Fall is here?

We stay super busy.  Seems like we just started the semester and it is almost Halloween.  Although the weather here still feels like summer.  I remember pumpkins in Huntington would last and then freeze.  Here they rot so fast.

We recently went to the air museum near us on the Smithsonian free museum day.  I was with Sam most of the time, so there are more pictures of her.  But Nick, Zoey, Nana and Papa came too.

A replica of a plane belonging to a famous woman pilot, but I cannot remember her name.  I know it was not Earhardt.

One of 8 Spruce goose engines.

One you could sit in.

A jeep.

One the path between the museum and the hanger.

Zoey on the path.

 I recently decided to do some of the activities I had found on pinterest.  Here is constarch and food coloring and water in a balloon to paint the sidewalk.  They were tough balloons, but Sam had a great time.  Zoey could not throw them hard enough.

Here is food coloring in vinegar dropped onto baking soda.  That was a blast for both girls.  

Sam was playing recently while I put Zoey down for a nap and I found this.  Notice how she spread out the cards and each one has an object on it.  Never know what she will come up with.

Sam is a great reader now.  She can even sound out things.  So impressive.  If you ask Zoey, she tends to pick "sista" to read her bedtime story.  They have such a great bond.

Sam can also do some simple math, like adding 2 numbers with 2 digits each.  Just no carrying yet. But so impressive for a 4 year old.  She and my mom work together a lot.

Nick has been going to the main campus in Tampa a lot of Fridays.  The girls and I dropped off for a meeting one day and had a picnic and played at the science museum, MOSI.  I had my hands full and could not take many pictures, but here is one outside in the butterfly garden.

We have been trying to get outside in the cooler times.  We left Sam drive Zoey in the gator.

                                 

Some sidewalk chalk time.  A hand print turkey

A castle and pumpkin.

 Zoey loves playing tag in the grass.

We also decided to redo some of our landscaping.  We got a bunch of rocks and Nick, with only a little help from me, put them around.  We have rocks with gaps filled by lantana.  It is so much nicer than what was there, but it was a lot of work.

Zoey is on the go a lot.  She has taken to throwing some dolls in the cart and pushing it in the play heels.  Sometimes she even grabs a play cell phone.  Cracks me up.

Sam got to go to a Halloween birthday party.  They had a balloon pumpkin to pop and get prizes instead of a pinata.

And the kids got dessert first, but they had to eat it with no hands.

Parenting fail moment.  Nick was in Boston and Zoey was being so cute at Sam's school playing with her shadow.  I wanted to get a picture to send him, but she tumbled off the bench and I only caught this shot.  I did not catch her.  She was upset but no major injuries thank goodness.

The after shot.  You can see the red spots on the side of her face and shoulder.

 And that brings us to today.  Zoey and I went to a playdate this morning, my mom picked up Sam and then we all went for a picnic at a local lake.  I brought all our old bread that we had saved so we could feed the birds.  Sam had a great time.

Zoey was a little more hesitant.

She wanted bread, and would say throw, but often just handed it my mom or me.  

Next up was the pumpkin patch at the church across the street to pick some pumpkins and get some pictures.  Sam was great, but Zoey did not want to sit still.

Zoey loves to smell things, so the first thing she did was say "smell, smell" and sniff the pumpkins.

The pumpkin Sam picked.

Zoey trying to lift a huge pumpkin.

 The best shot of Zoey.

We hope everyone has a great halloween.  We have a bunch of events so many pictures to come I am sure.

A month of cakes

Wow, it has almost been a month.  We have been busy, so lots of pictures.

Sam and I went with some friends to Disney on ice.  It was impressive, but a bit long for me.  She was so excited.  Showing off tickets.

                              

They did some impressive skating, but this was the coolest, Ariel spinning in the air.

We love college football, so we get in the spirit.  GT has not performed, but ND is doing well.

Next, we celebrated Nick's birthday.  Each of the girls picked a balloon for him.  Zoey wanted the one with the dog.  She loves bopping it.

Early in our marriage I made Nick a cubs pillow.  I then took it back to use when nursing and since it has been spit up on and washed so many times, it is sad.  I made him another for his birthday.  

I made Nick some Jack Daniels cupcakes, but Sam and I made a family friendly peanut butter fudge with a chocolate topping.  Even Zoey got some because I introduced her to peanut butter the week before.  Yum!

Nick and I both love Dr. Pepper, so my parents found this shirt which Zoey said "shirt, shirt" and wore around.

Reminds me of another Kelling girl :)

Zoey has also been wearing our shoes.  

Sam is really into drawing and Zoey likes to copy her big sister.  I pulled out some of the packing paper left from our move and let them have a big canvas.

It was hard to keep Zoey from Sam's but Sam was a good sport and did not freak out when Zoey drew on hers.

Tackle daddy is a popular game in our house.  Now Nick has to defend against 2 girls.  Zoey gets the cutest faces when she is rushing in.  Such a riot!

I hosted a playdate for Talk Like a Pirate Day.

Check out the cake I made!

Sam got in the spirit and drew a pirate!

We also attended an elephant day playdate.  I hosted it last year.  Here is Zoey and one of her best friends swinging.

That afternoon she followed me into the bathroom and refused to leave when I did.  I went on thinking she would follow and when I realized she had not and went back, I found her in my drawer with a lotion container opened and spread all over her leg!  This girl is trouble!

She has also been refusing to sit in her highchair, so we moved her to a booster and use the highchair for time out after she hits.  But she does think climbing in and out is great fun.

We are Zoo members and in September they honor memberships at the Aquarium and Science museum.  They call it Swaptember.  So we went out to the aquarium with my mom.  Zoey had a blast pointing to the fish/turtles/etc and saying "Nana, 'urtle"; "Mama, fish", etc.

Sam wanted a turn with the camera.  She snapped a pic of an alligator...

And a shark.

 It was also my birthday.  I was really spoiled.  For the first time, Nick (and my mom) took the girls to paint pottery for me.  He has several mugs, but this is my first.  I also got other gifts and a whole afternoon out with friends.  They kidnapped me, took me for a pedicure, dinner, and cake.  I did not get home until pretty late.  And Zoey even did pretty well.

Zoey with some silly bath hair.  She has wisps on the side and it is thicker, but nothing like the curls Sam had.  She still gets confused for a boy sometimes, but I am sure she will grow hair.

 We went to a park playdate and she did not even hesitate, just scaled right up the climbing wall.

We had a month packed with birthdays and playdates on top of school and work.  We even have more plans for this weekend.