Fall Activities

We have been busy with Fall activities for the past 3 days. On Saturday morning, we went to a Street Festival on Main Street, where we spent all our time at the Kids Zone: bean bag toss, Plinko, CornHole but best of all was the big bounce house, where Amelia and Elliot were bouncing and sliding down for at least 30 minutes before they got their faces painted. 

After a good nap, we spent the rest of the afternoon outside. While the boys worked on the boat, we girls carved our two mini pumpkins. 

Like Father like son

This year, Amelia didn't mind touching the pumpkin guts, which was a major improvement. The kids decided the designs and I was allowed to carve them. BOO!

The next morning, I had planned to take our family pictures in the park while there were still leaves on the tree. Even though it is almost November, we are still having temperatures in the mid 80s here, which is way too warm for this time of year and I'm so ready for cooler temps to stick around longer than one day. Nonetheless, the photo shoot (read: a ladder, books, sweets to bribe the crew and a timer on my camera) went pretty well and we got our Christmas Card picture in the books. 

The rest of the morning, Amelia and Elliot spent making Monster Treat Bags at Michaels and getting arm tattoos before going trick-or-treating thru the store. It was a fun, free event.  

After a quick solo shopping trip to Target, the kids and I headed to another yet Fall Festival at a local church. Both kids enjoyed Trunk-or-Treat there and we even saw Amelia's teacher, Ms.Wyatt. Because it was so hot, Elliot only wore half of his costume and Amelia opted for a Snow White dress.

The local fire department had a truck there for the kids to inspect and climb in as well as a little fire truck train to ride on. 

All three of us went on a hay wagon ride before we grabbed a hot dog and then headed home.

And tonight is Halloween and my two little ones are super excited to go out trick-or-treating around the neighborhood - not that we need any more candy. So far, the kids collected already a big bowl of candy and I hope plenty of kids show up tonight, otherwise we are stuck with lots of organic lollipops and fruit snacks. Luckily, our dentist buys back candies for $1 per lb to send to the armed forces overseas, so we will gladly bring some of our Halloween candies there on Wednesday. Be safe and have fun tonight!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 

Pumpkin Patch and Ice Cream Social

Yesterday, the kids and I went on a field trip to Honeysuckle Hills Farms with my MOPS group. Since Amelia has no field trips at school this semester and we weren't able to make it to a pumpkin patch yet this season, I decided to take her out of school that day. We arrived just shortly after opening and despite the fact that there were tons of buses with children, it didn't feel crowded at all. The school classes moved along fairly quickly, which gave us the opportunity to enjoy all what the farm had to offer.  

She loves any horse...it doesn't matter its size

Of course, there was a small petting zoo and some "cows" the kids could milk:

The farm also offered lots of fun activities such as huge inflated pillows to jump on, a tractor playground, sand pit, tree house village, ziplines, and a 100 ft super slide. Amelia and Elliot loved all of it and more. 

We even ventured thru a real corn maze:

Next up, we watched the High Flying Dog Show and a pig race:

And then it was time for our hayride to pick the perfect little pumpkin in the field. Amelia had a hard time choosing and Elliot wanted to play bowling with them. 

We all had a fun time at the Pumpkin Patch and will be back for sure next year. 

Both kids were worn out on our ride home: 

That same afternoon, we also were invited to an ice cream social by our dentist, who is celebrating it's 6th year of being in business. And since the social was happening at our favorite ice cream store, we couldn't miss out on the opportunity for free ice cream. It was sweet and sticky and delicious, thanks to Kid City Smiles for this treat. The perfect ending to a full day!

My 35th Birthday

On Sunday, I turned 35 years old and I celebrated by being together with my favorite people. While I slept in, my husband and kids decorated the dining room together (he knows I love decorations).

Both kids were so excited that it is Mommy's birthday that they were congratulating me all day long. Once I got up, I opened up Amelia's gift first. She was so determined to buy me something with her own money that we both went to Bath and Body Works the day before and chose a fragrant mist. She paid for it and even got it wrapped. But best of all was the card she made by herself at Michaels during a kids' crafting morning. My most treasured birthday card ever! She is such a sweet girl and I love her so much. And my sweet boy sang happy birthday to me and gave me the best birthday hugs. 

Most of my birthday gifts: 

After breakfast we all went to the park for a nice walk. The weather was great and the kids were full of energy so it was the best way to spend my birthday morning. 

Watching the train go by:

It warmed up quickly and while the kids played on the playground, Derrick and I enjoyed the sunshine.

 When you ask your 5 year old to take a picture of mommy and daddy and she prompts you to kiss:

After the park we went to a restaurant that sits right on water, next to the marina, and enjoyed some delicious seafood  and a cold beer while the kids fed the ducks and turtles. We finished the day off by relaxing at home and eating a red velvet cupcake with cheesecake frosting. 

