More fun at Tweetsie!

{the Tilt-a-Whirl}

{a surprise meeting with C's friend and classmate, Lily}

{P's smiling face}

the Great Pumpkin Patch

In October, our family headed to the Great Pumpkin Patch by way of the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad.  We went last year, and we were looking forward to our return trip.

P was more than happy to pose for a photo in costume, since I obliged his request to allow weapons in the picture.

P and C were both all smiles while waiting to board the train.

The boys made a friend during the train ride.  I enjoyed listening to a narration of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

We were greeted by Charlie Brown, Lucy, and Snoopy when we hopped off the train.

There were lots of fun games and activities throughout the patch, but I have a feeling the boys would both say the trick-or-treating station was one of their highlights.  :)

Poppa Fred helped C and P roast marshmallows for a tasty afternoon snack.

C chose his pumpkin from the patch and was determined to carry it to the train all by himself.  He made it about 20 yards before he agreed to let me have "a turn at carryin'".

On the way back to our car, C spotted a giant {styrofoam} sno cone being advertised by a rooster.  We took it as a sign that the boys should have another afternoon treat.

Yum!

Our trip to the Great Pumpkin Patch made for a fun-filled Saturday!

Wilson Farm {P's class trip}

A few weeks after C's trip, P got his turn at Wilson Farm.  P's trip happened to coincide with Grandma Paige and Poppa Fred's visit, so he brought them along.  He was extremely excited when that worked out!

I was at work during the field trip, but my photographers captured some great shots.  Here's a class photo with P's cute teacher.

P attempted to milk this cow.  I suppose he wasn't really "milking" it... I guess he was giving watering the cow a try.  :)

P and two of his best friends posed as scarecrows.

I'm not exactly sure what the boys are doing here, but they look like they're having fun!

Both of the boys enjoyed their class trips to Wilson Farm.  I consider this field trip destination a winner!  Next fall we may have to visit the farm as a family.

a visit with Horton

In October, C had his turn with his class's KinderBuddies bag.  A stuffed Horton the elephant accompanies the bag, and the student with the bag gets to spend the weekend with Horton.  When he was at our house, Horton stayed busy!

Right away, P and C checked out the activities in the bag.  Horton helped the boys finish an alphabet floor puzzle on Friday afternoon.

Daddy A had a weekend youth group trip, but Horton, C, P, and I headed to P's school carnival on the town square.

Horton was especially helpful at the mask making station.

C took Horton to the gymnastics mats and let him give tumbling a try.

Saturday Horton accompanied the boys to an {indoor} pool party!  Although he didn't do any swimming, Horton enjoyed helping Jake celebrate his birthday.

Sunday morning, Horton and C headed to Sunday School.  Horton kept an eye on C at craft time.

After church, the boys went to a friend's house.  She has outgrown her Barbie Jeep, and C really wanted to give it a spin.  He had some trouble driving, so P agreed to chauffeur C and his buddy Horton around the driveway.  {It takes an awesome brother to drive a pink jeep in sight of his friends.}

We had a wonderful visit with Horton!  I hope he enjoyed his visit as much as we enjoyed having him.  :)

P's soccer practice

Happy birthday, C!

Dear C,

     Happy birthday, sweet boy!  We are so glad you are a part of our family.  Our lives would not be the same if you were not a part of them, and we are so grateful to be your mommy, daddy, and big brother.
     You are our resident mermaid expert and a creative inspiration.  You encourage us to think outside the box and have fun!  We love seeing you play "baby", "doggie", and "dinosaur".  You are quite the actor.
     You and I both know that while some might call you stubborn, you are merely principled.  :)  Peer pressure isn't going to be a problem for you!  We admire your stick-to-it-itveness and your determination once you've made up your mind about a situation.  (Remind me of this letter the next time you decide to wear shorts in thirty degree weather, okay?)
     Your compassion for others and love for God amazes us.  You look out for your brother and your friends, and just today you melted my heart when you looked at me and said, "Mommy, thank you for giving me a party and buying stuff for me to give my friends".
     It's so hard for us to believe you are four years old today!  In many ways, it seems like just a few days ago you were a baby.  Even though you are a "big boy" now, you will always be our baby, and we will always be your mommy, daddy, and brother.
     We love you so much, C!  You are a wonderful blessing and we are so glad we get to watch you grow into the man God intends for you to be!


Love,
     Mommy, Daddy, and P

Grandma Hen's visit

Grandma Hen came to visit us in early October.  Just a few hours into her visit, the boys took her to one of our favorite hangouts - the library.  P asked Grandma to read him a few books before he made his selections for the week.

Saturday morning, we headed to Black Mountain for a delicious brunch with Aunt Florence.  We had a fabulous visit and enjoyed the food and the company.

We traveled to the Western North Carolina Nature Center for their Fall Festival.  P and C were extremely excited to see a face painting station.

C chose to be - what else? - a mermaid.

P opted for a red ninja mask.

We all enjoyed walking the trails and viewing the animals.  C and P had fun in the photo stations, too.

 We are so blessed to have family that is willing to travel to us and spend time with our family.  We look forward to all of our visitors!

Tweetsie Railroad's Ghost Train

This fall, the first night Tweetsie's Ghost Train was open, we headed to Boone for the festivities.  We don't let our boys ride the train {Tweetsie suggests riders be at least eight years old}, but they were both beyond excited to don costumes and celebrate Halloween a month early!

I suggested P be a pirate this year, since C was determined to be Peter Pan, but he saw this ninja costume in a catalog and that was all she wrote, so to speak.  There were no coordinating costumes in our house this year, but my Peter Pan and my ninja were both adorable, don't you think?

We stopped at "cow chikin" for dinner, and Mini Moo was there, so all three "kids" posed for a photo.

I love C's expression in this picture.  He was so excited to be in his Peter Pan costume, I'm not even sure he cared where we were going or what else we were doing!

When we arrived at Tweetsie, we joined the line of patrons waiting to get into the park.

Among other activities, while we were at the park, the boys each chose a costumed employee to join in a picture.  I wasn't surprised that P chose Jack Sparrow, or that C chose a princess!

Happy Halloween!

Wilson farm {C's class trip}

I took a day off of work in late September to go on a field trip with C's class.  {He asked me to go;  how could I resist?}  I'm so glad I was able to go - we had so much fun!

C had asked me to drive him {parents can't ride the preschool bus}, but at the last minute he decided to ride with his friends, so I hopped on the bus and took a photo of my big boy before jumping in my car to follow the bus to the farm.

When they arrived at Wilson Farm, everyone climbed off the bus and lined up.  It was the perfect opportunity for a class photo!

This is C with one of his best friends, who was also in his class {and my class!} last year.

The farm had lots of fun activities to get the kids moving.  There was the traditional corn maze, a corral maze {C was the first one in his class to find his way through the corral maze, despite being the youngest}, and a bounce house.

There was an area for petting a variety of farm animals.  C and this calf became fast friends.

We took a tractor ride out to the fields and around the farm.  Everyone got to choose an apple to eat on the ride back to the main buildings.

Before my camera battery died, I was able to snap one more class photo.  I was able to get the teachers in this one.  :)

After a tasty picnic lunch, C and I headed home from our fun filled morning.  C couldn't wait to tell P all about his fun trip when we picked him up from school!

boys on a bike ride

Daddy A, P, and C had a "boys' afternoon" and enjoyed the great outdoors.  They rode their bikes along the greenway, stopped at the park for some playtime, and posed for a scenic photo.