playing catch-up

It has been so long since I posted on our blog. Being busy is one reason. A broken camera is another :( So here are a few pictures I captured before Andrew threw our camera and broke it.

We went to a local church for a 'Trunk or Treat' before Halloween.  Sylvia was an alligator and Andrew was Thing 1 (from Cat in the Hat).

This was actual Halloween night.  Andrew is jumping up and down with excitement...even the rain couldn't dampen the joy of collecting candy!

On another note, Sylvia loves shoes!  In fact 'shoes' was one of her first words.  I pulled out a new pair of shoes and she just had to try them on, even in her pj's and diaper :)

Hard to believe that this girl is 18 months old now.  Her recent doctor's appointment revealed that she is 98% for weight and off the chart for height...a continual trend.  She continues to be happy, independent, and can say about 30 words.  Love her!

Late October

Poor Sylvia was so sick last week. No walking. No talking. Just wanting to rest for a good 4 days.

I then she perked up and wanted to play with her hair accessories.  Yes, play with them, but not wear them the way they are intended.  Headbands are to be worn like a necklace, right?

Time to bust out the winter coat

a typical fall day

Today there was actually a hint of fall in the air. The sun was out but the air was crisp. It was a perfect morning for a walk. Sylvia had a great time picking up leaves & checking out the neighbor's toys.

Later in the day, Andrew helped his Dada use the lawn sweeper, though he had more fun sweeping the sidewalk :)

Calvin College nature walk

We continue to be blessed with sunny, mild days and so each day I feel like we need to go outside and soak it up while we can. So I took the kids to the nature walk at my alma mater, Calvin College. We took a 'princess' bag with us to gather fun items along the way such as leaves, twigs, stones, and nuts. We also saw a deer, a dead mouse, and a large beehive. Fun times. When we got home, we had fun sorting through all our things. And my inquisitive Andrew had to see what was inside all those acorns/nuts we collected. I wish I had taken pictures of his face as we dissected and smashed open the acorns.

A fun large rock to sit on before our walk begins

And they are off!

This leaf is going in the bag!

We hear a noise so the kids had to yell 'hello?' for a few minutes before it was safe to move on

Sylvia taking a break by playing with leaves, sticks, and wood chips

Ready, set, go!

She is on the move, people :)

my happy girl

Robinette's and more

On Saturday we headed over to Robinette's for some more fall fun. Unfortunately our fun was cut short by a giant tantrum. We got a few good pics before that epic event.

Posing

Chillin' with the pumpkins

Andrew:  Mom!  That apple is as big as you!

A game of fetch between Sylvia and Andrew:  Andrew kicks the ball and Sylvia brings it back :)

later that evening...

Unseasonably warm weather means we can play outside late afternoon/evening with minimal clothes. Andrew asked if I would put together a pile of leaves that he could jump in to. There are still not too many leaves on the ground (though that will not be the case soon) so I did the best I could. Sylvia jumped right into the fun.

 Sylvia in the leaves...it must be a Midwest instinct

Don't forget to include the car

After showers...like father like son

goodnight kisses :)

Koetsiers

Andrew, Sylvia and I went to Koetsiers today, a fun place for fall activities. The kids had a blast!

Andrew ... our future construction worker, of corn kernels that is!

Playing 'house'

Sylvia adjusting to the inflatables

maze

Sylvia on a tractor, country girl at heart (much to Ryan's delight)

Inside an inflatable pumpkin with flying balloons.  Could there be anything more fun than that?

More tractor fun

Painting and 'glittering' a pumpkin.  Such intensity!