thanksgiving 2012

Thanksgiving weekend was a success.  Thanksgiving Day we went to Grandma and Pop Pop's house.  Dinner was delicious, and the company was top notch.  K enjoyed his first Thanksgiving dinner, last year he had a bottle.  R was not as impressed.  The next day U Jordan, U Nathan, Kim, Grammy and Grandpa came down for a visit.  It was great to see everyone and Kim even brought a festive craft for the occasion.

The Polar Express

Saturday night R donned her new pajamas and we headed to the North Pole to see.....Santa, of course.  R, Grammy, Momma and Dad took a train ride on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.  They did a reenactment of the book, Polar Express.  R got a gold ticket and as the train pulled out of the station, the friendly elves read the book for us.  After the book, we were served hot chocolate and cookies.  This was R's first cup of hot chocolate and she enjoyed it.  We then pulled into The North Pole.  There were lots of lights and many elves there to welcome us.  We also saw Santa and Mrs. Claus.  We then started the ride back to Akron.  On the trip back we sang songs and did the reindeer hooky poky.  We also got a special surprise -- Santa boarded the train when we were stopped in the North Pole.  He visited each car and each kid.  He asked R what was on her Christmas list and  R gave him a big hug.  He gave her the "first gift of Christmas" - a bell from his sleigh.  She was so excited about the bell that she has not let it out of her sight for a moment.  It was super cool!  The conductor even punched her ticket to make the trip official.

Halloween 2012

Halloween was cold and wet, but that did not deter R from a sugar filled night.  After a fun Halloween party at school (and by fun, I mean - R running in circles in the parking lot from so much sugar). R came home to refuel and go out for trick or treat.  R's friend S came over with her mom, along with R's grandparents.  We had a fun dinner and headed out despite the rain.  R, S and K all went up the street to our neighbor's house, but K quickly got tired and headed home with Pop-Pop.  R and K continued on in the rain.  R loved to knock on all of the doors and ask for candy.  She did not want to stop until her bucket was full.  She also ran up to someone and said "I'm a beautiful strawberry!!"  It was a very successful evening, despite the bad weather.  Great time, thanks Grandma and Pop-Pop for handing out candy so we could go out with R!!

cooking party

R's friend at school invited all of the girls in the class to a cooking party at the local Young Chef's Academy.  It was a fun activity on a cold, wet Saturday morning.  It is hard to believe that earlier this week, we were wearing short sleeves.  R made an apple dumpling and pigs in a blanket.  While the food was cooking, the class read books and colored pictures.  The letter of the day was "Hh" for Halloween!

BOO! at the Zoo

The weather was chilly but sunny on Sunday morning -- great weather for a trip to the zoo.  R and K were so excited to try out their costumes.  Many people commented on the adorable strawberry.... a girl after my own heart.  R collected a lot of candy and quickly mastered the maze made of hay bails.  There was also a gymnastics booth where R tried out her tumbling and balancing skills.  R did not enjoy the haunted mansion this year.  Since it was a little cooler, many of the animals were out which was very cool.  K spent a lot of time in his stroller, but he didn't mind - he is great at people watching.  After a fun morning we went to BW-3 for lunch then came home to take naps.  A great fall day.

Apple Picking 2012

It is apple picking time!  It was a beautiful October saturday and we took advantage by picking apples with our friends.  It was chilly but very sunny.  R ate an apple straight from the tree.  K was intrigued by the leaves and low hanging fruit.  It was fun to walk through the orchard and select the very best apples.  I guess we need to look up some apple recipes.  In the evening, we went to the annual neighborhood chili tasting party.  It was very fun - 10 chili entries and lots of good side dishes.  Overall, it was a wonderful Saturday!

COSI fun

K went to an infant workshop at COSI with his friend, Isla, over the weekend.  They played with boxes and colorful scarves.  They also had fun with blocks and noise makers.  While we were learning, daddy and daughter were hanging out in the kids play area.  We found them in the water station after our workshop.  It was a very good afternoon!