Fall Festival!

Drew and Anna Kate attended the Foothills Fall Festival for the third year on Sunday. Much like Mamaw & Papaw's Fish Fry, it is crazy how much has changed over the last three years.  When we arrived, we went straight to find Grandaddy who had his tractor and corn shellers on display.  They were so excited to see him and Drew was really excited to see "his tractor".  After spending some time with Grandaddy, we made our way down to the kid's play area.  There are tons of things to do but most of activities are for kids that are a little older than Anna Kate and Drew.  There is a tiny tots land with plastic slides, play houses, kitchens, etc... We went there first and they played there for quite some time.  There were tons of other kids in there.  There was also a small merry-go-round that they rode several times. While were there, Megan found us.  It took some convincing but we finally got them to leave and see what else we could find.  Next we went to the gymnastics area.  They have not done gymnastics and did not know what they were supposed to be doing. They finally made their way through with help from Aunt Ashley and Megan.  After gymnastics, we found some bouncy horses for them to "ride" on.  Even though they were a little small for them, they really thought they were fun. Uncle Aaron found us there and he played for a little while too.  We had quite a walk to get back to the car and it was already an hour and a half into nap time so we decided to make our way back to Grandaddy to tell him bye.  DotDot got us some ice cream so we had a little snack while we visited with Grandaddy and then headed home. They were so very tired. Drew fell asleep on the way home so we let him sleep in the car for about 45 minutes. Anna Kate put up a good fight to stay awake but finally gave out when she sat down in my lap to watch Barney.  They both got about an hour cat nap and woke up in a good mood.  We had dinner with DotDot, Grandaddy, and Aunt Ashley then went home and went to bed.  It was such a busy weekend but so much fun!

 Driving "his" tractor

 Miss Priss did not want to have her picture taken

 Making corn meal with Grandaddy

 Getting a closer look

 Having so much fun

 Riding the merry-go-round. For some reason, she wanted to hold his hand.

 Mr. Serious with his crooked sunglasses

 Fun fun!

 She loved the horse after she figured out what to do with it

Blurry but hilarious picture. He was having fun!

Sitting on Grandaddy's tractor

 Giving some kid the stink eye. He loved seeing his tractor there. He did not love all of the other kids that wanted to sit on his tractor.

 Trying to make their way through the gymnastics obstacle course.

We love Aunt Ash!

Sweet girl was so tired.

Cuddling with my sleepy babies. They never do this. They must have been really tired!

Playing a little golf with Grandaddy before we went home.

What a difference a year makes.....

 October 2010

 October 2011

October 2012

The only thing that doesn't seem to change.... how uncooperative they all (including Grandaddy!) are when it comes to taking pictures! :)

Maple Lane Farms

This weekend was full of all kinds of Fall fun!  I decided to break up my posts from the weekend since I had so many pictures.
John Clay's band played at Maple Lane Farms on Saturday.  I haven't been there since I was in high school but it is such a neat place.  There is a corn maze, pumpkin patch, kiddie rides, and lots of fun things to do. I decided this was the perfect place to take Drew and Anna Kate. I knew they would enjoy all the activities and they would get to hear the band.  They spent the night with DotDot and Grandaddy on Friday night so John Clay and I could go to the concert at the Fall Festival. I went and picked them up and brought them home for lunch and naps.  As soon as they got up from their nap we packed up a picnic dinner and headed to Maple Lane. We got there just as the band was starting.  Tami was there and she helped me keep up with Drew and Anna Kate.  We immediately went to check out the fun rides they had set up.  We tried the train out first and although they seemed a bit unsure at first, they really liked it. Next we went to the rocket ships. They weren't tall enough to ride them by themselves so Tami and I had to got to ride with them. They enjoyed those as well.  We were going to try the Farris wheel next, but they nixed that idea pretty quickly. Anna Kate wouldn't even get in and Drew was okay inside the car until they got ready to close the cage and then he changed his mind. There were also some tea cup type things but I was afraid that would be a little too much spinning for them.  We rode the train two more times and the rocket ships once more before they finally broke the bank.  We did a little exploring and finished the evening watching the band.  They must have been worn out because Anna Kate started asking to go home and go "night night" at 8:30 and both were quite agreeable to get packed up and go to the car. I knew we had a big day planned for Sunday so we got quick baths and went straight to bed when we got home.

Just because we rarely make it on the blog.... John Clay and I at the concert Friday night.

 Going with Tami to check out all the fun!

 Their first train ride.

 Anna Kate insisted on carrying her purse with her the entire night. When I got home from work on Friday she had raided Mamaw Katherine's wallet and has some old cards and a dollar (aka... monies).  She put them in her purse and took it with her to DotDot and Grandaddy's Friday night.  As we were leaving for Maple Lane she grabbed her purse and insisted on bringing it in with her when we got there.  When she got there she has several cards and one dollar.  When we left she had two dollars. I'm not sure how she did it but I like her style!

 Riding the rockets.  She rode with me so this was the best picture of her I could get.

 Tami took one for the team and rode the rockets with Drew twice!

 Sitting on the tea cups. These were the ones I deemed "too spinny". That may have been more for my benefit than theirs.

 Loving the train.

 She really enjoyed it also. She kept wanting to "go buy tickets".

 Watching Papaw Tim sing.

 The weather was perfect on Saturday. I'm glad we had a good excuse to get out and enjoy it!

 She spotted her Daddy and took off. Purse still in tow, of course. (She has always carried her purse like this and it cracks me up!)

