Tanner's Orchard

Each fall we take the boys out to Tanner's Orchard. I don't think I've managed to get the photos on the blog the last few years, but this time I am!! There are many fun things to do and yummy food to eat. My camera battery died 1/2 way through:(, but here are a few pics that I did get of some of the boys' favorites:

The goats are always one of the first stops. They act like they are starving, but in reality, they get fed all day long:). The boys were very brave this year - not timid at all.

"This tickles!!"

Notice Kyle picking up food off of the ground in this pic. It's pretty ingenious of Tanners to get people to pay to feed their animals. The boys beg every Grammy, Papa, Aunt or Great Aunt they can find for quarters to feed into the food machine:), but they've also learned to capitalize on the food that other kids drop on the ground. They've even learned to distinguish between the food pellets and other pellet shaped objects that are found on the ground:).

Love this - not sure what he is cheering about, but he sure is happy!!

The angle of this goat's head cracks me up - can't imagine how he didn't get stuck in the fence!!

Like the pink bow?? Makes Kyle look so innocent:).

This guy also cracked me up - It's not the greatest picture, but still makes me laugh.

I love the billy goat bridge, but I'm always sure to look up before I cross under it - never know what could fall from the sky!!

This was the first year that we let the boys go into the playground that you have to pay extra for. Years before we could just steer them in other directions and they never knew what they were missing:). This year, not so much!! They were VERY aware that there were cool things beyond the gate, and I was actually impressed by what they had. The "country-fied" miniature golf was not that impressive, but Brock really enjoyed it anyway:).

This is classic Brock - he's just like his Daddy - sticks his tongue out when he's really concentrating:).

See you again in the fall, Tanners!!

My little dishwasher

I heard water running in the kitchen, and felt the need to investigate:). I found this:

Love how he used the tractor to get up there, but a little nervous that he chose something with wheels:).

The boys both love to "help" me with dishes. I can only hope they still feel this way when they are old enough to reach the sink on their own:). I'm not getting my hopes up!!

Halloween 2011

I know it's far past Halloween, but I don't think I posted any pics of my little spooks this past year:). Here are my very cute caterpillar and scary lion, all ready to go ring door bells on their 3rd - yes I said 3rd - night of trick-or-treating!! Brock and Kyle would say it pays to have family in 2 different towns from the one that you live in:).

Empty box??

Looks can be deceiving!! Even though the boys are getting older, they are still obsessed with boxes - especially ones of large size:).

You never know when there will be a surprise inside when you open them up!!

Can't believe these tall boys can still fit inside together, but watch out guys - soon there will be a 3rd wanting to get in there with you:)!!

First Weiner Roast

Brock and Kyle got to experience their first wiener roast this fall, thanks to a good friend who invited us out to his family's farm for some fall fun. The first item on the agenda was to see all of the animals, many of which were babies. Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos of this, but the kiddos were all enthralled with the cows, cats, chickens, etc. that they got to see up close and personal.

Other things on the list of fun things to do on the farm was running up and down a big dirt pile.....

...........resting at the bottom:)...........

........... eating grass and weeds (just kidding, Amanda:)............

.........chasing chickens - not kidding:)...............

.............playing with some little trucks that were probably almost as old as me, but still just as fun as if they were brand new:)..................

.........and finally roasting hot dogs, eating yummy wiener roast food, and topping the meal off with s'mores - yum!! The evening ended with a good old fashioned hay rack ride, complete with fireworks (not sure why, but someone nearby was shooting off fireworks and we got to watch them while we rode - so cool!!). Thanks, Kev, for you and your family's hospitality. We all had a great time!!

Scenes from a "quiet time"

On most days that we spend at home, the boys take a "quiet time" - one in their bedroom and one in our bedroom. They don't often nap anymore, but it's an hour for them to chill out, leave each other alone and give me a little much-needed sanity break:). They have special "quiet time toys" - toys that they only play with during this hour, so it keeps them pretty entertained, along with a variety of books, puzzles, etc. Kyle is the only one who ever falls asleep, and when he does, it's usually in the middle of playing with Kid Kinects- one of their absolute favorites!! Here's how I found him one day:

Love how he must have been hard at work and then just had to take a break:).

And, it looks like Brock was worn out this day, too!!

Just kidding - he was playing possum!! Funny guy!!

Leaves - so much work, but oh so fun!!

Leaf removal was a little slower this year, mainly because I wasn't at top speed:). But the boys were a HUGE help - I would rake and leave some of the piles for Daddy to move out to the curb, but I was amazed at how much the boys loaded into the wheel barrow for us to move that way. They had some fun, too!!