Happy Halloween!

Yummy!

Ladybugs hugging - Lucy and Alayna Hill

Yes, that is a cooler of beer being pulled and our son walking

The Rudolphs, all in character!

Before leaving the house, the best and very typical Patrick face

For the second year in a row, we met up with friends and trick-or-treated around Oakfield subdivision. It is the perfect amount of homes for our kids. The first house, Patrick ran away when the door was opened and we could hardly get either of them to take the treats offered. Another difficult concept was the idea that the candy doesn't ALL have to be eaten immediately, we can and should take some of it home. I suggested bringing the wagon FOR THE KIDS, but Brian had a different idea...and was the hit of the afternoon with the Daddies.

Halloween Party!

Getting ready for the St Mary's Halloween Party

Girls table at Resurrection Preschool Party :)

Enjoying the Halloween cupcakes

Patrick and friends Camden and Landon getting ready to "mummify" with TP

Patrick, Landon, and Camden making "candy corn guys"

Today was Patrick's Halloween Party at preschool! Myself and a few other mothers organized the party, everything from crafts to games and then snacks. My part was the craft, and the kids seemed to enjoy making the little candy corn guys. Lucy was one of the two siblings there as well, she really enjoyed all the toys and activities in the preschool room. It was neat for me to see Patrick engaging with his friends and interacting with his wonderful teachers...and also special for me to be able to be there helping with his party. It's something that my own mother was always a part of, and I feel lucky that I am able to give that gift to my own children. Enjoy the pictures!

Falling leaves

Patrick is just about 3 1/2 and so excited that fall is here and he can make a big pile of leaves and jump in it. He's been asking to do this since, oh, maybe July. About as long as he has been asking to wear his "shoe jammies", aka fleece sleeper. He has completed 2 months of preschool and we are so happy. Every day he surprises us with things he is learning. Letters, numbers, counting past ten, and starting to write his name. We have definitely noticed how much better his interactions are with other children, that he is just that much more used to being around other kids and taking turns, sharing, etc. On most days :) We have started a "good behavior" chart at home, currently he is working toward going to the theater and seeing his first movie on the big screen this holiday season.

Lucy will be 2 in December. Which she will tell you that it is almost her birthday, and she is one but will be two soon. She loves her baby, named "Bingo". Of course, such a great name for a baby. She pushes her all over the house in her stroller, chatting up a storm. She is doing great in her big girl bed, in fact we just took the safety rail off. She continues to love Polar Express and this has become our little treat on Tues/Thurs morning when Patrick is at preschool, to snuggle up and watch it. She rides Patrick's old bike "like a maniac" and is always giving out big hugs and telling us that she loves us. She tries to count, knows pretty much all her colors, and several songs. With age, so has come some less desirable behavior and she spends her fair share of time in time out for hitting or back talking. Yes, back talking. A favorite phrase is "don't say that to me".

We are having the kids pictures taken in a few weeks and I am very hopeful that we will get some good ones! Maybe even some together!

Pumpkin Patch!

What a beautiful fall day to visit the pumpkin patch! We headed over to Mayse Farm Market for the second year in a row, and I think it was even more fun than last year. The kids enjoyed running thru the hay bale maze, going down the slide in the cornfield, and of course riding the tractor-pulled wagon back to pick out the perfect pumpkins. And the caramel apples weren't too bad either :) The first two pictures are from last year - my how we have grown!!

Smoky Mountains 2009

The last time we went to the Smokies, it was 8 years ago to celebrate the completion of PT school. We didn't have any children, we weren't even married. We hiked all day, biked Cades Cove, enjoyed good food and wine into the evening. Fast forward 8 years to our second experience. A tad bit different. We learned very quickly that we were going to have to adjust our expectations in order to enjoy ourselves with two toddlers. The first complete overcast day we hiked a few hundred feet and carried out a pizza when our kids were melting down in an Italian restaurant. We regrouped that evening, committed ourselves to a new frame of mind, and turned the week around as best we could.

On Monday, the first day of rain, we visited Ripley's Aquarium, and the kids loved it. We did too! Patrick was adamant about finding the sharks and Lucy was totally freaked out about the spider crabs.

On Tuesday, the most beautiful day of the week, we hiked to Laurel Falls. A total of 2.6 miles, at a snails pace. I believe we picked up every acorn along the way. The pace isn't the only adjustment with kids, our kids are pretty fearless or maybe just naive. They wanted to be down walking, running ahead, negotiating every slippery rock and splashing through every mud puddle, insistent on being dangerously close to the edge of the trail. Where I remember the waterfall as peaceful and serene, a chance to sit down and take in the beauty of nature -- it was quite stressful trying to keep two children from going over the edge and still allowing them to test the water temperature, feel the smoothness of the rocks. We continued on to Cades Cove, made the 11 mile loop and stopped at the Old Mill.

Wednesday and Thursday were pouring rain. As was Friday morning, when we decided to pack up and come home a day early. A different experience, this vacation was, but we still had a good time. The log cabin we stayed in was perfect, we had a crackling fire going constantly and the kids were always begging to get in the "hot pool" on the deck. Other highlights if you ask them after the "hot pool" would most likely be the aquarium, followed closely by the ice cream at Baskin Robbins where we gave them 50 cents to ride the motorcycle, the movie watching allowed by our portable DVD player in the vehicle (which, I might say, was the best investment we have made lately), and the McDonald's PlayPlace we hit up on the way home after stopping at the Bass Pro Shop and marveling at the huge aquarium in the center of the store.

Brian and I did take turns having little experiences -- he hiked an extreme 8 miles one afternoon when the kids napped and I ran into several little shops while he waited outside in the pouring rain, in a running vehicle with the kids. We found an ornament to celebrate and remember our visit to the park in it's 75th anniversary year, and enjoyed a big breakfast at a local favorite. Check out the slideshow for more pictures of our adventure!

Tucking in Patrick last night, he asked if we could go back to our Smoky Mountain house....but "with more people". Maybe in a few years, we told him....