Still Here

Yes, we are still on the planet. Haven't really had much time to post things lately (imagine that!). Sidney went home with my parents last Sunday so we have been a family of 4 this week. I have missed her to death, but it was a busy week so it was for the best. She has definitely had fun. WE have been planning and packing for our trip to Snowshoe West Virginia. Of course the night before we leave, the snowstorm of the century is moving through that area. WE are on the road right now and are just going to see how it goes. As of 1 hr ago, Snowshoe has had 24 inches of snow since last night!!!! If all else fails, we will detour to Gatlinburg for a few days. More to come. (I don't have my cord to transfer pics so that will have to come later.)

Ashleigh Peak photos

I have had access to these for a while but got my cd today so I can post some for the rest of you to see! I absolutely love these portraits! Ashleigh Peak is a genious! If you ever need professional pics made, contact her at www.ashleighpeak.com.


There is something perfect about how this picture represents the photo shoot. Linlee was happy and cooperative, Conner was wild but cute and happy, Sidney just wasn't either of those things. Seriously, for Ashleigh to be able to get any decent ones of Sid is a miracle!






There is also a really great family shot that I am using for the Christmas card so you will just have to wait for that one...

Preschool and super cool Party

Conner's preschool had their annual Fall Program last week. He sang really LOUD during some parts, participated well in most parts and sat out on a few parts. All in all it was very enjoyable.

Linlee had her first classmate birthday party on Friday. It was at a really cool place where they got to jump into a pit of foam blocks, jump really high with cables on a trampoline and zipline across the room. I have to admit, I was jealous!!!

Fate

Well, let's see. It has been a few weeks so I need to catch up.

Linlee's class had a field trip to a real live farm and the kids and I got to join in on the fun. I felt horrible due to the fact that I had a horrendus cold and didn't really feel like being around 20ish kids, but all in all it was fun. They got to examine and pick many crops, see cows and horses and goats, ride in a hayride, see giant pumpkins, etc. Very cool.



We then took a much needed trip down to Alabama to visit my parents and family. Sidney and Ava got to see a little bit of each other. They are about 2 months apart in age so in a few years, watch out! They look like they are thinking, "Wow, we made a mess. Do you think they see it? Maybe if we just keep looking down, they won't notice."


We had lots of fun spending time outside, roasting hotdogs and marshmellows. Sidney learned the meaning of the word hot first hand when she touched the grill. OUCH! She was fine after a while though. The trip was way too short!




For as long as she has been doing it, I have loved Ashleigh Peak Photography and have really wanted to have her take pictures of our family. I also wanted to wait until Sid was old enough to somewhat cooperate and smile on command. Well, Ashleigh is doing holiday mini session this weekend and we are doing it! Yay. (if you have never seen her work, check it out here: http://www.ashleighpeak.com/
Anyway, I have been obsessing over these pics, picking the right outfits, nervous that we won't all perform well, etc. Well this week has been full of life lessons and I learned yet another one last night. Sidney fell out of a chair and whacked her cheek on the wooden part of our futon.


Oh yeah, nice big shiner on her cheek just in time for pics. I am assured that photoshop can take car of it. Don't worry about small things in life, there are much bigger problems out there that people deal with than worrying that my pics won't turn out well...:)

Annual Fall Square pics (and catch up)

I am a little behind on things but was way too excited about how these pics turned out to wait and share them later. I will come back and make updates as I have time about:
1. Sidney potty training. So all on her own, Sidney mentioned going potty while we were upstairs in the playroom. I grabbed her up and ran downstairs to her potty which has been sitting in the bathroom just to peak her interest. I in no way have been even attempting this because I learned my lesson about starting too early with Linlee. So just for fun, I sat Sid down on it and started talking to her about it. In mid conversation, she began to go in the potty! I think it suprised her as much as it did me! I chalked it up to being a fluke and went on after we made a super huge deal about it of course! Well, since then, she has gone at least once a day sometimes twice (without any coaching or pushing from me). We by no means have it mastered, but I am beginning to think it is more than a fluke and may actually start trying to get this thing done. I am sooo looking forward to that last diaper purchase (just didn't expect it this soon!)

2. D&D 3rd birthday bash. Our friend's twins turned 3 this past week and had an awesome trian party at their house. They rented a "train" for the kids to ride around the block in. All the kids thought this was the greatest thing ever (it really was!). Crazy madness but loads of fun as always!




3. Tom's farm part 2. We had so much fun the last time we went that we decided to take our Sunday School class back to Tom's farm. The number of people that decided to brave the very cold weather was few but we had a great time!!




4. Fall break activities. Linlee and Conner were on fall break this past week. Ben decided to take off work too so we could all spend time together. Friday night we "camped" out in the playroom (since it was too cold outside) after a quick run to DQ (yum). We played card games and slept on pallets on the floor (never do that the day before a very busy day..). The next day was birthday party, college football, and tom's farm. On Monday we had the below photo shoot and just played outside. Not many outings but great family time.

 

Random Pics

 

Sidney still loves to swing. This is a daily request and lately it has been raining so once the sun comes back out, we have some catching up to do.
Sid creating fun on the kitchen floor...

 

Linlee got to bring home the class "pet" this past weekend. His name is Brownie and he is a webkin. She had to document activities, write a report with pictures and present it to her class on Monday. I think this is great!! We didn't realize that we have had a webkin for over 2 years now and so when we discovered it on Tues, we have played alot! It is really cool.

 

We are probably going to miss out on dressing up this halloween so Sid decided to try out her costume. This is a costume that Annelise wore when she was 2. It fits Sid's personality to a T! She loves it.

 

Sid and Conner being sweet.

Sidney said "I love."

Tom's Farm

We took a trip to a pumkin patch/farm this past Sat with our neighbors. So much fun~~~ Here are a few pics from our outing.