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!

Tweetsie's Ghost Train

If you've read this blog for long, it's probably not a secret that we have season passes to Tweetsie Railroad. In the fall, Tweetsie is replaced by the Ghost Train (at night) for a Halloween bash monster mash. (Sorry - I couldn't resist!) Although the train ride itself is only recommended for ages eight and up, there are other attractions at the park that are labeled as "okay for all ages". This year we decided to give it a go.

When we arrived, P changed into his Halloween costume. We brought C's shark costume too, but he flat refused to put it on. (More on that story in a few posts... how's that for a teaser?)

So the four of us - three humans (one in a Halloween tee) and a shark, headed into the park a long line to get into the park when it opened.


C was relatively content during the wait. He hung out in the stroller and played with his pumpkin light.


Upon entering the park, we took in the Halloween show at the Tweetsie Palace Saloon. It was well done. The show was full of puppetry and black light effects, and there were "dancin' sketletons". C in particular liked the show... and the snacks that were paired with the event.


After taking in a show, we headed to the spooky maze... which wasn't! (Well, it was a bit for the boys, but I am the world's biggest wuss, and I wasn't scared... definitely okay for all ages!) It was perfect for our boys. P went through it half a dozen times. Then the boys took turns being a bat.


Several of the shops and stands throughout the park were open for trick-or-treating. P's costume was a hit with the staff.


We took a break to warm up in the gift shop, and the boys took a "ride" on the train.

After warming up a bit, P and Daddy A headed for the Tilt-A-Whirl, but C's little finger were icy cold, so he and I headed back to the Palace Saloon to take in the show a second time. It made for a very late night for this crew, but we went straight to bed when we got home and no one was late for church the next day, so it worked out. :)

Happy (early) Halloween!

baking brownies

A couple of Friday nights ago, my friend Amanda came over so we could bake brownies for a Service League event. We figured it would be more fun to do it together, so she brought a pizza and after we all ate we got to work. It wasn't long after we started that we realized there were two willing helpers in the kitchen...

...and at the dining room table.

Hey, someone had to make sure the brownies were safe before we put them out on the table for public consumption!

P's first soccer game

P's team had their first soccer game at the end of September. He was very excited when it was time to leave for the field. He loved his "shiny shorts" Grandma Hen sent, and I thought the uniform might be his favorite part of game nights, but on our way down the stairs and out the door, he asked, "Mommy, are you and C comin' to watch me?" and when I replied in the affirmative he exclaimed, "Well, okay! I want someone to come and watch me every time I play!".

When we arrived at the field, P received his shirt (clearly the printers took their time this year) and changed into full uniform.

He posed for a photo with his "bes' friend" Colby. P kept making strange faces for the camera, but when I asked him to smile he explained, "I have to keep my face like this, because I have my mouthguard in and this is the way it makes my face look."

I didn't get a great shot because of where I was standing and where the sun was in the sky, but I did the best I could to get the whole team on camera.

I was very proud of P. We were lucky enough to draw the earliest (5:30pm) games for the entire season, but since he has pretty much outgrown his nap that is still late for him. He's the youngest on his team, because technically the youngest age bracket for city soccer is 5 - 6 year olds, but we squeezed him in there anyway because we're rebels he liked soccer camp so much this summer. Despite the evening game times and his young age, he was out there running after the ball! (He's number 8.)

Remember that mouthguard I mentioned a couple of paragraphs ago? Yup, that one. P really really really doesn't like it. Every time he came off the field for water, half time, Gatorade, or to sub out, it wasn't in his mouth. We had this exact conversation at least four times the night of the first game:

Me: Where's your mouthguard?

P: I don't know... (looks down at shoes)

Me: Well, you have to wear it to play soccer. That's one of the rules, and it's to keep you safe. I have an extra one. Do you need me to open it, or do you think you can find the one you already have?

P: (devilish grin) It's in my pants. 'Cause I don't like to wear it. It feels funny.

Me: What do you mean it's in your pants? Your soccer shorts don't have pockets... (cue P reaching down INTO the front of his soccer shorts/underwear and retrieving his mouthguard) P, that's gross! Don't put that... (the mouthguard is back in P's mouth) ...back in your mouth! Listen, buddy, I know you aren't used to wearing a mouthguard, but you need to keep it in your mouth when you're on the field.

And back onto the field my mouthguard-wearing soccer player would go.

C saw our good friend Amanda when we entered the soccer complex and had sweet-talked her into hanging out with him before I even had P in his new shirt. The game she was watching was right next to ours (the fields shared a sideline) so she and C split their time watching two different games.

