In Search of Fall Fun

Al called with the idea to meet in Hickory for a "Fall weekend". I hadn't planned on traveling that weekend, but I couldn't say no to that fabulous idea. Mountain foliage? Pumpkin patch? Seasonal desserts? Hocus Pocus? YES, PLEASE!

As we headed up the mountain on peak weekend, we braced for the crowds. Turns out, we got freezing temperatures and howling winds instead. This view was breathtaking...the picture doesn't do it justice.

I included this photo as proof of the extreme temperatures on top of the mountain. Addie kept repeating, "cold!", "cold!" while Collins announced, "I almost got blown off the cliff!". Obviously, we moved along quickly. :) 

Luckily, it was a little warmer at Bass Lake which provided the perfect picnic spot...

and views...

and leaf piles.

We actually made it around the entire lake (which is tiny, but doesn't feel so tiny when you have two small people making you carry them the whole way) so we considered the morning a success.

I'm not sure why I even bothered to take my camera...Al was there working her magic! 

 

We stopped in Saw Mills on the way home to visit a pumpkin patch. It was no Page Farm, but it did have a very entertaining apple orchard...

and a corn maze where we could have easily lost the baby. She was much more interested in devouring her apple than trying to find her way out of the corn.

While we girls were in Hickory, Brian was in Texas being all fancy...

So apparently meeting George and Barbara wasn't even in the top three coolest things he did while he was out there. Talk about hard to impress! So glad he got to live out his football dream for a weekend while we girls got to relish in all things Fall and family. :)

 

Addie's First Field Trip

Just like Collins, Addie's first-ever field trip was to the pumpkin patch at Highland Methodist Church. It's special any time I get to re-live a memory with Collins by doing the same thing with Addie. The only difference on the field trip this time around was the "sweater incident".

So I wanted Addie to wear this cute, bright striped sweater to the pumpkin patch because I thought it would look good in pictures. Well, Addie had a different thought about the sweater that day. She was not going to wear it, and she let us know it by throwing herself on the foyer floor kicking and screaming while I tried to get her dressed for school. I was determined she was not going to win that battle, so I made her wear the sweater like it or not.

Well don't you know that I showed up at the pumpkin patch to meet her class and that baby was not wearing the sweater! She had gotten her teachers to take it off! I ask you...is this normal in a 22-month-old? Brian confirmed that Collins was not this headstrong about her clothing at this age. Oh Addie... this scares me for the teenage years!

So...despite not wearing the optimal outfit, refusing to pick out a pumpkin, and being a very uncooperative model, I have decided that "having a mind of her own" is part of what makes us love Addie so much. :)

Good thing they are so cute...because the class photo is always a bit of a mess. :)

 

A Wrightsville Weekend

We love visiting Wrightsville Beach in October...the weather is beautiful, the crowds are gone, and there is football to be watched in front of a roaring fire!

The girls were so excited to get out of the car, they had to do a happy dance on the balcony...

Addie transporting sand TO the beach...

 
Collins spent a lot of time constructing herself a special cliff seat...

I looked up and was so excited to see...Collins's first-ever rainbow! She is always looking for them, but had never seen one before that day at Wrightsville. She thought it was very cool.

We found the solution to Addie's bath phobia...bath tub paint!

I can't ever get a non-stop run in at Wrightsville because I'm always stopping to take a picture of something pretty...

Addie played happily on the beach for longer stretches this trip...

As usual, Collins didn't stop for a minute...

When they were back at the beach house, they went to work in their "office". 

On Sunday, we visited the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher. It's a bit of a hike from the beach, but we had a good time.

Our history buff convinced us to tour Fort Fisher, and it was actually really cool. Although Collins was confused by the bunker and the cannons. Wasn't sure how to explain that one!

Our last day at the beach was so gorgeous, we decided we couldn't possibly leave. So we stayed an extra day and played hooky from school on Monday. And then of course it rained. :) A great weekend nonetheless!

A Pumpkin Patch Right Up Ridge Road

Not sure if it was Collins or me that was more excited about visiting the Highland Methodist pumpkin patch this year. As soon as they put out all those pumpkins, we started scheming on when we should go (of course Collins wanted to go immediately). I held her off a few days so we could go on a free afternoon. I'm sure some day Addie will share in her Mom and her sister's pumpkin enthusiasm. :)

Right off the bat, we got an adorable shot. Not hard to do with my subjects and my background!

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Not sure how we got the place to ourselves on such a pretty Fall day...but luckily we had the run of the place.

Collins took one for the team and scooted home so we had somewhere to put the pumpkins. Not sure who weighed more- Collins or these guys!

School Updates

We have gone from Addie crying as soon as I drive into the preschool parking lot to her asking to go to school...multiple times a day! I'm really confused by these turn of events. The last two days she has been saying, "Addie...school". I ask her, "Does Addie wants to go to school?" and she says, "uh huh!". I think taking Collins to school every day has made her want to go to school, too. Whatever the reason- I will gladly take a tear-free drop-off!

Here are some "happy" shots her teacher Kellie got of her in class...

Addie is pretty darn proud of herself for creating her first pieces of artwork. She will be busy playing in the playroom and all of a sudden spot her artwork up on the mantel. She'll point and say, "Addie".  I'll play along and say, "Did Addie make those?" and of course she responds, "uh huh". I ask where she made them, and she smiles and says, "school". Very cute. :)

Meanwhile big sister is LOVING school. Like she asks to go on the weekends...no joke! I asked her if she wanted to go to Hickory for the weekend, and she said she'd rather stay and go to school. :)

I was eager to be the helping parent in her classroom last week and understand what makes her like school so much. What I found out is that she has friends she really likes, is really into her artwork, and really likes the swings playground. And I also realized that the three-hour school day goes by really fast. It must leave her wanting more!