Gymboree, Soccer and a Birthday Party

A few weeks ago, I signed Hannah up for a Gymboree Play class very close to where we live.  Her class is every Wednesday, and it has other little kiddos that are 10-18months old.  The instructor does very age-appropriate activities with the kids, along with singing, dancing and music.  We have a lot of fun and Hannah and I have a great time together!  On the other days of the week, they also have "open gym" where you can just come in and play on all the equipment. 

So, Hannah and I went to Open Gym on Friday and they had the big fire truck there, along with Freddie, the little fire truck.  I brought Parker over, after he got out of school, so he could enjoy the fun too!  We all had a fun time! 

Hannah the little firefighter - hah! 

I'm a big girl!

Tipping my hat to all the firefighters - hah! 

Parker and Hannah enjoyed Freddie the little firetruck (he would talk, blink his eyes and his lights would flash). 

Hannah and Parker sliding down the slide 

These were the kids that were at open gym with Freddie (Parker is standing on the right, holding Firefighter Babette's hand and Hannah is on the left with her back to the camera!) 

Saturday marked Parker's 5th soccer game - he is lined up with his teammates ready to kick off! 

Hannah was a great little sister cheering on her big brother! 

Parker and his friend Jeremiah (they were classmates last year) 

Cheering on our teammates from the sidelines! 

Parker stopped to clap for his team - on the field - while the game was still going on - hah! 

Saturday afternoon we went to Mckenzie's birthday party (I work with her mom, Kathy) and we had a great time!  It took us about 1.5hrs to get there, due to traffic, but it was a great fall afternoon and we all had fun (and we were all worn out when we got home)! 

Hannah loved the little bouncy! 

Parker getting ready to slide down the big slide! 

Hannah loved playing in the kitchen . . . hmmm, Christmas present maybe?? 

Mckenzie's birthday cake and theme was Strawberry Shortcake - it was really cute! 

Hillcrest Orchards and Birthday

Last week I took the kids to Hillcrest Orchards, along with some of my friends and their kids.  It was a beautiful day and we had a great time!  Parker did "skip" preschool to go, but I talked with his teacher and she was ok with him missing - hah!

Parker got to milk a cow . . . we practiced on the "pretend" cow first and Parker did a great job.  He grabbed the utter and squeezed, just like he was supposed to! 

Then, we headed over to the real cow, her name was Buttercup.  Parker was so excited! 

However, when we got to the side of Buttercup, the utters were a little too far away for Parker's little arms to reach.  I didn't want to risk startling Buttercup, so we settled for Parker just getting to pet Buttercup. 

After we left Buttercup, we took a wagon ride through the orchards to the petting farm.  There were goats, sheep, chickens, roosters and a pig!  It was great and Parker and Hannah both enjoyed all the animals!

Parker was ready to feed the goats and sheep! 

Parker and Hannah loved the big goat!  I think he was a little agressive, because he was the only one behind the fence - all the other goats were roaming around where we could pet them and feed them! 

I love being able to take the kids to experience new and fun things, and this trip to the orchards was all worth it to see Hannah interact with this pig.  She was absolutely thrilled with this pig and she had the most innocent and precious smile on her face.  She would giggle every time the pig would lick her finger.  I definitely think Hannah and the pig bonded, because the pig stayed close and Hannah didn't want to leave!

The other best part of the trip - Parker being extremely gentle with this tiny baby chick.  I told him to be really gentle touching the chick and he just used one finger to touch it - so sweet! 

Thursday, the 18th, was my birthday!  I just love birthdays - I think they are truly special to celebrate whether it's mine, Brad's or the kids.  I believe each year is a gift from God and I want my family to know that I am thankful to be spending another birthday with them! 

Brad and I enjoyed a rare night out without the kids.  My mom came down to keep the kids so we could enjoy dinner out together!  We went to the California Pizza Kitchen and it was yummy, then we got some frozen  yogurt.  We had a nice time out, so thank you Mom for coming down and helping out! 

The Latest

I realized I got a little behind with what we've been up to, so here's a quick recap of what we've done the first half of October . . .

Parker had his 4th soccer game and he is getting better about staying on the field with his teammates - hah!  It's super fun to watch and we all have a great time each Saturday morning. 

Happy boy during water break! 

Hannah was a great supporter! 

The kiddos are ready to cheer on the Huskers! 

Parker modeling his Halloween PJs he got as a gift for his birthday! 

Hannah ate mashed potatoes last week for the first time and liked them!  One of my friends said the potatoes on her mouth looked like vampire teeth - hah! 

Hannah modeling her super cute Halloween shirt that my talented friend made for her! 

Parker loves his little shopping cart - he pushes it all over the house.  I thought it would be funny if we put Jake in the cart and had Parker push him around.  Oh my goodness - it was hilarious!  Parker loved it and was giggling so hard.  Jake on the other hand, wasn't quite sure what to think about the experience - hah! 

Hannah had to get in on the action too - hah! 

Jake finally settled in and realized he wasn't getting out of the cart - hah! 

Last Friday was fire safety at Parker's preschool.  His teacher took this picture and sent it to all the parents.  The teacher in the picture is Mrs. Angela, which is Parker's favorite!  (Parker is 3rd from the left)