So... Creepy... Haunted Hayride 2011

When I worked at Mentor the kids would volunteer to work at the Farm Parks Haunted Hayrides constructing sets and acting in the scenes. I didn't have kids then and thought the process was a little "sloppy" for my taste. Yet, now that I have two kids and have visited the scene... I get it. Emerson, Sleeping Beauty, and Bryce, the bee, had a blast. A little windy and a little cold, they enjoyed the wagon trip (seeing Angry Birds and Justin Beaver...) and the graveyards and spooky haunted houses. The swing sets helped out and the lemonade was amazing!

Last of the pretty days...

We went over to Nan's to check on her foot and took a couple pics in her backyard... too bad the battery pack died right after the 5th picture! Dang it.

Bryce is looking seriously old in the first picture. Since we found out the poor kid is allergic to nuts, soy, chicken, eggs, shellfish and even milk and wheat, his diet has been limited. We still give him milk and wheat, because we would have little options without. He has lost a little weight, but that is also from the amazing growth spurt that just occurred . He has also been so much more mobile. Walking is taking over the crawling and he gets so excited to crawl onto things! It is cute to see him on the couch or the chair... not so cute to find him standing on top of the table... yep... he did that.

Emerson is loving school and music class while the verdict is still out on dance. I think she is frustrated because it is more instruction and learning to be a student than actual dance. It will come, but she also knows that she must complete the entire year. There is no quitting! She has also just had one major growth spurt. All of her pants have turned into floods and she has just started getting "headaches". I remember getting them when I was growing... poor girl!

It was a perfect day for a quick trip to the...

ZOO! Today we managed to get to the zoo without rain, falling, crying, arguing... though, yet again, I took the wrong way. These things happen.

Emerson wanted to see the butterfly house. I didn't think to tell her before we got there that it was the wrong time of year for butterflies. Oops. Bryce wanted to eat everything in his path. I am glad we brought extra snacks!

The best part was that it wasn't crowded and the kids enjoyed it more than any other time. They were able to go into the petting zoo, play on the swings and slides and run around.

This was also the first day that Emerson showed off her new hair cut. The other night she was taking way too long in the bathroom and as soon as I opened the door I found out why. She was cutting her own hair. With that and not wanting to let us do anything to it... we are at a wedged bob. Adorable and makes her look a few years older... oh well.

Farmer Emerson...

Who needs an over priced trip to Patterson's if you have Papa Mickey's pumpkin patch. They hauled in a ton of pumpkins and gourds and squash but sadly only had three rows of corn. Somehow three rows is enough for a four year old to create a maze and have one darn good time. Emerson helped load the gator a few different times with pumpkins and other fresh goods and insisted we cut some cornstalks for Nanny's house!

4 Year Old Preschool!

Emerson was soooo excited to go back to school this year. At first she was upset that she had different teachers, but she is now in love with Mrs. Newman and Mrs. Kessler. Side note... When we picked her preschool I had a couple of reasons for it. First, it has a Methodist affiliation. Secondly, it is completely old school. No computers in class; the kids actually play with toys. It has structure and it is just a preschool, not a daycare. And lastly, because of Mrs. Newman. When I was in high school I was good friends with her daughter Liz and I remember going over to there house and how she was soooo sweet and sooo put together. Both of her children are outrageously brilliant in their own right and I felt as if that speaks volumes for her.

Emerson decided she wanted to wear the same dress she wore for the last day of 3 year old preschool... which made me laugh. She is excited that Hanna and Olivia are in her class, but misses all of her other friends. The class is very boy heavy and she is still meeting all of them! I have been filling her in on some, knowing their parents, but she has taken to another Alex, since his name is Alex (her boyfriend from last year was another Alex).

Here is to a year filled with fun... learning how to zip the coat, write the last name, counting to 100 and everything else!

Dance, Dance Baby!

Since she was two, Emerson has been wanting to take dance. After her arts camp, I knew it was time. She is enrolled in ballet/ tap for the year. Every saturday morning, for an hour, her and around ten other little girls file into Ms. Hannah's dance studio. It is awesome to watch. All that pink and black.

After the first class Emerson proclaimed that it was wonderful. Though as she came out, and all the other girls' tap shoes were clicking, she was still in her ballet shoes. I asked her why she didn't put on her taps and she looked at me with a seriously angry face and told me it was because I didn't put them in the bag. I unzipped the bottom of the bag and showed her where they were and she laughed. Everyday for the next week she let me know that she would remember that they were in the bottom.

I would like to state that I did not tell her to pose like this. In fact, it makes me laugh. This was right before her we left for her first class and I grabbed the camera to document the brand new Capezio leo and tights.