Fall Concert

Milan's school had a fall concert full of patriotic songs so we all got to go watch Milan perform with her class.  Milan was excited to wear her new Christmas dress and she looked so beautiful.  Since Milan was all decked out, Eden and Cora wanted to dress up too.  I guess if you're going to change out of your swimsuit and dress-up, there better be a dang good reason.  I wanted to get a group shot of my girls all prettied up, but you can see how that turned out haha.

Fontenelle Forest

We really miss the mountains.  A lot.  Dave found Fontenelle Forest here in Bellevue then we debated about spending $50 for an annual pass to visit the forest.  That seemed so wierd to us after living in the West, but we were desperate, so we broke down and bought a pass.  

It has been so great! Eden, Cora, and I have been going to their preschool program and it has been so fun.  They have an indoor play area, tons of crafts, and a neat theme every week.  So far we have learned about Raccoons and Turkeys.  We also enjoyed a family hike on a beautiful day.  Dave had envisioned enjoying the peace and quiet of the forest while getting some exercise.  That obviously did not happen at all, the girls were loud and moved super slow so they could pick up treasures along the way.  It was so fun to watch their creative games, enjoy the outdoors, and snap some pictures along the way.    

Playing Inside

We have had some chilly days and sicknesses so we have had a lot of opportunities to stay home and play.  Cora loves to play with Eden in the morning then we get time together in the afternoon while Eden is at preschool.  Their little personalities really show in some of these pictures. 

Cora's latest obsession has been Anna, Elsa, and Rapunzel-Mermaid Barbies.  She also loves to play mommies and babies like Barbie Elsa is the mommy and Polly Pocket Elsa is the baby.  She squeals, "Mommy Elsa, Mommy Elsa" then they get to hug.  She does this with everything including wash cloths and matching towels, small and big mixing bowls, and Christmas Ornaments.  My very favorite is when she plays Baby Ducky and I am Mommy Ducky so she gives me a big hug!  Lucky daddy gets to play with this little lady too!

Fall

Hello blog.  I'm back.

Fall sure has gone by in a blur!  One of the biggest highlights was Halloween!  I am the room mom for Milan's class so I spent a lot of time organizing her Halloween Party.  We had a gazillion yummy treats, Witch's Brew with dry ice (which was a big hit!), Candy Corn Bingo and a fun little skeleton craft.  Everything turned out great and I felt relieved when it was over.   Halloween night I purposely left my camera in the car so I could just enjoy the night with my family.  We trick or treated with the Powells and ended the night chit chatting and sipping hot chocolate.  Lots of sugar and lots of fun.

Another fall highlight was visiting Ditmar's Orchard in Council Bluffs.  We were hoping to pick some apples, but an early frost wiped out their crop so we will definitely be trying that next year!  Instead, we explored the corn maze, picked out our pumpkins (Milan went with a normal one, Eden found a peachish/pinkish one and Cora found a "baby" white pumpkin) and spent some time at the playground where the corn area was a huge hit!

Halloween Pre Party

Bring on the Halloween Festivities!  We can't wait!  

Eden and Cora picked out these cute Mermaid costumes a month ago and have been wearing them ever since!  They even wear them out and about and feel super special.  They were beyond excited when it was time to "officially" start wearing their costumes.  We went to Eden's preschool fall festival Thursday night and Milan's school carnival Friday night.  Both events were really fun!

 I originally bought Milan a mermaid costume too, but she informed me that she wanted to pick out her own costume (sniff, sniff).  She decided she wanted to be a Vampire Princess and we found the perfect dress at Goodwill for less than a buck, score!!  I am so excited for more festivities and most of all for Trick or Treating!!

Vala's Pumpkin Patch

We heard Vala's was the Disneyland of pumpkin patches and it did not disappoint.  Dave had fall break last week so we pulled Milan out of school and enjoyed a really fun family day!!  We spent 8 hours (yes, 8 full hours!!) doing glow-in-the dark mini-golf, picnicking, watching animal shows, jumping on humungo air pillows, driving go-karts, playing in the corn sand box, racing duckies down the water chutes, enjoying tractor rides, exploring pumpkin patches, playing at parks and random animal attractions, petting animals, eating cotton candy, and going down the Super Slide over and over.  We really had a great day and the girls are already looking forward to next year!