DFW Weekend Part Two

On Sunday after our visit to the fair, we wanted to get the kids outside to burn off some energy before Robert's meeting.  Ma suggested that we visit a park in Arlington, and it had one of the biggest playsets we had ever seen.  The kids loved exploring and crawling all over it and both again took great naps which helped make the drive home more pleasant that evening.  I had to take a picture of Will sleeping next to his daddy's old bear that is about as big as he is.

State Fair of Texas 2012

On the first weekend of October we headed to DFW for the weekend.  Robert had a meeting on Sunday afternoon for the Honor Flight he was taking with Bob, so we decided it was the perfect time to make our annual trip to the fair.  A cold front came through, and we had to buy Claire a new coat the night before.  It was perfect fair weather.  Unfortunately when we got there I realized I had left the memory card for my DSLR at home, but I'm glad we both at least had our iPhone cameras to get some photos.

One of our first stops was the Little Helpers farm.  They both had so much fun with it this year - one of the highlights for the kids.


Planting seeds






Next we visited the petting zoo - it was a little too crowded to get any good pictures, but we all liked seeing the baby animals.

Claire and Will loved the auto show - they finally got to explore some vehicles without car seats!






Fletcher's corn dogs - a State Fair tradition!




A Dole Whip to top it off


Obligatory photo with Big Tex - we were so sad to hear of his demise a couple weeks later but are looking forward to seeing the new version next year.


We rarely ride any rides during our visits, but we told Claire she could choose one ride, and she picked the Texas Skyway.  It's a little expensive, so we opted to have the kids and me take a one way ride while Robert met us at the other end.  She made a good choice - it was so fun, and we all loved seeing the fair from the air.








Will loved testing out the hammocks


We all had a blast, and it was a quiet drive around Dallas and back to Arlington as both kids took unheard of two hour naps in the car.  See you next year, new Big Tex!

Visit to the pumpkin patch

My MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group organized an outing at Love Creek Orchards in Medina this past Monday, and the kids and I all agreed that it was well worth the hour and 20 minute drive out there.  We stayed for 3 hours and had so much fun!

The first activity they tried was a ride in the barrel cars.  I was a little unsure how Will would do, but as you can see from the photos, they both loved it.

Next we visited the ponies.  Claire usually back away from animals, but she was excited to get a chance to brush the pony.  Will just got all up in his face and kept telling me "Mommy!  I see the horse!  I touch the horse!  Neigh!"

The hay maze was a big hit - I lost count of how many times they ran through it.

Failed attempt to get a posed photo of the two of them - they were much more interested in checking out the corn husks and throwing hay.

There was an announcement that the music show was about to begin, and since it was time for a snack, we headed over and found a hay bale to sit on.  Will was really into the music - we probably would've stayed through the whole show if Claire hadn't been ready to move on.

At the petting zoo, Will fell in love with the baby goats.  They tended to move around to whoever had cups of food, so each time they moved to another part of the pen, Will would stand on the hay bales and yell "Baby goats!  Come back!  Come back over here baby goats!"  So cute.

We also visited the ducks, the geese, the turkeys, and the donkey (or maybe it was a burro - I'm not sure).

On the hayride around the orchard, I got someone to take a picture of the 3 of us.  I'm determined to start getting more pictures with the kids in front of the camera, even if I'm the only one looking at it!

After a lunch break, the kids painted pumpkins, got one last treat, and made a few more dashes through the hay maze.  They would've liked to have stayed longer, but it was already past naptime, and I knew meltdowns were imminent.  We loved our visit, and I hope Robert can go with us next time!

First sleepover

My parents recently got a bed for Claire and Will so that they could stay over sometimes, and Claire got to try it out for the first time a couple of weeks ago.  She was SO excited.  Robert and I are currently taking a parenting class at our church on Sunday evenings, so we dropped the kids off at Mom & Dad's, and they played and had their baths while we were in class.  We went back over to make sure Claire was doing okay, tell her good night, and pick up Will.  When we were driving away, Will starting saying "Claire? Claire? Claire!!!" in an increasingly insistent voice.  We realized that he thought we had accidentally left her, and it took a few minutes, but we were able to convince him that we intended for her to say at Nana & Granddaddy's.

Mom & Dad reported that it took her a little longer than usual to fall asleep, so Mom ended up sleeping on the trundle, which made Claire happy.  She slept great, and when I picked her up the next morning, she asked if she could stay there again that night.  So, it was definitely a success.  :)  We are planning for her to have another sleepover soon.







The next morning, Will enjoyed some alone time and felt like big stuff sitting in Claire's chair, something she doesn't usually let him get away with.

The Big Boy Bed

Robert and I had been discussing moving Will to a toddler bed for a few weeks, and in mid-September, we took the plunge.  I was a little nervous - he was only 22 months old, but he had come close to crawling out of his crib several times, giving us a few scares.  Dad and Robert bolted down the furniture, and we converted the crib to a toddler bed.  Turns out my fears were unfounded - he did great!  The first night, our kid who had been regularly waking up at 5:20 stayed in bed until 7.  We had a few difficult days with naps, and I felt like one of his distractions was a loose crib slat that he liked to kick.  We got him a true toddler bed a few days later, and he loved it.  He quickly got back on his normal nap schedule, and overall is still sleeping later than he had been - woo hoo!  This weekend was our first to travel since he was out of the crib, and he did so good on his air mattress.  The crib was donated to our church's garage sale, and we're putting the pack & play back into the storage closet.  Big steps for our not quite 2 year old!

First night with no crib front

First night in the toddler bed - ready to try it out!

Claire getting in on the action

At naptime last week - sleeping so peacefully

The Fall Routine

Wow - I am so behind!  Today I tried to get caught up by starting to organize photos, and I have over 100 that I want to share.  We have been busy with our new fall routine and enjoying the last days of summer.  The kids still go to school on Tues/Thurs, and while they are away I go to pilates at the Y (reformer on Tuesdays and mat on Thursdays), shower, clean a little, run errands, work on my Bible study, do laundry, appointments, finally get people out to fix the floor in the hall, etc.).  Claire has started speech therapy on Mondays and is really enjoying it.  On Wednesday mornings we go to Bible study, and we go to MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) meetings every other Friday.  This is my first year in MOPS, and I am loving it!  The kids have fun in their classes, too, so it's been a great thing for all of us.

A few recent pictures...Will stayed with my parents on Monday while Claire was at speech.  C and I picked him up, and the 3 of us went to my parents' neighborhood park for a picnic lunch and to enjoy some cooler weather.  There was definitely more playing than eating - we had to have Lunch #2 when we got home.

By the way - Will LOVES this t-rex shirt.  When he sees it, he'll exclaim "Dinosaur shirt!  That a 'T'! ROAR!" and will roar many times throughout the day with his hands up high like claws.  So funny!