Happy Birthday Kate!

Kate is SIX!

 

She had a great birthday! She went to school, which is still something she wants to do on her birthday :) Evie and I joined her class for snack time, where Kate handed out some fun little things to her class and they all sang to her. It was fun to spend time in there. Her class is so sweet and calm and fun.

 

She chose Applebee's for dinner because my children are still obsessed with Applebee's for some reason. She ordered a corn dog and a salad, and I just think that's really funny. We came home after dinner to enjoy cupcakes she picked out from the Cupcake Station. And she got lots of presents, calls and texts. It was a great day for her!

 

She put the candles in her cupcake. She stopped at four for some reason :)

Snuggling up with Annie in one of her birthday presents - a super soft Frozen blanket. She has been using this thing constantly. It is really cozy!

 

At six years old, Kate is pretty awesome. She is kind and thoughtful and very sweet. She's the first to comfort someone who is sad, and she's a good friend. Annie is still her favorite person, but she has really blossomed in kindergarten. She made a bunch of new friends and her teachers say she participates easily in class. She's having a little party this weekend and she invited five girls from her class. I was so worried she would be painfully quiet, but I'm happy to say I was wrong. Kate is less shy. She is silly and a lot of fun. She is obsessed with the monkey bars on the school playground, and she has the callouses to prove how much she has practiced to swing like a pro! She is doing a fabulous job reading. She loves to color and do crafts. A few days a week, she brings home cards she has made at school to say she loves you. (Mostly these cards are for me. It's true. I deserve it. She also makes them frequently for Annie and Evie.) She loves Frozen and My Little Ponies and American Girl stuff. She is going to play basketball this winter, and she is really, really excited to have a little brother. She is also finally learning to spell Katherine. :)

 

Kate is smart and sensitive and sweet, and we are so lucky to have her!

Happy Birthday Katiebug!



Halloween 2014

We had a busy day of school parties (I helped at Annie's, hence no pictures of her at school), friends, food and Trick or Treat. In the snow. Nothing says Halloween in Michigan like freezing cold temperatures and wind! :)

 

Evie at her preschool party. She made a bat hat.

Evie and her buddy Betty Lou having snacks.

Evie and Harper (who was also dressed as Anna, she's wearing a smock) painting pumpkins.

Kate in her parade. As you can tell, the weather was less than stellar so the parade was rather quick. Our little Elsa was freezing!

Evie ready to Trick or Treat!

Annie. Violet Incredible.

I love this costume.

Kate.

Her Elsa pose. And she really did bring the snow!

Kate's eyes are closed but this is them doing their character poses.

Checking out some of the candy haul.

Annie was undeterred by the snow. She and I went back out after dropping the other kids for another 20 minutes or so. She was cheerful the entire time, running from house to house.

 

Happy Halloween!



Pumpkin Carving

We finally go around to carving our pumpkins the night before Halloween. Every year, this is such a pain. The girls hate touching the goop inside the pumpkins. This year, Annie finally was brave enough to scoop out her own pumpkin. Yay! One down! The girls drew what they wanted on their pumpkins and then Matt and I made their artistic visions come to life.

 

Annie getting ready to draw.

I don't remember what Evie was crying about. She's always crying about something and then getting over it and then crying again ad nauseum. I do know she was not happy I took this photo.

Katie Bug

Annie was a champ this year!

How Kate felt about it.

Maybe?

Does this look fake? It is. She cried at the thought of having to touch that stuff. She's nuts.

 

I just realized I never took a photo of the finished products! The girls were outside playing on the swingset in the dark while Matt and I finished carving, so maybe that's why?



Pumpkin Patch 2014

We tried out a new spot this year, the Blast Corn Maze. We've seen signs for it every year and have never visited. I am sorry we haven't gone until now. The girls loved it! There was tons to do, and they had so much fun. Despite not even venturing into the signature attraction - the corn maze. The corn maze covers something like 10 acres and has three outlets- easy, medium and hard. The girls and I wanted to try it out, but Matt was not interested AT ALL. I don't know why he didn't want to walk through a giant maze with three young kids and a pregnant lady....Anyway, we've told him that it is happening next year.

 

They had a bunch of these little things. The girls thought they were so funny.

I think we need two more kids to fill this one out. Right, Matt? :)

In front of the start of the maze

They had this giant corn box that was definitely the hit of the day. They played in here two separate times and loved every second of it.

Kate got buried first.

Evie just played around.

Annie took a turn getting buried.

And then had to shake corn out of every crevice of her clothing. I did not go into the corn box but even I somehow managed to get corn in my boots!

Kate.

Burying Annie.

A floating Annie head.

Action shot of the water pump rubber ducky races. It was super cute.

Kate was trying to slyly empty her duck of the water it had taken on to make it faster. She killed Annie as it was, but she was still looking for the advantage. Classic.

They also had a few corn cannons. We didn't hit the bullseye, but we tried a few times.

On the hayride.

Evie had had enough at this point.

 

Kate's turn at the corn cannon.

Annie in the pumpkin patch.

Confession: We went to this place five days before Halloween. The pumpkins were seriously picked over. Annie thought about taking this one home. In the end, we bought nice big ones to carve from Meijer. Oops.

Evie thinks this picture is hilarious because "pumpkins don't wear bows. Seriously."

They also don't wear overalls or have creepy hands, but hey whatever.

Evie and I got popcorn and played on the giant hay tractor while the big girls took one last go in the corn box.



Apple Picking

We went apple picking for the first time ever last week. Friends asked if we would want to go, so we tagged along. It was really fun! The girls loved climbing the trees and finding the best ("shiniest") apples. My little rule followers refused to sample any of the apples while in the orchard, despite my encouragement! We picked Ida Red apples and have already made some delicious apple treats!

 

Annie was on the hunt for the perfect apple. She did eventually find it and then spent the rest of the time polishing it on her shirt.

It was Ali's idea to hit the orchard and she was as awesome as usual helping the kids (she's our friend's nanny). I think she put every one of the seven kids on her shoulders to get up to get the really good apples.

Our little buddy John double fisting the apples. He did not share my girls' concern over sampling the apples right at the source :)

They had a few ladders placed around, which was very exciting.

Kate did not bother with ladders - she went directly up the trees. Even when our bag was overflowing with apples, I had to drag her out of the trees!

Annie posing with her perfect apple.

Evie and Charlotte hauling the not yet full bags of apples.

Tree climbing Kate

Kate and Evie

Silly Evie. She was doing what she called an apple dance.

 

The girls

 

The end of a fun trip!

(Seriously, Annie was really proud of that apple).