Cuties in Costume

Last Saturday we went to a harvest festival at our church.  Kira and Logan had a lot of fun jumping on the moon bounce and Kira got to play some fun games and participate in a costume parade.

[caption id="attachment_2593" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Robot and Cinderella"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2594" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Kira and her Friends"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2595" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Cuddly and Cute"][/caption]

By the time Halloween rolled around, both kids were sick with colds.  It did not make for the greatest Halloween, but we made the most of it and did a little trick or treating.    Kira was so excited to wear her pink princess dress that Baba (Grandma Clark) made for her. Logan was given his first taste of candy.  For Kira's first Halloween we let her nibble on a full size 3 Musketeers bar.  I decided to give Logan a fun size 3 Musketeers bar so we wouldn't waste a whole candy bar.  That might have been a mistake...he proceeded to stick the whole thing in his mouth.  Luckily we were right there so we grabbed it out right away.  He never tasted the inside (no teeth yet) but he liked the chocolate!

[caption id="attachment_2596" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Princess Kira"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2597" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Wagon Ride"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2598" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Sick, cold, & ready for bed - not a good time for a picture!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2599" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Yum!"][/caption]

Disney on Ice

On Wednesday evening my mom and I took Kira to Disney on Ice at the Patriot Center for an early birthday present.  Kira is really into princesses right now and this show featured Tiana (Princess and the Frog), Cinderella, and Rapunzel.  It was also Kira's first exposure to ice skating.  My mom gave her a Cinderella dress that she wore at the show.  Kira was so excited when we got there and kept pointing at other little girls that were dressed up.  I eventually had to tell her to stop pointing because it wasn't polite.

The show was great and Disney did not disappoint, as usual.  Kira watched the whole show intently and had fun grooving to the music.  It was so much fun to turn and watch Kira's reaction to the show and now I am even more excited to take the kids to Disney World, hopefully sometime in the next couple of years!

[caption id="attachment_2587" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Picture by the Overpriced Souvenirs"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2588" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Ready for the show to start!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2589" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Kira and Mommy"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2590" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Final Number with ALL of the Disney Princesses"][/caption]

 

Cox Farms

Jeff is on a flex schedule with his new job so he gets every other Friday off.  Our goal is to try and do something fun with the kids on these days since the weekends are always so busy.  Last Friday we went to Cox Farms with the kids.  The weather was beautiful and there was a lot to do - almost too much.  Kira enjoyed the slides but wasn't the biggest fan of the "haunted" corn maze.  Logan had fun on the hayride and liked looking at the farm animals.  We were allowed to pick out three pumpkins to bring home with us and they are now decorating our front step.

[slideshow]

Newest Addition

A very special baby was born on September 24th, my new niece!  Emma Riley Peterson decided to arrive while we were on vacation so we had to wait until the 25th to meet her.  I don't think I've ever been so excited for a vacation to come to a close.  She weighed seven pounds, seven ounces and was 20 inches long.  From some of the first pictures I thought she looked just like my own kids but now I'm starting to see some small differences.  I love this sweet little girl and look forward to watching her grow up.  Congratulations, Liane and Jeremy!

[caption id="attachment_2557" align="aligncenter" width="199" caption="Meeting Emma"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2558" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Meeting Her Cousins"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2559" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="First of Many Kisses"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2560" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Chewing on Papa's Finger"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2561" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="What's that in there?"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2562" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="(Logan) Cooperating for a Swaddling Demo"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2563" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="I LOVE to see her in Kira's old outfits!"][/caption]

Outer Banks

Last week we went on vacation to the Outer Banks with both of our families.  We decided to rent an oceanfront house this year (it's a lot more affordable in the off season) and it was probably the best part of our vacation!  It was so nice to watch and listen to the waves from all parts of the house and it made taking little kids to the beach so much easier.

Kira and Logan had a great time hanging out with all of their grandparents and Uncle Phillip.  The weather was pretty nice aside from the occasional thunderstorm and rain at the very beginning and end of the week.  Kira spent a lot of time playing in the sand, Jeff did a lot of boogie boarding, Logan developed a new love for cheerios and was constantly on the move, and I became addicted to jigsaw puzzles.  We also enjoyed taking walks at night on the beach and looking for sand crabs.

