Pumpkin Patch Field Trips

Today the girls took a walking field trip to the pumpkin patch at the church right next door to the one they attend school.  I was able to walk with each of their classes since they went at two different times.  Each child got to pick a small pumpkin to take home with them and they were all happy to have their very own pumpkin.  The kindergartners got to spend a good amount of time at the patch.  The kids were able to run around, take lots of pictures, and check out all the pumpkins.

The girls from Mrs. O'Kelley's class

Handley's class

Harper's class was over there a much shorter time, but they still had time for a few pictures. Harper had fun picking her pumpkin and then quickly got teary thinking I was going to be leaving right away.  She finally calmed down and had fun for the last few minutes we were there.  After we got back to school she was a little sad, but I left after a quick hug and she seemed OK.  

Harper's class

A HUGE thank you to Lisa for watching Hudson last minute when my other plans for him fell through.  I know he had fun playing with Leah and I was grateful to know he was in good hands so I could attend the field trips.

Burt's Pumpkin Farm

Sunday we made our annual trip to Burt's Pumpkin Farm.  We went with our friends Jen, Justen and Parker again this year and had lots of fun.  I love the drive up and seeing all of the beautiful fall leaves.  After we got there we rode the hayride first, mostly because we didn't want the line to get too long, but also because as soon as Hudson saw the tractors pulling the hayride there would have been no deterring him from it.

Pumpkin house and talking pumpkins

Next up we let the kids sit on the big tractor and they were all excited to get to pretend to drive.

Next up we checked out all of the different varieties of pumpkins.  Burt's has a sea of pumpkins and all different varieties.  Because we already had 3 big orange pumpkins we picked out a green pumpkin, a light orange one and the girls each picked a smaller orange one.  After we got our wheelbarrow I made the mistake of putting Hudson in it.  After that he didn't want to get out, so we just did some pictures with the kids in the wheelbarrow.

Parker wanted to push the kids!

Last game and a party

Today was Handley's last cheerleading game and she is really sad that the season is over.  She asked me if she could do the basketball cheerleading they offer, but after talking with her about it she decided to go with her original plan and do dance instead starting next month.  I'm so happy she loves it though.
 

Running out of the tunnel and SO excited! 

I think we are all going to miss Saturday mornings at the ball field.  Harper and Hudson love getting to hang out with their friends while watching the big sisters cheer and Robby and I enjoy getting to chat with the other parents, too. 

Video of their half-time cheer today:
click here

To celebrate the last game we went to lunch with her friend Avery and their family at Stevie B's and then it was home to rest up and get ready for Will's 2nd birthday party.  My mom had these cute outfits made for the kids for UGA football season and I hoped to get a picture of all of them before we left for the party, but Hudson was not interested in a picture, so I just took some of the girls being sweet with each other instead.

Will's party was at Gymboree and the kids all had so much fun. I think Hudson had the most fun though. He walked all over the place, danced non-stop to all the music and tried hard to keep up with the activities and games they played.  It was so sweet to see him so excited and happy.

Harper has always been so sweet with Will, ever since he was a baby and today after the party I looked over and saw her arm around him as they were looking out the window.  

Handley and Hudson with the birthday boy.

This is one other video that I just happened to come across when I was downloading from my video recorder.  Watching it back made me laugh.
Hudson's car

Robby's new ride

Today we said goodbye to the "Gray Old Beast" (aka "Cream Puff").  It had been a great car for us, but it was time to part ways.

Here is Robby's new ride:

He's been talking about a truck for a while, but I was honest with him and just didn't see him driving one. However, he kept bringing it up and because we have so many requirements for a car (including towing capacity for our boat) it made since.  I told him that I loved my car and wanted him to love his, too. If that meant a truck, then a truck it was.  He picked it up this evening and the kids are loving it as much as he is.  They think playing in the back is so much fun and Handley kept saying, "this truck is just so cool."

This morning while Handley was at school Harper, Hudson and I went to a new store opening for RT. It's right down the road from the preschool, so I know we'll be frequenting it for frozen yogurt and other treats.  Today Harper got to spin the prize wheel, see her friend Morgan and eat frozen yogurt.  Hudson loved seeing Robby and sharing the yogurt with Harper.  It was a fun way to spend our morning.

Hudson - 15 months

Hudson turned 15 months this week.  All the other moms I talked to that has had "late walkers" all said their kids started walking at 15 months.  A week ago I kept telling Hudson he only had about a week left to make that deadline, and while he isn't off and running just yet, he is walking some and taking more and more steps each day.  I can also see his confidence is increasing on his feet.  We usually cheer and clap for him after he does it to keep encouraging him and now he's started to clap for himself after he reaches the destination he is headed for.  It's so funny, but I love that he is happy about his accomplishment, too.

