Farmland Adventures

Yesterday was Thursday.  Millie's favorite day of the week.  I'm not joking...for some reason, she often declares her love for Thursdays.  It also happens to be my favorite day, since they both go to school. ;)  Just kidding.  Maybe.

It was still a little dark out before school, so I had to use flash...which perfectly highlighted the dirty windows (gah!).  But look at Millie's awesome funny faces!

funny

not so funny

a smile <3

We made our traditional Halloween cookies the night before; it was fun delivering those yesterday.  Millie was proud to take some ghosts to her class.

After school, it was absolutely perfect outside!  

i love syd's curls

she looks so grown up here!

Since it was so perfect outside, we decided to make a last minute trip to the pumpkin patch after JKK got home from work.  The sun was setting...it was beautiful.

We tried a new pumpkin patch called Farmland Adventures.  This late in the season, their pumpkin selection was quite small.  But who cares when there's pony rides, a petting zoo, and pig races!

yeehaw

we saw baby pigs (just like Wilbur!), baby donkeys, and baby goats that were only an hour old!

feeding the goats

Millie's favorite (despite this face) - she rode the ponies twice!

Syd's favorite was the hay bale maze

the best i could get ;)

the pig races were quite entertaining Video of Pig Race

so fun...we'll be back next year!

The Natural State

We went camping again last weekend in Thor.  Same spot as last time: Natural Falls State Park.  The leaves are turning and it's so gorgeous outside right now.  We had great weather too.  I actually took my real camera on one of our walks to get some practice.  The pictures never do it justice, and it doesn't help that I still have lots to learn.  Sometimes the leaves are in focus but the people aren't....whoopsie ;)

Syd slept on my back in the Ergo carrier the whole time...

And now for the iPhone pics:
It was raining when we got there on Thursday; the girls enjoyed puddle jumping.  These rain boots have been a great investment.  For some reason, they love wearing them, even just around the house.

I was there alone with the girls on Friday while JKK was at work.  Thank goodness for the nearby playground!

We even did a little exploring...

One last hike before we headed home Saturday afternoon

Wheeee

This weekend, we are staying home to participate in the Halloween festivities.  This will be Millie's first time trick-or-treating!

Camping in Thor

We bought a bus!  At least, that's what Millie calls it.  It's technically a motorhome, and we are very excited about it.  We've named him Thor because a) that's the brand of motorhome, and b) because it sounds awesome.  I just need to find a hammer to hang over the door.

Two weekends ago, we were supposed to go on our maiden voyage, but it was raining all weekend.  Yes, I know we can go in the rain now that we don't have to use a tent, but we didn't want our first trip to be spent indoors trying to entertain the baby beasts.  So instead, our first trip was to the Subway sandwich shop parking lot for lunch.  Ha! We had to go somewhere because we promised Mills an adventure in the bus.  Turns out, everyone had a really lovely time on our short little outing.

Our real maiden voyage was this past weekend to Natural Falls State Park in West Siloam Springs Oklahoma.  The weather was perfect and it was a very successful first outing!

The park had a playground very close to our campsite, so the girls were in heaven.

The girls slept well, even with naps.  Of course, they were up before 6am, but that's nothing new.

It's so fun to get them out into nature and see them explore.  I can't wait to spend lots of time out with Thor in the future.  This feels like the best family investment...quality time together.  The first time I can get everyone to play a game of Yahtzee will feel like a huge milestone.  I have the best memories of camping: playing games with the family, exploring in the woods with my brother, campfires, and swimming in lakes.  So much to look forward to...

Syd was so happy to be back in the Ergo...surprised all of us.  She snuggled right in like she had missed it.

There were some beautiful water falls and easy trails for the kiddos.  It was a good spot for our first outing.

The girls had their first s'mores...sort of.  Millie loved the roasted marshmallows.  Syd loved the chocolate. ;)  I was worried about them around the campfire, but they did pretty good.  We just have to be on guard with Syd.  Camping isn't quite as relaxing as it used to be.  Still...it was nice to be away from home and making memories.

Give Millie a cash register and she's happy.  I bought some cheap toys to leave in Thor, and it was fun for Mills to bring them outside.

Syd, as always, is just happy to be included.

We had so much fun, we're going again this weekend!