It was also a week full of celebrations.  We celebrated Grandpa Clark's birthday, Uncle Phillip's birthday, Logan turning 9 months old, my birthday, and the birth of my niece!

[caption id="attachment_2526" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Family Pic"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2531" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Ewww!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2532" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="What's this?"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2533" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Yum!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2534" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Two Well-Behaved Kids!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2535" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Fun in the House"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2536" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Loving the basket rides!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2537" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="9 Months Old"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2538" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="I see you!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2539" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Happy Girl"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2540" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Love this little girl!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2541" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Enjoying the Beach"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2542" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Never Ending Kisses"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2546" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Kira's 1st Lighthouse - She climbed up 75% of the stairs by herself!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2543" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Enjoying the View from the Top"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2544" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="A (Brief) Moment of Relaxation"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2548" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Looking for Seashells"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2549" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The waves were too rough, so she had to "surf" on the sand!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2550" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Playing in the Sand for Hours"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2551" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Swimming in the Ocean"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2552" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Bathtime in a big tub - fun for the kids, not for Jeff!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2553" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Last Night on the Beach"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2554" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="It was dark and drizzling, but it was our last chance to fly a kite!"][/caption]

Wheeeeee!

Kira owns a few books about roller coasters and always talked about wanting to ride on one when she gets older.  She sometimes holds her hands up in the air when we go down a big hill in the car.  I checked online and saw that King's Dominion has a little roller coaster that is perfect for toddlers.  We thought it would be fun to take her before summer ended, especially since she could get in for free (ages 2 and under).  It worked out great because she is tall for her age and was able to ride more than the standard kiddie rides that aren't very thrilling (she still loved every ride though).

[caption id="attachment_2515" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Top of the Ferris Wheel"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2516" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Meeting Pirate Lucy"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2517" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Riding the Scrambler with Daddy"][/caption]

We left Logan with Grandma and Papa for the day and got to the park just before it opened.  We didn't bring the stroller into the park because we thought it would be a pain but that was a BIG mistake.  It was hot, the park was huge, and as the day went on Kira wanted to be held all of the time.  Around 4 p.m. Jeff went back to the car to get her stroller and our bag of swim stuff so we could cool off in the water park.  The water really refreshed Kira and gave her a second wind.

[caption id="attachment_2518" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Animal Crackers = Good Behavior Motivator"][/caption]

Kira's favorite rides were the Taxi Jam Coaster, Flying Eagles, and Shenandoah Lumber Company.  They were probably the most thrilling rides she rode during the day.  She rode both the Taxi Jam Coaster and Flying Eagles rides twice and giggled throughout each ride.  She was brave enough to even put her hands in the air on the roller coaster and drop at the end of the log flume ride.  I think we'll definitely take her back next summer when she'll be able to ride even more rides.



[caption id="attachment_2508" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Taxi Jam Coaster"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2509" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Flying Eagles"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2511" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="So excited to go on the log boat ride!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2510" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Little Daredevil"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2512" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Soaked"][/caption]

Jeff and I got to ride some rides as well.  The park advertises this program where you pick up a pass when you arrive for the day that allows parents with small children to ride the big attractions with only one parent having to wait in line.  So one of us would wait in line (which usually wasn't too long) while the other person stayed with Kira at the exit ramp.  After the first person rode the ride, we would swap places with the other person.  I didn't notice anyone else doing this, probably because it was only mentioned on the website among a bunch of other information.  Jeff and I rode on the Intimidator 305 which features a 85 degree angle, 300 foot drop and it was AWESOME!  We heard some girls talking about blacking out on it - Jeff laughed at them - but we experienced the same thing after the initial drop.  My neck hurt for about 24 hours but it was worth it.

[caption id="attachment_2514" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="That's Jeff at the top - can you see his hands sticking up in the second row?"][/caption]

Some other fun highlights of the day for Kira were eating corn dog nuggets for the first time, cooling off with vanilla ice cream (the best I think I've ever had), and getting a "princess wand" that lights up as we left the park.  She played with that wand the whole way home and the nonstop the past two days.  It was the best $5 we have spent in a long time!

[caption id="attachment_2513" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Princess Wand - Perfect end to a perfect day!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2522" align="aligncenter" width="237" caption="She-Ra"][/caption]