Of course, when the game was over, the teams showed good sportsmanship and high-fived. I'd tell you what the score was, except they don't keep score for the youngest division because "it doesn't matter". Um, okay. They pay referrees, but I guess that's just to keep things fair between the teams. If they had kept score, the kids wouldn't have had to do it themselves. :) We wouldn't have been the winning team, but everyone had a good time.

P's coach gave every team member a little bottled water and a package of two brownies with orange icing. P shared his treat and gave one of the brownies to C.

The boys decided that since it was "fair" because they both had a snack, it should be eaten right away. They were both finished with their brownies before we loaded them in their car seats. We all had a good time, which is nice, because there are several more games to go this season!

Apple Hill Orchard, field trip style

Monday the three year old classes at our preschool took a field trip to a local apple orchard. Daddy A drove C to the orchard and also acted as our photographer.

Our tour started with a demonstration on how apples are washed and sorted. Then we headed to the room where apple cider is made.



There was a quick stop to learn about bees and honey, and then it was time for apple and cider tasting! C said that "eatin' apples" was his favorite part of the trip.



While we waited for the tractor to come and take us on our hayride through the orchard, Daddy A snapped some photos of C and his classmates "measuring" themselves. We have pictures of both of our boys for the last couple of years in front of this apple, and it's really fun to see how the boys grow and change from year to year when we compare the annual photos.



We even managed to get a class photo, which was no small feat!



Everyone climbed onto the covered wagon for a hayride.



Several of the boys in my class chose this as their favorite part of the trip.

Before we knew it, it was time to head back to school! Our family has participated in several group trips to this apple orchard, and we've never been disappointed. P was sorry his class didn't go on this trip (Don't worry; his class is going to a corn maze in October.) and we are already planning a family visit to the orchard next month. It was a great way to start off our school week!

Historic Morganton Festival

The weekend after school started was the annual festival in town. Friday after school (and naps!) we headed downtown for the festivities.

We headed to the kids' area first, in hopes of beatng some of the crowds. We bought the boys bracelets for unlimited rides and they got right to work play! P wanted to start with a train ride. He was disappointed that the engine was full, but settled for a ride in Annie, one of the coaches.

He wanted to ride again right away, but there was a rather long line so we convinced him to hit some other rides instead.

As we walked through the rides, we ran into "The King" from Burger King. He was passing out coupons for free icees at the restaurant and cardboard Burger King crowns. C kept calling his crown "my pincess (princess)". It was adorable! I didn't want to encourage the mistake though, so Daddy A and I tried to get him to call it a "prince" instead, but it wouldn't stick. For the rest of the night he was either wearing his "pincess" or exclaiming, "Oh no! My pincess! Get it!" because it had fallen off of his head.

P ran into a friend from his 2010 - 2011 preschool class and swim lessons this summer. They had a joyful reunion in the bouncy house area.

P and C bounced and climbed until it was dark outside.

As we walked among the vendors, I saw a place selling adorable knit hats. I decided to buy one for C. I was just sure he would want an Elmo hat, but he kept asking for Cookie Monster. He wore it until it was time for bed. The boys got their light up bubble guns from the Oak Leaf Festival out and had a blast with them again.

Friday night when it was time for bed, P kept saying that he wanted a hat, too. The only reason I hadn't bought him one was because I didn't think he would wear it, so I decided to wait and see if he was still interested the next day. Saturday morning he woke up and announced that he really wanted a cow hat from the vendor. After his dance class and a quick lunch, we headed back to the festival and bought him a cow hat. C decided that he wanted an Elmo hat after all, and the seller was nice enough to let C switch hats.

Then P proceeded to change his mind about which hat he wanted... he saw a Rosie (one of Thomas the Tank Engine's friends) the Train hat. It was the only one left, and it was very feminine, so we explained that he couldn't have that hat. He threw a fit and announced that he no longer wanted the cow hat (yes, the one he had loved until he saw the Rosie hat). Since I had already paid for the hat, and the seller told me that he couldn't do refunds, C ended up with a Cookie Monster hat and and Elmo hat. Sigh. At least he likes and wears both of them.

Our next stop was the kids' art area. Both boys settled in and created several "ocean-themed" crafts.

Near the art area an animal rescue station had set up shop with their information and brought some owls and a turtle. The boys stopped and gave the turtle some love.

We had a blast, but after two weekends of festivals, we were ready for a rest!