P's last soccer game (of the season)

I know you've seen quite a few soccer posts now, so I'll just hit the highlights of this game for you. (This would have been P's second to last game, except he ended up getting sick and missing the game the following Tuesday... so it was P's last game. He did get his medal after the last game, but we still need to connect with his coach to pick up his soccer pictures. It's on my to do list this week.)



P had a great attitude. He listened to Coach S.



C asked if he could please have some face paint like the soccer team. Coach S obliged. C was pleased as punch.


P's team played against his friend Grace's team. It was Grace's birthday. He posed for a photo and gave Grace a birthday hug and good wishes.

We went to McDonald's (P's choice) to celebrate his hard work and the fun we've had this season!

Foothills Corn Maze - a field trip

Since I am working at the boys' preschool this year, I can't make it to any of P's class field trips that are on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday... which, so far, is all of them. Fortunately, Daddy A has been able to go on all of this year's trips. (We did host a class party at our place and I have volunteered in P's classroom, so I don't miss out on all the fun!)

One Friday in October, P's class headed to Foothills Corn Maze. Daddy A and P both said it was a BLAST! P was pleased to discover that red was the color chosen for students to wear that day, since red is his favorite color. Not only did he wear a red shirt, he also wore a red coat.



P's group headed into the corn maze. The guide let the group decide which way to turn about every fourth time there was a decision to make. That worked out well, because the kids had a great time getting "lost" and "finding" their way out of the maze.



Everyone made it out just fine, and they were on to the next event.



Time for a hayride!





There were hands-on learning activities. The kids got to see and touch cotton and corn, and learn about how things grow. Last stop was the pumpkin patch!



After choosing a pumpkin, everyone had a chance to decorate their produce.

P had a chance to "drive" the hay tractor, and the kids all enjoyed being out in the fresh air.

After I got home from school and reunited with C, our family of four headed out for lunch at "Gracias," a local Mexican restaurant. I got to hear all about P and Daddy A's trip. It was a great way to spend my Friday afternoon!

Galaxy pictures

You knew soccer season wouldn't go by without a chance to purchase team pictures, didn't you? Even though we did buy some soccer pictures, we snapped a few with our own camera as well.

A group shot


and another pre game photo of P and Colby made the cut for the blog.

P ran "super speedy" and played the majority of the game. He even got right back up and went on playing after a player on the other team pushed him down. I was really proud of his effort!

At the end of the game, the teams lined up for high fives.

Hard work and good sportsmanship! What else could a mother ask for?

The Great Pumpkin Patch

While they were visiting over the holiday weekend, Grandma Paige and Poppa Fred took us to the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad.

We rode a train out to the Great Pumpkin Patch!

There were so many activities we could have stayed all day (except that we had to take the train back on time)!

There was an apple picking game.

P was a big fan of the corn table.

We took a hayride. We found out that C's costume was about six inches too short, which is at least one of the reasons that he didn't want to wear it when we went to Tweetsie Railroad.

When we came back from the hayride, P and C discovered the inflatable slide.

The slide was followed by tattoos. (I may have posted this first tattoo picture because you can see one of P's Great Pumpkin tennis shoes. I really really really like those shoes. We got them half off last fall for both boys. C outgrew his, but P wore his for the second October in a row. I bet they won't fit P next year, but they might fit C.)

The trick or treat area was inside a building and was tented so that it actually appeared dark and the trick or treaters could go door to door for candy. The theming was excellent, and it gave the boys a chance to practice saying "Thank you!" for their treats before Halloween night. C even kicked it up a notch and said, "Trick or treat, please!" when he asked for his treats.

Somehow we convinced to boys to put down their bags of freshly gathered treats and choose their pumpkins from the patch.

They even posed for a photo for me and were both looking in the general direction of the camera!When we met the Peanuts gang, P was not feeling a photo op. He sat that one out, but C was happy to pose.

We had just enough time to grab a quick lunch and catch the train back to "town". This trip was definitely a highlight of our fall season!

Columbus Day weekend

Columbus Day weekend we had a visit from Grandma Paige and Poppa Fred. We enjoyed seeing family and spending time together. The boys loved hanging out with some of their grandparents showing them some of their favorite weekend activities.


We made sure there was time for playing outside



and art at the dining room table.

C even showed us where he stashes his "pap paps". (You know, the ones he's only supposed to have at naptime and bedtime!)

Ricardo the Great

The first Wednesday night in October (I know, I know, I'm a little late posting!) our church's Wednesday night program was led by a Christian magician. There were several opportunities for volunteers from the audience, and the magician tried to let all of the kids who were watching have a turn on stage.

When it was P's turn to be an assistant, he was so excited he was shaking! It was adorable - he literally could not hold still.

Rick put three bandannas into his "magic" box, and asked P to say the magic words so that they could turn the bandannas into an American flag.

On the first attempt, Rick "accidentally" dropped the blue bandanna.


P thought the results were HILARIOUS! They tried again...

...but the flag still wasn't right. P was almost doubled over in laughter at one point.

P said the magic words one more time...

...and Rick produced an American flag!

C stayed in the nursery during the show. (I was skeptical about his ability to sit still for the duration of the program.) He was excited about petting Rick's dove and rabbit at the end of the evening, though!

All four of us had a great time - it was a magical evening! (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

some more soccer

I'm going to be honest here and admit that I haven't blogged in so long I can't really wrap my head around where I left off... which is my own fault, I know! The soccer season has been over for almost a month now, but these pictures are from one of P's earlier games.

Before the game, P's coach offered face paint to the players. P and his "bes' friend" Colby posed for a pre-game photo.

At this point in the season, P was starting to get more excited about soccer and was working on "runnin' super speedy" after the ball. We saw lots of improvement throughout the season, and he had more and more fun at each game. Win win!