Kindergarten field trip

Kyle took his first field trip as a kindergartener to Homestead Farms last Thursday. Jason went along as a chaperone. It was Kyle's first trip on a school bus and second time visiting this particular farm. His preschool class went last year. Kyle's friends Katelyn and Miracle were in his group. They got to go on a hayride, pick a pumpkin, see some farm animals, and have a picnic lunch. Kyle had a great time and was very happy that Daddy could come with him!

Pumpkin Festival

On Saturday we went to the Pumpkin Festival at Butler's Orchard. We go every year and always have a great time! We went on a hayride and picked some pumpkins. The big slides are always a huge hit so we spent awhile at those. We had a yummy picnic lunch. The boys also had a chance to play in a castle and on a train that are set up there. They did the moonbounce, ball toss, several mazes, played on a tractor, and fed some goats. It was a very full, very fun day!

Kings Dominion in October

The first Saturday in October we made our final trip of the season to Kings Dominion. We had a great time! The weather was absolutely beautiful! I don't think we've ever gone in October, but it was nice to be there when it wasn't unbelievably hot. It was sunny and low 70's. We left Friday after Kyle's early dismissal from school and spend the night at Ma and Pa's house and then they accompanied us to Kings Dominion on Saturday. It wasn't super crowded so the boys got to ride everything they wanted to with very little waiting. We pretty much stayed all day and left at 7 when the kids area closed and the Halloween Haunt (definitely for the adult crowd) began. As we were leaving they turned on all the smoke machines and people in quite scary costumes were walking around - Kyle got a little nervous about that so it was a good thing we were heading out at that time. It was a fun last trip for the season!

Tony's wedding

On Saturday, September 25, my cousin Tony got married. The wedding itself was in Maryland and the reception was a short drive into Pennsylvania. The ceremony was outside at a park under a pavilion with a beautiful view. It was short, but sweet and they released doves at the end. The boys then had a chance to play at the playground there before we headed over to the reception. Max thinks a wedding is playing at the playground so I'm sure he'll be thrilled to go to any future weddings, but not so thrilled to find out that most weddings don't happen a few feet away from a playground! :) The reception was also outside at Amanda's (Tony's new wife) parents' house. We enjoyed a yummy dinner in the front yard and then headed to the backyard for their first dance and cake. The backyard was beautifully decorated with lights and we ate cake poolside. Overall it was fun! Kyle was really well behaved and Max was Max, so it took 5 of us to keep track of him, but I think he had fun and was entertained. He loved Pap-Pap (my grandfather) and kept calling him the "scary guy." He still asks about him! I took a few pictures at the beginning, mostly at the playground, but was unable to keep up so I only have a few and borrowed a couple from pictures his family posted on facebook! :)

Raspberry picking

Last Saturday was a beautiful day, so we decided to head over to Butler's Orchard. Originally we were thinking we'd pick apples, but the apple orchard was closed. However, the raspberries were ready for picking so we decided to do that instead. It took us an hour to pick two pounds of raspberries, but it was fun! Jason and Kyle did most of the work, while Max ran all the way down to the end of a row, picked one raspberry, then ran all the way back to where Jason and Kyle were to add it to the bucket. I followed Max around to make sure he didn't wonder off into another row. Eventually he decided to run out into a nearby field and frolic with the butterflies! He also found a big hill of dirt which he decided to climb and then fall down so he was covered in dirt by the time we left. He's not super fond of raspberries, but he did try quite a few, I guess hoping that maybe "this" would be the one that tastes good. After each one he'd say "I don't like that one!" Kyle's been taking them in his lunch to school this week - he loves them! And Jason has prepared a batter for some yummy cookies using the raspberries that he's planning to make tonight! We also froze some that we'll use later to make smoothies.

Max's first day of preschool

Max started the "Terrific Two's" program at a local church last Monday. It's basically preschool for the older 2's/younger 3's. All the kids in his class will turn 3 between September and December. He LOVES going to school just like his big brother. He surprised me and did VERY well for drop off the first day. I think it helped that he saw Kyle go every day and saw how much he enjoyed it and that we always went to pick Kyle up. He gave me a hug, said goodbye, and walked over to a table of toys and started playing without even a backward glance. Both my babies are growing up! He's had four sessions (he goes two mornings a week) and is so proud every day when I pick him up. He tells me "I did a great job at school today Mommy!" He actually tells me more about his day than Kyle does . . . it's just a little more disconnected so I don't always know what he's trying to tell me. The one day he was telling me on the way home "I fell down at school today Mommy." He seemed very happy about this and after asking lots of questions I discovered that they had played "Ring Around the Rosie." I think this is a great experience for him since he's such a social little guy. It also gives me the chance to volunteer in Kyle's classroom which I'm very excited about.

Oh and I haven't taken a picture of Max with his bucket yet but I will soon and will add it to this post. Instead of bags or bookbags, the kids carry a bucket to transport papers to and from school. It's the size of Max and makes me laugh when I watch him carry it, but he loves to carry it himself!

Kyle's first day of Kindergarten

I can't believe Kyle is a kindergartener now! Where does the time go? He had his first day on Monday so his first week was a full week. He seems to be enjoying it, but is exhausted at the end of each day. He likes his teacher and his classmates. He brought his lunch most days but tried buying on pizza day and loved that! He likes going to his specials (art, music, library, P.E.) and always tells me about recess where he gets to play with one of his neighborhood friends. He's mastered the drop-off/pick-up procedure and can easily find his classroom on his own. I was nervous about this part, but he did really well. I was definitely more nervous than he was on his first day. He was very excited and is excited to go back tomorrow for week 2 - hopefully it will go just as well.