Kenzie is 10 Months

Kenzie is 10 months old and continues to be a happy little girl.  She definitely gets herself into trouble with all of her climbing and grabbing but you can't be mad for too long when she starts smiling and giggling at you.  She is enjoying a lot of different foods lately and although she will still eat her "baby" food she does a great job with the different finger foods that we give her.  We are a little surprised that she hasn't started walking too much yet ... she is content standing, walking along furniture, and crawling (which is fine with us!) : )

Rebounderz

Nana, Grandad, Aunt Laura, Aunt Amy, and Jack came down to visit for the weekend so we decided to take a trip out to Rebounderz.  They had never been there before and we thought Jack would really like it there.  (We also figured Aunt Laura would have a good time too.) : )

The kids jumped pretty much non-stop for an hour!  They were having a great time!

Ryland loved the foam pit this time ... he kept jumping down the track and then standing on the ledge and jumping in.  It seemed like a lot of effort for him to "swim" his way out of the pit but he loved it and kept going right back in.

A new feature at Rebounderz is a basketball section.  Jack wanted to give it a whirl and he was able to score a few baskets!  Of course Ryland wanted to try too since Jack did and with some help from Aunt Laura, he was able to make a basket too.

Jack, Kylee, Pete, and Aunt Laura were all amused trying to do jumps off the wall. : )

And of course there was just plain old "see how high you can go" jumping. : )

Kenzie was pretty amused watching all of the action too. : )

Six Flags

We ventured out to Six Flags America for some rides and Halloween fun.  We had never been there with the kids and Pete and I hadn't been there in about 7 years!?  The weather was great and all in all it ended up being a good trip.  There were a few height restrictions that seemed a bit "off" to me but luckily Ryland is really good about it when we tell him that he isn't tall enough to ride something.

First stop was the carousel.  The kids really liked the carousel because there were all kinds of different animals that they could ride on.

One of the big highlights of the day, especially for Ryland, was the roller coaster.  There was finally a coaster that he was big enough to ride on and he LOVED it!

There were a few different sections of the park that had a bunch of rides for the kids so it was nice for them to have a few to choose from in one area.  The helicopters were another big hit with the kids.

Kenzie was great and spent pretty much the whole time in her stroller happily looking around.  When we found an area for her to get out and play in she had a great time exploring everything she could (and trying to eat the mulch!?)

Matching PJs

The two girls have matching PJs and since they are the nice warm kind I'm sure we will be getting a lot of use out of them! 

(Thanks Nana and Grandad!)

A Boy and His Cars ...

This is how I found Ryland sleeping on night!  Ha!  He sometimes takes cars to sleep with him but the "rule" is that he can take two cars ... "one for each hand."  Apparently, he took this whole stash of cars and put them under his pillow.  Then after we said good night to him he pulled them out and lined them up.  Ha ha ha!

Burke Nursery Pumpkin Playground

We also hit the Burke Nursery Pumpkin Playground.  The kids have been watching the progress of them setting up the pumpkin patch for over a month now so they were pretty excited that it was time to head over for some fun.

First stop is always the motorized carnival swing.

And everyone knows I love comparison shots ...for some reason I don't have a picture from last year though so this is 2012 and 2010.

Cox Farms

Before Sam and the Aunts had to fly out of Virginia, and after Grammie and Pop Pop got in town, we decided to take advantage of the nice weather and spend the day at Cox Farms.  It turned out to be a great time for sure!  The kids loved the slides and climbing structures.  Kenzie spent almost the whole time in the backpack and was completely content just people watching while we walked around.

Sam had been talking about turkeys all week.  (His new favorite animal since he has had some wild turkeys hanging out in his back yard lately!?)  Needless to say, we were all excited when we came across some turkeys for him to see up close and personal!

I think we hit EVERY slide at the farm ... most more than once!

This slide always has the biggest line, and rightfully so.  It was great that everyone was able to slide down together and as you can see it looks like it was a fun ride. : )

Ryland was excited to get his picture with a "Piston Cup."  HA!

We found an area that was pretty much abandoned so it was a great chance to get Kenzie out and let her do some exploring herself.  She had no problem climbing through the tunnels and mazes to find Kylee and Ryland.

