Rachel and Ryan

Our friends Rachel and Ryan are hoping to adopt a child! They are two of the most remarkable people I have ever met and will make amazing parents to one lucky little kid. Please click on their link on the right to learn more about them and help spread the word to anyone who can help!

Greyson 11 Months

Grey's Sloth Smile

Ballet School Drop-Out

 Avery had been attending ballet at Miss Britta's ballet school, for several months and seemed to be loving it before we left for Christmas break.  When returned from Seattle and back to our old schedule, she started complaining about going...I had to start bribing her with Paula's doughnut, etc.  She said she really just wanted to do her own ballerina dance, and not really the choreographed one Britta was trying to teach them.  After a month of Friday morning fights to get her out the door, we decided maybe she was a little over scheduled with preschool every other day of the week...so we let her quit!  I know we are awesome parents, right?!?

I stole this pic of her with her class from Britta, her teacher.  I wish I had more...

Buffalo Icicles

Enormous Icicles & Snow mounds taller than the kids are definitely not one of the things we will miss most about living in Buffalo, NY.

OH, We're Off to See the Wizard

Pumpkin Night

Trick-or-Treatn' with the BFFs

 We went Trick-or-Treating at the mall again this year with the Whiteakers and the Trockels.  The kids get to run from store to store gathering tons of goodies without having to be all bundled up.  Here's group pic number one...and I decided to include one more once the BOOgers had been successfully removed. :)

 Greyson didn't quite have the courage for the Trickin' and a Treatin' this year.

 Pinocchio, Jiminy Cricket, and Elmo.  Rozannah was amazing yet again this year, with handmade costumes for Enzo and Solomon.  It might be a good thing we are moving so my kids don't find out how I have no sewing skills and they will most likely never be sporting costumes as cool as the Trockel boys.

The Subway sandwich even got in on the Halloween action.  Avery loved it.

A SpOOktakular Preschool Parade

This week was filled with fun activities for the kids...including a Halloween Party at Avery's Preschool.  The parents were invited to stay for the beginning of class to see their annual Halloween parade.  She loved seeing all her friends dressed up.  My personal fave, besides Dorothy of course, had to be the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

 Avery's Class...notice the young man on the bottom right dressed up as Minnie Mouse?!? Interesting...

                                                                            RIP MJ!

Her First Field Trip

Avery's Preschool took a field trip to Kelkenburg farm.  She had a great time with all her friends. The farm was really cute with tons of hands on activities for the kids to do.  It was a little hard to manage helping her do the activities, pushing Greyson through the mud in his stroller (it was pouring), taking pictures and holding an umbrella all at the same time...but it was worth it.

Avery and her friend Samantha checking out the horses.

We got to go on a hay ride.  The cutest old man pulled us in a covered wagon with his tractor down the road to the pumpkin patch.  Every few minutes he would turn around and serenade us with some old farmer tune.  The kids thought he was a little weird at first, but by the end of the ride everyone was singing along.  He was so fun!

Greyson's first hayride...he was lovin' it!

Little stations were set up all around the farm for the kids to get the ultimate experience.  They could ride a pony, milk a goat, brush a horse, mill some corn, and find their way through a maze.  As you could probably guess, Avery wouldn't do most of them.  ...but here she is brushing a pony. Yay!

Milling some corn, while Butters sat in the bucket.

It was a great day on the farm!!

We've Got a Preschooler!

This was Ave on her first day of preschool. She has been going three days a week for 2.5 hours a day and loves it. There are 12 three and four year olds in her class, 4 girls and 8 boys. She is making lots of new friends, she usually can't remember their names...but tells me how much fun they have going on pretend bear hunts and dino digs. On the first day of class, each kid was told to put something they love in this brown paper sack and write 3 clues to help their classmates guess what's inside. She brought her Snow White doll, since she is still obsessed with all things princess.  I was a little apprehensive about the first day.  Would she cry hysterically when I tried to leave?  Not this kid, Miss Kim opened the door, she said "Love you Mom" and ran right in with the other kids. Greyson and I ran a few errands, and I was so excited to pick her up to see what she thought of her first day.  She was all smiles. When we got in the car I asked her what they did and if she learned anything...her response.."I don't know Mom, I can't remember."  Day two, I asked her the same thing and she had a little more to say.  "Mom, today a boy tried to kiss me!"  Definitely not what I was expecting to hear. I asked her why a boy would try and kiss her, she said, "Mom, he thinks I am beautiful!"  She said she was glad Miss Patti rescued her and told the little boy, there is NO kissing allowed at preschool.