Halloween 2015

Halloween seemed to come so very fast this year!  Since our girls are very into princesses, we decided to have them wear their pretty princess dresses (and I must say, boy were they cute in them).

 

 

 

That evening we had to get our annual picture with our good friends the Purintons.  These kiddos crack us up as they are so silly together!

 

 

 

Later that evening we met up with friends and trick or treated around their neighborhood.  Lucy just soaked it up and was so brave.  She went right up to those houses with confidence and not a worry in the world.  Her little silhouette in her princess dress was just the cutest as we watched her trick or treat :). Aubrey got a little braver this year too :).

 

It was a simple night, but full of fun!  Thank you friends for making it such a memorable evening with our precious little ones!



Apple Hill 2015

Last we had the opportunity to go up to Apple Hill as a family.  Brandon had a Monday off so we took advantage of a smaller crowd day :).

 

Our first stop was to High Hill for some very yummy, apple sprinkle doughnuts!

 

Next we were on to Abel's Acres to get our yearly "How Tall This Fall" picture and some other fun ones while we were there.

 

 

 

 

Oh, the many faces of Lucy :).

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

Lastly we made our way to Kids Inc. where we stopped to smell the flowers, meandered through their little pumpkin patch, and saw some animals.

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

It was a fun (and very warm!) fall outing!

 

 



"I Got the Spider! " {from the mouths of babes}

Lucy doesn't see fear in a lot of different situations and objects.  The girl is fearless sometimes!  Unlike her sister, Lucy isn't afraid of dogs, bugs or any other animal!

 

So, the other day I was washing dishes and Lucy asks me for a towel.  I thought she had to dry her hands or something with it, so I told her to get the kitchen towel that was hanging on the oven.  She took the towel and I went about my business with the dishes.

 

She comes back into the kitchen with the towel in hand and starts to hang it back up.  I ask her what she needed the kitchen towel for and she exclaims, "I got the spider!"

I abruptly turned around and asked, "What?"

"I got the spider mommy!  See?!"

 

The girl had killed a spider and picked it up with the kitchen towel and there was its remains.  The entire situation was pretty funny to me and so random for the crazy day of tantrums it had been with her.  Lucy took it upon herself to "take care" of the spider all on her own without batting an eye.  Way to rid our house of spiders Lucy! 

And because we didn't take any pictures of the spider, I'll leave you with a few pictures of this little girl's expressions and silliness :).  Even when I was taking these pictures Lucy was swatting bees off the flowers and out of the air saying, "Shoo!"

 

Oh man, do we love your fearlessness and independence!! :)

Lucy's Secret

Little Miss Lucy is a hoot sometimes!  It's kind of hard to describe, but it's sometimes her mannerisms, or the way she says something, or the words she uses to explain something, but sometimes she just makes us laugh at everyday things.  She honestly brings so much laughter to our home! 

 

The other day...I was sitting on the floor playing with her and it looked like she was kind of done building whatever we were building, so I told her I have a secret for her.  She came up to me, she leaned in and I whispered, "I love you."  She looked at me and smiled.  The I asked her, "Do you have a secret for me?" (Thinking that I might get an "I love you" too).  She grabbed my face and turned my head so she could whisper in my ear and in the sweetest whisper said, "Pee-pee, poo-poo."  I just couldn't help but erupt into laughter all by myself!!  Of all things to say!  I know this might be a little inappropriate, but at least maybe some of the potty training is sinking in?! I just wanted to remember this "secret" moment.

 

Her secret isn't so safe anymore :).

 

 

Lucy, thanks for the laughs we get each and every day from you. Keep that little personality coming! :)

 



Preschool {Year 2}

We had some decisions to make for Aubrey regarding schooling this upcoming year.  Because of her birthday she qualified for transitional kindergarten, but something just didn't quite sit right with us to put her in.  We chose to keep Aubrey in preschool for one more school year and at the same school.

 

So, here we go!!  First day of preschool and she's excited about it!  We're hoping Lucy won't be too emotional about it (as she is very attached to her sister lately!).

 

 

Happy first day sweet girl! 

 

"You're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So...get on your way!"
~ Dr. Seuss
 



Napa Isn't Only for Wine Tasting

A few weeks back we decided to get away for a day before the craziness of fall schedules start! We always seem to go to the same familiar places, so this time we wanted to go somewhere close but different.  A family in Aubrey's preschool class used to live in Napa and I asked if there were any kid friendly, non-wine tasting things to do there.  This mom was full of ideas of places to go and see as well as places to eat and her suggestions did not disappoint!!

 

First stop was Oxbow Public Market where we perused the foods and goods just a bit.

 

Next, we took a walk along the river downtown.  We got there a little early in the morning so it wasn't quite time for lunch or a treat, but this place would have been perfect a little bit later in the day :). This particular day was a HOT one and the girls didn't last too long walking around outside, so we tried to find some shade and some fun, cute spots.  There's a really pretty mosaic fountain that they girls loved and we even took the time to stop and smell the flowers :).

 

 





 

 



 



After we had a bite to eat we needed to take a drive and see if we could get Lucy to fall asleep for a little bit in the car.  Even if you're not going wine tasting the vineyards and the scenery are just gorgeous.  It was a beautiful, relaxed, air conditioned drive as our littlest one fell fast asleep :).  We continued to drive (because we knew that if we stopped the car Lucy would wake up) and sure enough when we stopped she was up! 

 

We ended up driving all the way up to Calistoga to see California's version of the Old Faithful geyser.  It was a little pricey to get into the park and we were going to turn right back around when we found out just how much it costs, but who could say no to a little girl who started crying because she had just learned about geysers in a cartoon show and was begging to see one because she "hasn't seen one in her whole life" as she put it :). 

 

Luckily as we were waiting for Old Faithful to erupt there were animals to see, chalkboards to color on and nice shaded spots to sit under.

 



Then it was showtime!

 



Lucy lost interest pretty quick, but Aubrey took it all in :).

Somewhere different, fun and beautiful for a day.  There's more to Napa than just wine :).