Our attempt at a cousin picture didn't go so well ... ha ... maybe at Thanksgiving! : )

Kylee measuring up at the Cox Farm sign (this year and last year!)

Ryland turn at the sign (and also from last year!)

(Kenzie had fallen asleep ... maybe next year!) : )


Cox has one of the best hayrides of the different pumpkin patches too.  The kids loved looking at all the different (and random) things on the ride.  Kenzie was fascinated by the tractor and stared at it for most of the ride.

Definitely another fun visit to Cox Farms!

A Visit From Massachusetts

Early in the month, Aunt Susie, Aunt Laurie, and Sam came to Virginia to hang out with us (Grammie and Pop Pop followed a few days later.)  We had a great time and the kids really had fun playing with Sam.  We took a nice walk around to a couple of parks on one of the afternoons they were here.  Other than some bugs (followed by bug bites) it was a good day to be out and about.  Here are a few pics from our day out at the park!

Ryland is Playing Baseball!

Ryland has started playing baseball and it has been a really good experience for him.  Unfortunately he is the only kid that has shown up every week so although he gets a lot of one on one instruction he is missing out on being with some other kids.  He is doing a great job picking up on the different skills that his coach has been working on and he really seems to enjoy going each week.  The session is scheduled to last 45 minutes but since he is the only kid there he is usually spent and done with drills after about 30 - 40 minutes.  Sometimes it takes a little extra effort to get him to do the last thing or two but overall he is doing a really great job!

Here's our little speedster during the weaving part of an obstacle course.

This is the obstacle course that was set up for him on this day.

Here he is hitting off of a tee.  This was the second week (I think) and I can't believe how much better he has gotten at hitting since this video.  It is really neat to see!

This session is almost over so hopefully he will want to sign up again ... although I'm going to try and see if I can find out if there are any classes that have more students signed up. : )

Kenzie is 9 Months!

Kenzie is 9 months old ... and officially into everything!?  Ha!  Although she hasn't taken any independent steps yet she is always pulling herself up on things and walking while she pushes toys around.  She has pretty much mastered going up stairs too (down is a different story!?)  Kenzie is still a happy little girl and is usually pretty content.  She has two teeth as of right now and there is another one or two that look like they are ready to poke out any day now.  Here are a few pictures of our happy 9 month old!

Yes, Kenzie also reached the 8 month milestone but I wasn't quite up to date on the blog then.  So here is a picture from her 8 month photo shoot!

Apple Picking

Another fun fall activity is apple picking.  We decided to head out to Markham Orchards to enjoy the cool weather and pick some apples.  We were very surprised to find out how many people had already been to the orchards and how many trees were already pretty bare.  Luckily we were only looking to fill about one bag so we had enough to choose from.  All of the kids (even Kenzie!) took a try at picking some apples.  Kylee liked trying to help Pete use the Apple Grabber (no idea what it's official name is!?) to reach some of the apples that were way up high.  There was also a bit of sampling going on while we were walking among the trees! : )

Ticonderoga Farms Pumpkin Patch

We decided to start the Pumpkin Patch season off with a visit to Ticonderoga Farms.  It was their preview weekend so it wasn't too crowded which was really nice (and it was cheaper than the normal weekend price!)  It turned out to be a great day ... the weather was good, the crowds were small, and we all had a lot of fun!

There are a lot of different things for the kids to play around on and climb in and out of.  Lots of tunnels, a pirate ship, swings, teeter totters, a jumping pillow, and some musical instruments were some of the things that kept the kids entertained.

Probably the best part for everyone though was the slides!  We really like the set up at Ticonderoga because there are about 8 slides in the middle of the farm.  You can just stay right there and keep sliding but on different slides each time!  The kids like these slides because there is no "rule" that you have to sit and go feet first down the slide ... I didn't get any pictures of the different attempts but Kylee and Ryland tried some belly and backwards sliding. : )

There are a few fire pits set up also.  The concession stand conveniently sells all the ingredients necessary to make s'mores!  Yum!  I think I could have stayed there for a while making a few more to eat. : )

Back by the hayride there is also a cow train for the kids to ride on.  Ryland wanted to give it a whirl.  Kylee was unsure at first so I went on with Ryland ... thank goodness I did.  That little train gives quite a bumpy ride.  It was so bumpy that Ryland was actually coming out of his pants!? ... and that was with me holding him!?  He loved it though!  After we did the hayride and the new slides a few times Kylee was up for a ride on the cow train ... I was not!  Pete ended taking over the cow train duties and went on with Kylee and then again with Ryland.