I took him for his 15 month check-up yesterday.  I usually LOVE taking my kids to the doctor. I think it is fun to see how much they have grown and know that they are hitting all the milestones they should be.  I also am a proud mama when the doctors and nurses comment on how sweet and well behaved they are.  Well, Hudson showed out his true colors while we were there and it wasn't pretty.  He was being sweet and was happy as could be when we first arrived, but I made the mistake of taking his snack away when the doctor came in to examine him and that just pissed him off.  He started pitching a fit and there was NOTHING I could do to snap him out of it.  I gave him the snack back, but at that point he was so over the edge that even what started the whole fit wouldn't reel him in.  It was embarrassing.  I know that the doctors are used to kids not behaving well or not liking the examination, but for me, this was a first.  When the doctor had first walked in she immediately commented on his teeth and how she could tell he used a paci.  I talked to her about the fact we limit his use at home to in his crib, but that I feel like when we are in the car or out and about there are times I just have to give it to him to be able to get done what needs to be done with the girls.  She was totally understanding (having been through a similar situation with one of her kids), but gave me a few tips about not adding to his obsession.  During his outburst she made me laugh, though, when she said, "I see why he is a paci kid."

At 15 months Hudson:

• has become an incredibly picky eater, but can put away some gummy fruit snacks or cookies. 
• is extremely stubborn and when he knows what he wants, there is no deterring him. 
• knows about 15 words (see list below)
• loves to walk holding one of my hands, but is becoming braver to take steps independently.
• has a love of books.  He gets so excited to read books each day and definitely has his favorites.  Even when I'm not reading to him, he will sit and look at books for a long periods of time and he really studies them, pointing to the pictures, noticing details in the illustrations, etc.  
• sleeps about 11 hours at night and naps for close to 3 hours each day. 
• can play simple animal games on my phone or on the ipad and loves it.
• understands pretty much all of what I say to him and follows simple directions. 
• looks so big to me when he stands up because for so long I'm used to seeing him on all fours. 
• is super sweet and loves to cuddle and snuggle with us.

Hudson's word list: 

ball, dog, car, more, that, there, Harper, Dada, Mama, jump, cheese, uh-oh, duck, baby, bye-bye, hi

His stats from his appointment: 

head- 18 3/4 inches (60th percentile)

height- 31 inches (50th percentile)

weight- 24 lbs. 4 oz. (50th percentile)

Gigi came over to watch Hudson and Harper after his appointment so Hudson could get a good nap instead of tagging along to Handley's gymnastics class.  Can I just say that she is the BEST!  Not only did she come over for the afternoon, but she also offered to stay all evening and entertain the kids while Robby and I met with a realtor.  And she didn't come empty handed.  She brought over pumpkins and these adorable kits to decorate the pumpkins. A HUGE thank you to Gigi!

Hudson's walking and hobbing

We had a big day, but probably the most exciting thing that happened today was Hudson taking about 6-8 steps on his own, multiple times.  This week he has taken a a few here and there, but for him to really do it when I was encouraging him to walk to me (instead of sitting down and refusing) was a first.  As soon as he plopped down he stood right back up and said, "more!"  He's proud of himself and we are proud of him, too!  I hope over the next few days he will gain even more confidence on his feet.    This is, by far, the most anticipated milestone any of my three kids has reached.

Handley was supposed to go home with her friend after school, but her newborn baby sister got sick so Grace and her little brother ended up playing at our house for a few hours this afternoon instead.  Hudson napped the entire time they were here and the four of the big kids played and played and played.  It was a fun afternoon for the girls and they were so happy to have playmates here.

Tonight while Harper was in her dance class Handley, Hudson and I walked over to the Dunkin Donuts that is right next door.  Hudson got to taste his first donut and he was pretty impressed.  He ate the frosting off the top of his half and then wanted some more.

Something I've been meaning to capture is what the girls call "hobbing."  I think Harper coined the name and it just stuck for some reason.  When Hudson is being playful with the girls he does this thing where he chases them around and basically rams them and tries to knock them over.  He usually does it when they are sitting on the floor and they are more on his level, but he's been known to "hob" out of the blue when they are standing up, too.  Sometimes he acts like he is going to bite them, but never does...just opens his mouth wide and puts his mouth on their legs, etc.  It's so weird and I'm not sure what started this, but he thinks it's hilarious and so do they.

Upward Ceremony

This evening was Handley's cheerleading end of the season ceremony.  We weren't able to attend last year because we were out of town, so I didn't really know what to expect.  It turned out to be an amazing production though and I'm so happy we could make it this year.  It was held on the field where the games are played and they had it set up like a carnival.  There were inflatable bounce houses, a cake walk, tattoo stations, and all the carnival food you could imagine.  There were people walking around to "serve" the food and since it was all complimentary, we sampled a bit of everything including soft pretzels, kettle corn, caramel apples, and cotton candy.

The kids loved seeing all of their friends and being able to do all the fun activities with them.  Hudson had the time of his life in the bounce house and was so mad when we made him get out. However, we offered him his very own bag of kettle corn and that changed his mood right away.  When I was looking back at my pictures I laughed because every shot I had was of him shoving popcorn in his face.

After a hour and 1/2 of the carnival portion of the night the awards began.  There was a big stage set up and huge inflatable screen that showed a highlights video.

Harper and Peyton waiting for the awards to begin. 

The teams sat together in front of the stage and were surprised with glow stick necklaces, fun music to dance to and each team was called on the stage so the kids could get their trophies.  While on the stage they also shot off a huge confetti cannon and all the girls were holding their trophies in the air and jumping up and down.  It was the cutest thing ever and such a special night for Handley.

As soon as we got her back from her coach she was beaming and SO excited about her trophy.  She kept saying she was the "star of the night!" Harper, on the other hand, was so disappointed that she did not get a trophy, but I kept reminding her that next year she will be old enough to be a cheerleader, too!