Pumpkin Patch

This year we finally gave in and drove an hour each way to visit Bishop Farms, the biggest and most popular pumpkin patch in the area. We all agreed that it was definitely worth it. They had an amazing train, several playgrounds, a play starring real pigs, a petting zoo, several restaurants and bakeries, and more.
The girls had fun on the playgrounds...until Ally got hungry. Much like her father, once Ally gets hungry, she totally shuts down~she seriously won't even move until she gets food.

While I fed Ally, Sophia went down the longest slide I've ever seen. It was so long, our camera ran out of batteries before she got to the bottom!

For some reason, Sophia didn't want to ride on the real train, but the girls had a great time playing on the wooden train.

As always, the petting zoo was a big hit.

The girls had a blast having hay fights on the "hay trampoline." There were dozens of matresses hidden under the hay, so you could bounce off after showering someone with a handful of hay!

We had so much fun that this may have to become an annual tradition.

A First for Naptime

Sophia is starting to transition out of naps and I honestly can't remember the last time she actually slept during "naptime." Today on the way home from the store, she fell asleep in the car, so I let her sleep in the garage while I unloaded groceries. After a half hour, I woke her up to bring her into the house. She got out of the car, walked in the door, and took 2 steps before collapsing on the floor and falling back asleep.Ally took advantage of the situation and gave Sophia a few good smacks, but she continued to sleep until I woke her up for dinner. Sophia's never been one of those kids who falls asleep in random places, but I guess with enough sleep deprivation, anything is possible!

14 Months

Ally has a pair of shorts that say "Catch me I'm cute," which is a perfect summation of our little toddler. She is all motor skills these days. She can run exceptionally fast for her age, walk backwards, walk on her toes, turn in circles, climb, kick, and throw. She's able to draw really well for her age too and enjoys scribbling with markers, crayons and side walk chalk. We haven't been as good at reading to her as we should be, but honestly, it's hard to get her to stay still long enough to get through more then 2-3 pages.

She's still not really talking, at least not in words that we can understand. Her vocabulary is limited to Mama, Dada and thank you, but she rarely has a problem getting her point across. She points, shakes her head no, blows kisses, waves bye bye, and has a series of grunts, whines and screams that are pretty easy to interpret.

She loves animals of any shape and size. One of her favorite activities at the park is chasing squirrels, and she always runs straight to the guinea pig cage when we pick Sophia up from preschool. And of course, she loves her own doggy. Unlike her older sister, she's interested in playing dress up and is pretty good at accessorizing by herself.

She's a good eater...in fact, she's too good. Several times a day I end up fishing dog food and marking pens out of her mouth! Fruits and vegetables are her favorites at meal time.

We often refer to her as "crazy baby" because she can be a real goofball, but she is full of laughter and always has us laughing right along with her.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_LIbdfC4Ys

Cool Kid Tricks

The girls are always making us smile with their newest "tricks." The current favorites are Sophia's eyebrow trick (she has spent lots of time practicing this one in the mirror)

and Ally's urge to headbang to annoying kid-toy-music.

I'm not exactly sure what Sophia was doing at the end of that video, but it looks like classic big sister mischief to me!

What a Difference a Year Makes

A year ago... ....and now.

I'm amazed how different Ally looks. She hasn't let us out of her sight since she was born, so I know she wasn't swapped!

Sidewalk Chalk Paste 101

This summer, Sophia has discovered that if you mix sidewalk chalk with water, you can make a paste that has many uses. It's great for painting the interior of a playhouse. Here is Sophia hard at work painting the kitchen:

I like her use of color on the door: The dining room used to be all white, but now has pink and blue walls and gorgeous painted trellis work. I think the girls across the street must have helped.

The paste also works great on screen doors, although Daddy's not a big fan of this use.

If you're in a pinch, it's also great for highlighting your hair. Just massage the paste into your scalp and wallah ~ instant color!

Ultimate Peek-A-Boo

I'm not sure if this is what the builders had in mind when they built this house, but these squares in our dining room have created fun for our whole family!