 We may have a future star on our hands... or microphone hog.

 They were being quite uncooperative during family picture time.

Playing with Uncle KT.

Helping Papaw Tim with the sound.



Sweet hugs!

Last night Drew got in trouble for pushing his sister down.  After he got out of time out, his Daddy told him to give Anna Kate a hug.  They were both agreeable and it was too cute!  They actually did it several times on command while I was trying to get my camera out.  Right after I took this picture they got off balance and fell with Drew landing on Anna Kate's head so the sweetness was cut short by tears. But it was darn cute while it lasted!

We had a good week.  Their school was out for fall break so they got to spend their Wednesday with Uncle Papaw & Nanny Norma.  From all reports, they had a great time!

This is our big weekend packed full of fun!  Tonight John Clay and I are going to be kidless (we hope they will be good for DotDot and Grandaddy!) and are going to the concerts at the Fall Festival! Tomorrow we have plans to go to the Maple Lane Farms and enjoy all of their fun things and see the band play.  On Sunday we are going to take Drew and Anna Kate back to the Fall Festival to visit Grandaddy, who will have his corn shellers and tractors on display, and hopefully do some of the fun things there.  I'm sure I'll have lots to post about on Monday!!

Fall?

So it seems we skipped fall and went straight to winter!  It has been cold the past few days! Drew and Anna Kate got to enjoy some good outside time at the end of last week but the weekend brought cold and rainy weather so we kept it indoors. John Clay didn't have to play or work much this weekend so we got to spend lots of time with him too.  Now that mowing season is starting to wind down, we are enjoying having him home more often!

 

 Eating her pudding like a big girl.  They call pudding cupcakes. They also call pancakes cupcakes. Close enough! :)

 Drew getting a "big ole' bite" (as he likes to say)!

 On Saturday we went to get some new tennis shoes. Aunt Ashley and DotDot went with us and Mimi Jo was at the mall too so she joined us. They were very well behaved in the shoe store. They both really like their new shoes and Anna Kate even tries to sleep in hers. Since we won't let her, she wakes up asking for them. He tennis shoes are sparkly and fit her personality quite well! After the mall we went to McAllisters for lunch and Mimi Jo joined us there too. They were really excited she came and Drew had to show her each item he was eating ("Mimi Jo, ham. Chips, Mimi Jo. Pickles..." Haha!). After the mall we went back to DotDot's for naps and then Daddy came over and we had dinner there. Always a fun time with DotDot, Grandaddy, and Aunt Ashley!

 Drew learning to give "thumbs up". Notice his tongue stuck out for concentration? He gets that from his Aunt Ashley and Grandaddy.

Anna Kate "driving".  DotDot took her out to the car to get her new shoes so she could show Daddy. They were out there for a while so I went to check on them.  Anna Kate had gotten loose from DotDot in the car and would run from each door she went to. Little stinker!

The Fishless Fish Fry

Yesterday, Mamaw Katherine and Papaw Hubert hosted their Fourth Annual Fish Fry. This year it was Fishless because Papaw wasn't able to fish much this year.  I hate to think that between watching Drew and Anna Kate and helping John Clay out with mowing, we were probably the biggest contributors to the lack of time for fishing.  We sure do love Papaw Hubert. He is always so willing to help!*
This was Anna Kate and Drew's third time to attend the party and they had a blast. It is crazy how much they have changed over the last three years. Their first year, they were only a couple of months old and spent most of the night inside. Last year, they went for a while and had a good time but ended up inside before the party was over. Yesterday, they were full on party animals. They ate, danced (the band played), played with the other kids, visited with everyone, and tried their best to get in the middle of the corn hole games. All of their favorite people were in one place and they were so very excited! They had a wonderful time but sure were tired. I woke them up this morning at 9:00! AND... they slept all night with no coughing!  They seem to be much better but still have a nasty cough. Hopefully, we'll be able to kick that soon.
It is safe to say fall has arrived. The weather has been perfect! It is hard to believe that October is already here. I have said it before but I will say it again, we have lots of fun to look forward to this month and then the holidays will be here before we know it! Fun times!

 Snuggling with Daddy Sunday morning. He got to spend lots of time with us this weekend.  We always love it when he's home! (She looks so big in this picture!)

 Trying to get Drew to dance with her. We had just gotten there and Drew took some time to warm up.

 He found this tractor and claimed it as his. He even had to bring it home with him at the end of the night!

 This girl was everywhere.  This morning John Clay saw someone that was there yesterday and she was asking him if he saw "the cute little girl in the purple shirt that was dancing". He said "yes, I see her everyday!" :)

 Anna Kate spotted her Daddy behind the drums and he said she could come stand by him while he played. She thought it was great and even got a hit or two in on the drum!

 Drew had to get in on the action too!

 He managed to sneak a stick out of the stick bag. But he hit the cymbal and it scared him so that was short lived. (Notice he was still hanging on to the tractor)

 I think she was trying to steal the mum.

 Playing in the back of the truck with cousin Raylan.

Before we left to go home. They found perfect sized seats on the cases of water. (Can you find the tractor? It's like "Where's Waldo".)

 

*Funny story... At the end of the evening, Tami's car battery was dead and wouldn't start.  Mamaw came in and was talking about it while I was giving them a bath. They were concerned that Tami's car was "broke" so we assured them that Papaw would fix it because he's handy. When we left, Tami's car was parked right at the back door. They immediately started saying, "car broke but Papaw handy". Haha! At the ripe age of two, they have even caught on that Papaw is as handy as a pocket!