Pumpkin Festival

Today Mark and I took Naomi out to the Elgin Christmas Tree Farm to their Pumpkin Festival. It was an excuse to be outside with friends, see some animals, go on a hayride, ride a mini-train (pulled by a lawn mower!), and dance to bluegrass.

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

Naomi and I have been to a couple of pumpkin patches this weekend -- Friday I went along on a field trip with her school to a place in south Austin. The kids had a blast climbing on piles of pumpkins, singing with the Big Jack 'o' Lantern and running through the haybale maze. We tried a couple of times to get a class picture - but trying to get 14 two-year-olds still in one place was impossible!

Co-op Night

We have this informal babysitting co-op/rotation thing going here in the neighborhood - which is lovely, both the nights that we get to go out, and the nights that we have the kids. They really are a blast, especially because when I tell Naomi her friends are coming over she starts asking about Ellaiden, Cash, Eli, Soren, Layla. It was four of them tonight, Ellaiden, Soren and Eli, plus Naomi, and we had a ball. These are a few blurry pictures I got with my phone - some others are on the film camara that will wait til developed. We read, dug in the garden, ate, played, dug some more, looked at the worms, and had a fabulous dance party with instuments - everyone danced, including Soren!!

I'm not sure why Mark looks so surprised in this picture, but the kids had a great time looking at the earthworms in the worm bin. You can see Soren happy with the sandbox.

At one point we caught the three two-year-olds all on Naomi's bed, each with a book.

I'll get the other pictures soon and post them!

At the Playground

Words, Sentences, Paragraphs

"What's that one?"
Naomi's ever present question - she asks this about everything and everyone. Pointing at an employee in Target -- "what's that one mama? What's that one doing?" He's working, Naomi. "Oh. He's working."

"I wake up."
When I see her in the morning.

"Kiss it mama...that's better."
When she bonked her nose.

"Where's Daddy? Where's Duncan? Where's Ellaiden's daddy? Where's ___________"

"Do you want to sit by me, mama?"

8 Years

The annual beach trip

The beginning of August brought our annual summer beach trip with the Pearson clan. We took Naomi to the aquarium, played on the beach, took a boat ride and watched dolphins, read stories with cousins, and ate seafood. I'm already looking forward to next year.

Ft Davis

Sometime earlier this summer (I can't remember what month it was - the summer is running together), but early on, when it was already in the 100s in Austin, Mark and I went out to Ft Davis, to the Davis Mountains State Park. We stopped at Balmorrhea State Park and went swimming, and then stayed at the Indian Lodge in the state park. We hiked, drove around, and went to Marfa. The high point? The high was 91. Oh, and a week away all together that we were feeling pretty needy for.

Mud

Trains

Naomi and Mark have been building trains lately. Today we made a train she could actually drive around. Then she traded with her baby for a ride!