Here is a bit of the cow train ride when Pete and Kylee were on it. If you listen closely you can hear some of the moans and groans coming from Pete as he bounces along. : )

We definitely had a lot of fun at the farm and only left because they were closing ... we were the last ones to leave actually!  We just might have to go back again before the season is over. : )

School's in Session!

Kylee's school year is off to a great start!  She is in the Butterfly Class and goes to school 4 days a week.

Here is a picture on her from the first day of school ... note the outfit of choice for her new class. : )

This is the second day of school when we had a bit more time to get some pictures outside. : )

Garden Maze at Luray Caverns

At the end of the summer we decided to try the Garden Maze (and Fudge Factory ... well the Fudge Factory gift shop!) at Luray Caverns.  It turned out to be a great little adventure.  It was hot so we thought it might be a bit much but the maze had misters throughout the whole thing that really helped in cooling everyone off.  The big kids were super and had fun looking for the four checkpoints that we needed in order to stamp our tickets.  Kenzie was very content in her backpack and enjoyed being along for the ride ... she even took a little nap while we were walking around.  We finished in about an hour or so which we thought was pretty good considering we had two kids walking around with us (and that we backtracked in order to find all of the checkpoints.)

Happy Birthday Pop Pop

Knoebles

 At the end of the summer Amy called to tell us that she had unused passes for Knoebles and they were heading out later in the week to use them.  It didn't take much thinking on our part, Kylee and Ryland LOVE Knoebles.  They were very excited when they found out that we were heading to Pennsylvania to join Nana, Grandad, Aunt Amy, Jack, and Aunt Laura to join them at the park.

It turned out to be another great day at the amusement park.  Kylee and Ryland rode just about everything that they were big enough to ride!

Kylee, Ryland, and Jack loved "driving" the cars.  There was no line so they went on a few times in a row!

This is one of my favorite pics from the day.  It may look like just an empty car but nope ... Ryland is in there driving!  Ha!  If you look really close you can see a little piece of his head over the steering wheel!  Ha!

The whip is always a big hit with the kids.  They even got to ride on the big whip with Pete this year.  As you can see, Kylee is getting to be a little braver on some of the rides and putting her hands up. : )

We are already looking forward to heading to Knoebles again next year ... hopefully Kenzie will enjoying the rides as much as her sister and brother do! : )

Frying Pan Farm Festival

Over the summer we went to the Frying Pan Farm Festival with our friends, the Schlegels.

The first day we spent riding the rides.  Even though Ryland wasn't tall enough to ride most of them he managed to keep a smile for most of the day and we found a few that he enjoyed.  Kylee was excited to see that there was a Scrambler at the fair and Pete even toughed it out and rode all the spinning rides with her. : )

Kylee and Bryaden took a spin on the little Jeeps.  It was the same Jeep ride that we put the two of them on two years ago, when they were 2, at the same festival.  Oddly enough Ryland wasn't tall enough for this ride either!? : (

We were able to get some good pictures of the two big kids though.  Here is a comparison of them from the last time.  I'm sure you could figure it out but the top three pictures of from this year and the bottom three are from 2010.

We went back to the farm the next night for a Touch a Truck event and an outdoor movie of Cars 2!  We got there nice and early to make sure we had good seats for the movie.  After eating a picnic supper the kids decided to get up and dance to the music playing over the speakers.  (Kylee wasn't as into the pictures of her dancing.)

Then we headed over to the Touch a Truck and all the kids had a blast pretending to drive all the different trucks that were set up.  Even Kenzie got to drive a tractor!

It turned out to be a great two days at the farm and hopefully they will do the same thing next year.  The kids had a lot of fun!