Even though I didn't do anything fancy for my birthday, it was a truly perfect day. Thanks to everyone for all the birthday wishes, cards, gifts and birthday hugs. I loved them all and feel very blessed to have such a great family and friends. Another year is in the books...a lot more to go!  

My view on life as I turn 35!

Today, I'm turning 35 and yet, I don't feel that "old". I feel more like I'm still 28 years old and can't wrap my head around that the next big birthday number is 4-0. Ok, it's still 5 years from now but it is looming above my head. When I was a teenager and met people who were in their mid-thirties, they seemed old. Weird, how ones perspective on life changes with every year we turn older. Don't get me wrong, I like where I am right now and wouldn't want to be a teenager again. Each decade has it's high and lows and it is what you make out of them that defines you. 

So in the past 35 years of my life, I accumulated some pearls of wisdom I would like to share with you: 

1. You don't have to be like everyone else: As a teenager, everyone always wants to fit in. But here is the thing, life is not made for everyone to fit in. I learned over the years that I can drum to my own beat and people still will like me. Actually, only recently I started to care less and less of what others might think of me and become the woman I am meant to be. It's still a work in progress though as this world is all about fitting people in to boxes and it is tough to find one own's footing. 

2. Live, laugh and love often: This brings me to my next point. Be happy and live, laugh and love often. There is already so much pain, scandals and fears in the world, so be happy whenever you can. Also, the older I get the more I realize that when I love myself, it radiates outward. When I'm taking care of myself I'm also better equipped to take care of others. Me is as important as anyone else and so loving myself should be a priority. The more mature I become, the easier it is to realize this and to take care of myself. 

3. Be present today: Over the past few years, people dear to my heart have passed away, which made me realize that life is too short to wait around for bigger and better things to happen while I miss out on the precious moments in the here and now. I'm learning this one the hard way because my kids grow up before my eyes and all I want them to do is reach their next milestone while I forget to enjoy that today,any ordinary day, is special too. The ordinary days are the ones I remember most and I hate to miss out on them because I always look in to the future or waste my time looking at what others do.  

4. Life can be hard and that's ok too: We all know that life never turns out the way we plan it. Things happen and hardships occur and our life is often tougher than we want to proclaim (thanks to social media for making it easy to present ourselves "perfect" because we don't post the 95% of ugliness in our life). Especially as a mom, days can be long, hard and frustrating but somehow we can't ask for help. Learning to acknowledge that no one is perfect and life is hard is the first step in seeking help. I'm still working on that as I have the idea stuck in my head that asking for help equals weakness. Actually, it's the total opposite that's true. Asking for help shows courage, strength and trust that others will be there for me and I don't have to do it alone. Just knowing that life is not easy makes me appreciate the blessings and privileges along the way even more.  

5. Family and friends: In our lifetime, people come and go...it's natural: we grow up, move around, choose different paths in life and eventually die. But despite all that I noticed that my family and dearest friends have always been there for me and I wouldn't be where I am today without them. It is easy to take people for granted but they are as necessary as the air I breath. Thus, it is important to remember to always help them when they need it and allow them to help me when I need it. It is more than give-and-take, it's a lifeline in a big ocean I wouldn't be able to cross without them. 

6. I'm still learning: When I was young I thought learning stops when I'm finished with school. But in fact, the real learning only began when I finished school. Every day, I'm learning something new and I have a feeling that I will do so till I die. From how to raise children, to new technology to new job requirements, the learning never ends. And it is easy too, most of it I do unconsciously like reading a book, watching the news, listen to the radio or see the world thru my children's eyes. Learning is fun and expands my mind and greatly enhances the quality of my life. I might be done with school work but I will never be done learning. 

Now, I'm off to celebrate my special day with my loved ones and to be loved on. It feels good to take one day a year to reflect on where I have been, what I have learned and where I see myself headed to in the next year. It doesn't matter what my age is because my life experiences, values and wisdom accumulated over the years are more worth than the birth date in my passport.  

Family Monster Night

Last night, the kids and I went to our local YMCA for their Family Monster Night event. Since Halloween is around the corner and the theme of the night was monsters, the kids chose to wear their Halloween costumes. And luckily they did because they kept them nice and warm. Yesterday, a cold front moved in and it was quite chilly when we got there.

 The hay bale was the perfect picture op:

 

Amelia and Elliot played some games before we ate dinner: hot dogs and Chili, finished off with some S'mores.

 The fire pit was perfect to warm up:

 

The hay ride was the highlight of the evening:

 

And then it was time for the movie of the night: Monsters, Inc. We brought blankets and chairs and bundled up and drank hot cocoa while enjoying the movie on the front lawn. We lasted almost an hour before it got too cold and the kids too tired. But it was a fun albeit cold evening. 

Best part was coming home and Daddy being there after he was gone this week on a business trip. Now, these are my favorite people! I love them so much.

Happy Weekend!