Pumpkin Patch

Last Saturday we took the girls to a pumpkin patch in Grapevine at the Hall Family farm. They had lots of cute picture taking set-ups w/ pumpkins, hay bales, benches, scarecrows, etc. They also had a house made of hay, some tractors the kids could get on, a little playground and an actual pumpkin patch where you could see them growing on the vine. We opted against the corn maze, and the hayrides were only after 6 pm, so maybe we'll do those another year. Kendall had just woken up from a nap and was being clingy and not smiley. Avery had a good time though, especially in the house made of hay and the tractors.

the corn was much more interesting than the camera

quiet Kendall

futile attempt at a sister's picture

playing on the hay bales

family photo

"Peek-a-boo" through window of hay house

Avery the farmer

Avery liked the small pumpkins the best

Swinging

We have been having nice fall weather this week here in Fort Worth, and the girls and I have been trying to enjoy it as much as possible. The other day I decided to snap a few pictures of them swinging in the backyard, which is something we do nearly every day. Avery has always loved swinging and would do it for hours if she could. Kendall is also really enjoying her swing since we hung it up a few weeks ago. She just laughs and smiles and then sometimes gets sleepy after awhile. Speaking of Kendall, in the past week or so she has started pulling up on everything! One of my biggest challenges is keeping her away from the pottys when I am helping Avery in the bathroom because apparently they are the perfect height for pulling up and oh so interesting! Gross! She has also started playing with the dog dishes a little bit, so between the potty and that, I've officially started having to say "no" to her. Whether she understands or not at this point is highly questionable, but I know she will soon. Besides pulling up, she is also drinking from a sippy cup now when she eats her baby food and has figured out how to click her tongue-- getting so big! Avery is getting so big too. She is now paci-free at night-Yay Avery!

Don't let the orange fool you. . .

. . .we are still Sooner fans! We did, however, begrudgingly agree to attend the OSU homecoming parade while in Oklahoma this past weekend. One of Scott's friends from Perio residency lives in Stillwater and thought it would be a fun family activity to go to the parade. A few times a year we meet up with two other families from Perio residency to let the guys talk business and to enjoy some family fun. Despite the fact that we were wearing the wrong color, it actually was fun and the kids really had a good time waving at everyone in the parade, seeing the horses, firetrucks, etc and of course getting some candy. While the guys went to the game on Saturday, my girls and I headed back to Edmond to spend the afternoon with the Williamsons, our friends from church there. Their little boy Carter is a few weeks older than Avery. They had a good time playing together. As you can see in the pic, they spent a lot of time in the inflatable jumping thing the Williamsons had. We were able to go to church at Edmond C of C Sunday morning and see lots of people we had not seen in almost a year. After a delicious lunch at Hideaway pizza (my favorite!) and a little more jumping for Avery at the Williamsons' house, we headed back across the Red River. It was a fun weekend and we'll always have a special place in our hearts for the Sooner State!

"A Lot of Kendall" (8 months worth!)

Saturday morning as we were eating breakfast I commented to Avery that Kendall was now eight months old. She responded, "That's a lot of Kendall!" I guess that's her way of saying that Kendall is getting big and has now been around for awhile! Avery and Kendall are interacting more and more these days. Kendall is constantly laughing at everything Avery does, which is great entertainment in the car especially. Kendall loves to wave at people and claps now when she sees someone clapping or when you cheer. Although she's not the best crawler, she does stay up on all fours more now and she can certainly get where she wants to go. As I'm writing this, she keeps crawling off her blanket in the living room and getting under my chair here at the computer, finding the most miniscule crumbs and pieces of dirt on the tile. She is pulling up to a stand some now and when I try to sit her down somewhere she keeps her legs straight and just tries to stand up instead. It seems like she has always been ready to move on to the next stage or milestone before she even has the previous one perfected. About a week and a half ago I had to take her to the doctor for an ear infection and she weighed 16 lbs 4 oz. She is wearing size 6-9 mo or 6-12 mo. clothes, size 2 diapers (but not for long I think) and size 2 shoes. She nurses 4 times a day and eats solids at all 3 meals including cereal, fruits, veggies, and meats. She goes to bed around 8 pm and wakes up between 6 and 7 am. She takes about a 45 minute morning nap (occasionally as long as 1.5 hrs) and then about a 1.5-2 hr nap in the afternoon. Occasionally she takes a 3rd nap around 5 or 6 pm too if her other pm nap was short. She is still toothless and is still in her separation anxiety phase, although she will actually stay in the church nursery now after a few minutes of boisterously voicing her opinion on the matter. But what can I say--that's my Kendall!

Big Stuff

My girls both think they're big stuff lately-- Avery because she recently got to ride my sister's new horse Kola, and Kendall because she just started pulling up on things. Last weekend Scott went out to Possum Kingdom with some friends for a bachelor party type thing and so the girls and I spent some time with my parents. Saturday morning my parents picked us up and took us out to Justin, TX (about 30 min. away) where my sister boards her new horse, Kola. Ever since she was a little girl she has wanted a horse of her own, so we are all really happy for her. Kola was great to let Avery ride her and pet her and brush her. Amy is still working on training her and everything, but she is a really sweet horse and seems to be doing great so far.

taking a ride with Amy

brushing Kola

checking out the tack room

petting the barn cat

all smiles after her ride

Kendall has been pulling up to her knees for a few weeks now, but just this week she started going all the way up to a stand. This morning she pulled up on her Leap Frog table and stood there playing for the longest time. She is still a little wobbly, but I resisted the urge to go over and sit there so I could catch her if she fell. It wasn't too hard since both girls were playing so well by themselves and I was busy making breakfast or doing dishes or something. Last night I had a dream that she was eight months old (which she almost is) and was walking! That's a bit of an exaggeration on the reality, but still, she is getting so big so quickly now and I feel like her first year is whizzing by!