Apple Picking at Baughers

The weather in the month of October could be described as wacky at best.  It was sunny and close to 90 degrees and wet and very hard to find a good weather day to go pick apples and find the Great Pumpkins.

We headed out to Baughers after a slightly rough and non-motivated morning. The boys had slept in and we arrived after stopping for lunch at Chick Fil A.

On the walk in, the boys were talking about their experience last year. It amazes me how much that they remember.

After arriving, we decided to get on the tractor for the apple picking because of the timing. 

All aboard the tractor and ready to go pick some apples. Connor was telling me to hurry up and get on the tractor!

 

After listening to the instructions and grabbing a bag, the boys were off.

 

There weren't a lot of apples to pick from as it was the last weekend for apple picking.

But, it didn't take the boys long to fill up the bags full of apples.

Heavy bag to be picked through.

Family shot.

Flashback to 2012.

Wacky Wednesday : Backwards Shirt

Without a reminder e-mail from the boys' teacher or suggested idea, we picked out some shirts that would be perfect for Wacky Wednesday to wear backwards.  Unfortunately, Connor was not happy that he didn't get the Moose shirt and was not able to participate.

So, we have one participating child in Wacky Wednesday.

Connor wanted to pose for the picture despite not participating and confirmed that he couldn't wear the shirt backwards because he couldn't see the bear that way...

 

He always has an answer for everything that he wants to do or reasons why he can't do things.  Fairly certain that he could argue a case in court better than most practicing attorneys.

Riding the Eagle and Rhino and Children's Zoo Fun

The boys have been asking to go to the zoo and I agreed despite the recent run away effort from Jackson. He agreed to listen and hold hands and did a really good job.

Although, this is how I found him after going back in to the house to get myself a snack.

Both boys wanted to go back to the children's zoo section.  This tree slide is popular for my little people. EVERY and I mean EVERY time that Connor takes a turn on this slide, he ends up on his butt.  The slide moves so fast that it is nearly impossible to get a decent picture but you can see the smile through the blurriness.

On his own, Jackson climbed into the turtle and asked for a picture. Connor's attempt was a little haphazard as he couldn't figure out how to get his head out and look like a turtle. 

After checking out the incredibly active cheetahs and some of the other animals, we headed to the carousel.  Connor didn't think that he was going to be able to ride as it took some time for me to pay and locate him and this is the face that greeted me -- otherwise known as Salty Connor.
 

And Jackson is showing everyone how you ride a rhino. 

Working on big boy things like taking socks off

The boys started to take their shoes off over the summer.  It was just velcro but it is a start.  They have figured out how to take off short socks with their tennis shoes but apparently tube socks are still a problem for almost 4 year olds.

Success for Connor!!

I went in the kitchen to get lunch started and returned to find Jackson taking this approach!!  Apparently, Jackson thought that using his teeth would help!!!

He eventually figured out and this is the smile of success.  It may be blurry but that smile is too much not to share.

Wacky Wednesday : Crazy Hair Day

The boys' teacher contacted us on Monday with the following message:  Dear Parents: We have decided that on this Wacky Wednesday, we will have a "crazy hair day".  Anything goes so just have fun with it.  See you then!  Carol Klein

This is obviously a lot easier for girls but we called in reinforcements and secured some barrettes. I had figured that we could get barrettes in his hair since he has a ton of loose curls.  Jackson's hair responds very well to hair gel so Michael took care of him.

Connor couldn't handle that he was the only one with a barrette so I added one to Jackson's hair too.

They made it until the end of school when their assistant teacher helped them secure their barrettes in their school bags.  It is so much fun to do Wacky Wednesday and convince the boys to think outside of the box.

 

 

 

Winner Winner - We Have Costumes!

Trying to figuring out what the boys were going to be has been a long time in the making.  Connor wanted to be Izzy and we had to explain to him that she is a girl and if it wasn't Izzy, he wanted to be Tick Tock.  Unfortunately, none of the available crocodile costumes passed his test.

We were fairly certain that Connor was going to be Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates and Jackson was going to be Peter Pan. I secured the last of each costume in what I thought was their size at the Disney Store so we headed over to the mall after the boys woke up from their naps.

We are so happy that we took them since they changed their minds again.

It has been decided that Connor will be Captain Codfish, which if you know him, is totally appropriate.  Daddy said yes to the hook and sword set along with the hat.

And, Jackson, decided on Peter Pan.  We always call him Sprite so Peter matches that intensity and zest for fun.

Connor did not like the way that his boots fit and wanted to swap for Peter's but we will see how that works out on Halloween.

Exploring the Children's Zoo

After loosing Jackson at the Zoo for about 15 minutes the last time we went, we were very hesitant to go back despite both boys' requests.  They both know where they are going when walking and can easily get around to whatever they want to see that is except for the Children's Zoo.  So, we opted to take them there.

They asked to stop at the lions and get a picture. It's as if they almost get that I want them too :)

We took multiple trips over the lilly pads.

And, we spent some time counting the ducks.

A happy and smiling Connor in the bat caves.

Checking out the feel of feathers.

The tree slide has been found and moves incredibly fast.

After checking out some of the other animals, it was off to the carousel, which requires a lot of big decisions.   Connor selected the ostrich despite being notified that he did not go up and down and Jackson picked the eagle.

 

Wacky Wednesday : Backwards and Inside Out Shirts

We received an e-mail from the boys' teacher, Mrs. Klein or Kleim as Jackson calls her.

Her message relayed -- "Well tomorrow is Wacky Wednesday and the children decided that they wanted to wear their shirts, dresses or sweatshirts "inside out".  Mrs. Beach and I thought it was a great idea."

When I asked Connor about whether or not he had agreed to this, he said "nope."   There was concern about whether or not he would willingly participate.

But, he was not a problem at all. Jackson preferred wearing his shirt backwards so we went with it.

Looking forward to more Wacky Wednesdays and encouraging Connor to break out of his shell.

Family Fun Night at Chick Fil A

The boys and I had been discussing that we really needed to get our decorating on for Halloween and apparently, we needed Ghosts and Witches.  So, we headed over towards JoAnn Fabrics to see what the store had to offer and stopped at Chick Fil A for dinner. 

Both boys are constantly questioning us on whether or not the Cow is going to be at Chick Fil A, especially not our normal ones and since this one wasn't, I answered that he most likely wouldn't be.

Well, we were not aware of this beforehand but it was Family Fun Night and the cow was there. Connor was so frazzled at the idea that he had to wait for his dinner before he could go say hi to the cow.  He kept an eye on him and was asking employees about his whereabouts when it was time for a break.

The timing was perfect as the boys played in the play area for a bit and the cow appeared. Jackson, obviously, was excited and was doing just a little bit of knuckle biting....

Connor is often shy when it comes to the actual meeting part. He talks a BIG game about how excited he is but didn't want to let go of Michael's hand when they got close.

Jackson continued his Disney infatuation of touching tails.   Hopefully, the cow didn't notice.

Thank you cow for making my boys' night.