, the answer is "Map!" It was so cute that she even connected Map to real world. So, all things considered, I do enjoy Dora and all her friends, and I am certainly glad that there is a variety of episodes for us all to enjoy!

Adios, amigos! :)

I Have Nutin! (Nothing)

Kacy has grown to be quite dramatic and vocal, which is frustrating at times, but completely hilarious at other times! Her newest thing is when she gets upset when I take something away from her. She immediately screams, "I have nutin, Mama, nutin!" This outburst is usually accompanied by her throwing her hands up in the air like she is absolutely disgusted! It's usually pretty funny because we always have at least 10 other toys within reach of her, but if she can't have what she wants, she has "nothing"!

Another thing that Kacy says lately is anytime anyone sneezes or coughs, she says, "Okay, Dada? Okay?" I think she says it because I probably ask her if she is okay when she's coughing. It's really cute, though, because it sounds like she is so concerned about us.

Kacy is really into books, and she always asks Adilyn, "Addy, read me?" Adilyn always answers, "Kacy, I can't read!" Kacy responds with a very dramatic, "Oooooh, okay." Then, of course, she asks her again 5 minutes later. Oh, little sisters! :)

Camping with the Hrobars

We love the Hrobars, and we got to hang out with them last weekend at Huntsville State Park. They bought a pop-up camper, so they have the "good life." :) We were stuck in a tent for the night time part, but we still had a great time. Brandon was in town, so he came up with us. We drove up after Adilyn's BlastBall game, and we spent the day riding bikes and hanging out. Dana made a delicious Taco Soup for dinner, and the kids watched a movie in the camper. Adilyn and the boys play so well together. It's neat to see how they change their style of play when she comes around. One of the cutest moments was when Mason and Adilyn set up her princess tent in a little open section across from our campsite. They had camp chairs, and they set up a "campfire" of twigs. Then, they invited Dana and I over because we were their "neighbors". Bedtime was a little stressful. Adilyn went right to sleep, but it took Kacy about 2 hours to fall asleep. Of course, I tried everything, but she was just too distracted with everything around her. It turned out just fine, and we made it through the night. We just realized that we really need to get a pop-up for our family! It makes sleeping, and hot camping trips much more bearable. Oh well, maybe one day :) For now, we just love hanging out in the "wilderness" with our family and good friends!

Blast Ball!

We decided to put Adilyn in "softball" this fall. It was called Blast Ball, and in my mind, I pictured it to be just a low key, non-competitive version of t-ball. Then, one night the director called me and told me that they had absolutely no coaches, and pretty much begged me to coach. I agreed, and then she told me that I only had 3 girls on my team. I was a little confused, and then she began to explain the beautiful game of Blast Ball. Here's the short version of the rules - there are 3-5 girls on a team, they hit from a tee, and they run to 1st base. There are no other bases. The girls do not play "positions", they are just hanging out in the field. When they field the ball, they hold it up and yell "Blast!" Oh, and the best part, the base honks when they step on it. There is no score, no outs, and in my opinion, no purpose to the game! I am all for having fun, and teaching them a game in a "no pressure" situation, but this is a bit pointless. There are 2 and 1/2, 3, and 4 year olds playing. The games are supposed to last for 45 minutes, but we usually call them at 35 minutes or so.

Coaching has been much more difficult than I had thought. My biggest issue is dealing with Kacy. She always wants to grab the ball off the tee or stand on the base while other girls are trying to step on it. My 2nd biggest issue is figuring out how to deal with Adilyn when she doesn't listen to me or doesn't want to participate. One of the girls on my team gets nervous or tired sometimes, and when she doesn't want to come out, she just hangs out with her mom on the bench, no biggie. With Adilyn, I don't really know how to handle it. I don't yell at her because that never works on her, so I try to be positive. She says that she doesn't like it, but she seems to have okay fun when she is playing. When I ask her if she had fun, she says no, but when other people ask her, she says she likes it. Anyway, it's just difficult to coach these little ones. It's more of coaching them to emotionally handle the game and focus than anything else. They cry when they don't get to bat first, they cry when they don't get the ball, and they cry when they fall down in the dirt. It's a bit of a mess, entertaining, but a mess! We still have 5 weeks to play, so I hope she starts to like it a little more :)

Here are some pictures of my little BlastBaller!