Monday, September 28, 2009

Vala's Pumpkin Patch











I took Samantha & Alden to Vala's Pumpkin Patch near Gretna this morning. I really wanted to go to a Pumpkin Patch before the baby comes, and the weather looked great for their "pumpkin patch" outfits! :) It was a little windier than we planned on, so their "outfits" got covered up by windbreakers, but it was still a great morning. Both kids walked, as I refused to push around the stroller. The kids had fun looking at the goats, camels, and horses and putting their head through all the fun little painting around the area. Alden is at a weird age where he's afraid of EVERYTHING.... noisy trucks, big animals, etc. He didn't like the skeletons that they had entertaining people through the place, and constantly clung to me. Both of the kids' favorite parts was the hayrack ride to the pumpkin patch. Alden actually liked the tractor that pulled us (I was a little leary of that). We didn't pick a pumpkin from the actual patch, because I didn't want to carry it around all morning, but we did get a few smaller pumpkins as we left for the day. We got a bag of popcorn and sat and ate it for a little while and then decided we'd had enough! It was a great finale for me and my life as a mother of just 2 kids...

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Sunday School Kick Off Party






Last Sunday, I was in charge of our Sunday School's Kick Off Party. We filled the Sunday School hour with crafts and singing and then after late service, we had a picnic in the park. We had about 20 kids come to Sunday School and about 40 total people at the picnic! It was a success! The kids had a blast playing with their friends. Alden & Papa McKnight played soccer before the picnic began.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Last Day of Tour of Missouri















Our last day in Missour at the Tour was in Chillocothe, for the start of a stage of the tour. This day was more exciting for the kids, as Chillocothe knew how to entertain people! There was an expo again for local and state businesses, where the kids got more cow bells, foam fingers, and balloons! The kids would have been just fine with that, but they also had a little carnival put on by one of the churches in town. There was a couple bouncey houses and a rock climbing wall, cotton candy & popcorn, and face painting! Samantha went in one of the bouncey houses and got her face painted. We told the girl that we wanted an "N" for "Nebraska" in red and white. She obviously didn't understand, because she kept saying "I'm going to make it a fancy "N" ". So, I watched her do a letter that kind of looked like an "N", but then she kept decorating it until it was unrecognizable! :) But, Samantha thought she looked just like a Husker cheerleader with a painted face! :) It was a very hot day, so we took a break in the shade a few times while Doug went and looked at bikes and riders. He got some close up views of David Zabrinski (yellow jersey & blue shorts) who won the tour and yellow jersey and he also got to see George Hincappie (red, white, blue top and bottom) ride right by him. He realized how easy it was and how nice the riders were at stopping to take pictures and autographs, so next year I'm thinking he will be more forceful with his plan to get autographs! We got to see the start of the race while the riders did a few laps around town before heading out on the road course, so that was neat! They went by really fast and it was fun to see all the good riders together! After the riders were out of town, we headed for home and Alden was zonked out before we even got through the McDonalds drive through for lunch! It was a fun couple of days!

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Tour of Missouri
















We drove to Sedalia, MO last Friday morning to see the Tour of Missouri Pro Cycling Race. We stopped at our favorite McDonald's in Odessa, MO - it has a toddler playground. Then on to Sedalia to watch the Tour of Missouri Individual Time Trial. We arived early (Michelle claims I was speeding) and we were able to see the team buses set up bikes and trainers for riders to warm up on. We got to see Lance Armstrong's bike (Yellow Trek bike) because the team he was on this summer - Astana - was there. We also walked around the expo area and Sam and Alden recived the loudest cow bells on earth! It was hot, so we found a place to watch with a bench and shade away from the big crowds. It also was the steepest hill of the day. Sam and Alden rang their bells for the riders as they went past one by one. Some of the riders, Sam knows by name from the Tour de France. After a long day of cheering we loaded up and drove to Columbia to Meet Charlotte. We got to spend the evening with Dusty, Goldie, and Little Charlotte. Then we headed north to Macon, MO (the middle of nowhere) and went straight to the pool! The pool was freezing cold, so we weren't there too long. The kids were out as soon as their heads hit the pillows! Alden & Sam slept together again, but this time, Alden fell out of bed. :) (Written by Doug)

Zoo Trip with Mandy & Caden






Last Wednesday, we took a trip to the zoo with my friend Mandy and her son Caden. Samantha & Alden had a blast with Caden. We let them play on the Lion Statues right as you come in the gate to the zoo and Alden thought it was pretty cool to ride on a baby lion statue. :) Next, we did the butterfly pavilion and I tried not to look at the bugs and spiders in the next room. The giraffes were all outside that day and really close to us. We stood there for a long time watching one of them try to get a leaf off of its tongue! The Zebras were next and then we walked over the bridge with the spider monkeys on the island next to it, so of course the kids had to feed the fish some food before we could move it. The baby sea lion "Coco Pup" was out, so we stood there for along time watching it play on the slimy floor of exhibit and then it climbed up to it's mom on the rocks. We saw the gorillas and got to see the newest baby gorilla born at the zoo. I teased Alden that the gorilla came out of mommy's tummy and that was going to be his new sister! He didn't think too much of that! The baby gorilla was just as tiny as newborn baby! Then, Caden wanted to take us into the "Kingdom of the Night" with all the night living animals. That was kind of creepy and smelly, so we walked through it quickly. Samantha & Alden didn't care too much for it either! Then, we took a short break on a bench and watch Caden chase the peacocks. After that we drove to Fazoli's for lunch. It was a great play date for Samantha & Alden!

3 years old - Nov 2008

3 years old - Nov 2008