Pumpkin Patch

We visited a local pumpkin patch a few weekends ago, and it was serious business.  Audrey took her wagon and scoured the fields for the perfect pumpkin.  The only problem was that there were not any decent pumpkins left to be picked!  Audrey did fall in love with a few smaller, lopsided pumpkins, so we took those home.  We were able to find some nice carving pumpkins for sale by the house.  Audrey has enjoyed checking on her pumpkins each day outside, and we are hoping to quickly get them carved before Friday.  Kate enjoyed the experience, too, and is eagerly waiting to be able to run the fields next year!

Audrey first spied one small green one she loved.

Audrey was momentarily tired and needed a little ride.

Then she got worried Dad would be a crazy driver, so she definitely needed to help out!

Happy 10 Months, Kate P!

It's hard to believe that it's only two more months until Kate is one year old.  We love our little sweet pea so much.  Lately during nightly prayers, Audrey have been thanking God for her little sister.  Their sisterly bond is strong already and has been so much fun to watch develop.

Kate continues to be busy, busy, busy.  She is all over the place and has to be watched pretty closely.  She is a very brave little girl and doesn't hesitate to zoom away from the group.  No steps have been taken yet, but she does continue to stand briefly unsupported.

She is such a champ at eating table food now.  She eats everything placed in front of her and never seems to be full.  She generally just stops when we stop putting food in front of her!  She has been exposed to a wide variety of fruits, veggies, and main dishes.  The only time I've seen her hesitate with food was this week when I mixed some aronia berries in with her cereal.  It had a more bitter taste to it, and she was not that excited about breakfast that morning!

We continue to hear many "Dada" noises throughout Kate's days, with a few "Mamas" sprinkled in.  A couple of times it seemed she was saying "nana" for banana, but then she would make the same noise for something else!  With her talkative sister, she is constantly surrounded by words, so I'm sure she is soaking it all in.

Kate popped her fifth tooth through in the last week.  We have been able to see the bottom of it for almost a month, so it was definitely hard work to get that one out.  That may be the cause for so much chewing!

Our only trouble with Kate has been her ears.  We had two ear infections in the past month, so we are watching her closely now.  Her last one has cleared up, but if the infections keep recurring, tubes may be in Kate's future.  We just keep hoping the last one will be her last one!

We love you, Kate!  Keep smiling, and stay healthy!!

Here's Audrey!!

Go Panthers!

Saturday we made a trip up to UNI to watch the Panthers play football.  We had taken Audrey two years ago, but she didn't get much out of it then!  This year she was much more interested in the band, the players, and, of course, the two panther mascots!  She loved looking for them and was disappointed when they disappeared for awhile.  She also loved the soft serve ice cream and was impressive with how much she ate.  Audrey became a little distracted the second half and passed her time by coloring with some of the other younger children in our group.

Kate loved taking all things in at the Dome, too.  She loved the lights, the music, and also watching people.  After a couple hours of being held, she became so wiggly we highly considered putting her out on the field to see if anyone would notice a 23rd player crawling out there! :)

Go Panthers!  We already have talked Audrey into making this the college of her choice.  We'll just keep working on Kate.  When we asked her where she would go, she just replied, "Dada!"

Look at Audrey's ice cream tower!

"Can I get down and crawl?"

Kate at Doughy Joey's eating pizza.  Below is a picture of Audrey two years ago at the same restaurant.

Future Firefighter

During Fire Prevention Week a couple weeks ago, Audrey and Kate made a trip to the fire station in town.  The kindergarten classes were there at the same time, so I was able to see my beautiful ladies!  After listening to the firefighters speak about fire safety, each kindergarten student was given the chance to shoot the fire hose at a wooden fire to put the fire out.  After the kindergarten students each had their chance, one of the firefighters asked Audrey and her daycare friends if they'd like a turn.  Audrey was the only one to accept, and she loved it!  She still will say, "I shot the fire, but the boys didn't!"

Blackberries

Kate continues to dive into each food experience with enthusiasm and curiosity!  Tonight she ate a spaghetti squash and spinach side dish without even batting an eye.  Audrey is still a pretty good eater, but her toddler ways do creep in now and then.  Kate, on the other hand, eats everything in sight and comes out wearing it at the end of the meal!  Our favorite is when she runs her sticky hands through her hair when she is done eating.  Here is her first experience eating fresh blackberries.

Does anyone want a hug?

Family Pictures

We dodged rain showers a couple of weekends ago and had family pictures taken at an old bridge.  It was an interesting experience to try and get both girls to cooperate in the same picture.  Jeremy and I both commented on how we weren't able to even worry about how we were looking or posed because we were each wrangling a girl.  We were excited with how they turned out, though!  We have two beautiful little girls.