Pumpkin Patch

Last week for Joy School, we went on a field trip to a pumpkin patch. 

We went to a farm nearby and had so much fun!

They had goats the kids could feed and pet, although I think they liked climbing the pen the most.

Isn't he handsome? :) 

There was also a little mini-corn maze.  Going through it with the kids was like herding cats.  We mostly just let them run around in the corn.

After that we went for a hayride around the farm.  The kids loved it - so much so, that it was impossible to get a photo of both of them looking at the camera.

Sammy's eyes were bigger than his muscles while picking out his pumpkin.

Lucy looked long and hard trying to find her pumpkin.

She finally settled on this fun bumpy one with a super cool stem. She's pretty happy with it. :)

After picking out pumpkins, the kiddos played on some tractors.

Sammy loved them! He was hard to pull away from these fun toys!

"Alright guys, I'm ready to go!"

Here is our whole group in front of one of the tractors.  The farm let every kid pick out a pumpkin to take home for free.  We had a great time! 

Fall Leaves

Last Sunday evening we decided to get out into the mountains to see the leaves.  

It was a good thing we did because it snowed just 3 days later!

The weather was beautiful and the leaves were just gorgeous!

We went up Big Cottonwood Canyon to Silver Lake.  We really like it there because it's so kid-friendly and you can see so much from one place.

Sammy loved running around on the boardwalk.

And Lucy was cold so she snuggled up in the stroller.

We saw a moose and her baby while we were there too!

We took up a picnic dinner and my brother, Tyler, joined us.  He lives up there so we don't get to see him that often.  

It was nice to visit with him and it was good for the kids.  He and Sammy really hit it off.

I am so grateful for such beautiful places so close to home! 

Sammy 17 months

My little man turned 17 months last week.  I love (mostly :) this age. 

He is growing and learning so much, it amazes me.  He is constantly on the move, unless he is sick, like he was a couple of days ago.  Then he just wants to snuggle.  He also slows down to read.  This little guy loves books.  When the house seems unnaturally quiet, I'll usually find him in the front room or in his room with a pile of books around him, quietly thumbing through the pages.  I love that he loves books and I hope he keeps this love throughout his life.  

He finally had his 15 month appointment a couple of weeks ago.  It was delayed until he was 16 1/2 months because of some things that came up.  He is 24 lbs. 15 oz. (48%) and 31 in. (75%).  It's funny how fast my kids grow their first 6 months of life and then how they slow way down.  Sammy has gained less than 5 pounds in the past year.  Lucy did the same thing though.

He uses the sign for milk for just about anything he wants now.  He'll do the sign and then point at what he wants.  He also says, "Yeah" and "Meow" for the kitty.  He loves to be outside and gets mad when the door opens and you don't let him outside.  He still loves fruit - he's my little fruit fly.  

And he's getting so independent.  He loves to walk on his own when we go places - like the grocery store.  He always tries to push the grocery cart too - it's super cute.  We love this little happy, independent, curious boy.

Labor Day Weekend

We definitely enjoyed the last weekend of summer!  I took the kids to one of our favorite places - Discovery Gateway Children's Museum - the Friday before Labor Day.  It was the perfect time to go there!  Kids are back in school but it's too early in the year for field trips so we had the place mostly to ourselves.

Sammy learned to fly the helicopter.

And he and Lucy rolled around giant billiard balls.

The billiard balls were a part of an exhibit called Play.  Honestly, it was kind of lame.  You were supposed to be able to bang different balls together to make music but by the end of the exhibit, there was one ball left.  Plus the lighting was horrible. Eh.  The kids had fun with the ball so I guess that's what matters.

This is probably Sammy's favorite thing in the entire museum.  You stick balls in the hole and it sucks them up and through a bunch of tubes.  When you put the balls in the air blows out and he gets the funniest faces. :)

Lucy insisted on getting only pink balls to play with.  She even climbed into a big pit to dig them all out.

This is fun too - it makes different tones depending on the board you hit.

On Labor Day, we took out the bikes and the chariot and went for a ride on the Jordan River Parkway Trail.

I've ridden the trail since I was a kid but I'd never explored the southern end of it and that's where we rode - in West Jordan, Sandy, and Draper.  It was pretty and a nice ride.  At the end, we played and took a bunch of pictures of the kiddos.

It was fun to see the kids interact.  Sammy wanted to do everything Lucy did.

He followed her on the crazy steps.

And through the tunnel.

Lucy studied the alphabet.

So Sammy did too!

After lunch and lots of playtime, the kids were ready to go again.

It was nice to spend the day as a family. :)

Lucy's First Haircut

It's kind of funny that our one year old had his first haircut before our 3 year old!  My friend Brook cut her hair.

We just took a few inches off the bottom to even it out and help it be a bit more healthy.  Most people wouldn't be able to tell, but it is most definitely healthier now.

She looked so cute in the big cape and did such a good job holding still and following directions!