Pumpkins Galore!

I'm more of a spring and summer girl, but ever since we had kids I just love the fall! It's nice to put the sunscreen away and enjoy the fall festivities with bright-eyed children and great weather.

Last year we visited not one, not two, but THREE pumpkin patches! This year we made it to several patches and a fall festival. Here we are feeding the sheep at the Big Orange Pumpkin farm.

They have several very large longhorns that we fed right from our hands. I was glad to see that not all Texas Longhorns have been slaughtered this fall!

Grandparents, Pops and Nunie, and cousins, Avery and Addison, joined in the fun. We arrived early and found lots of hungry animals that were ready for their breakfast!

I LOVE this picture of Avery, Addison and Payson on the hayride!

Daddy's little girl.

Pops and Nunie with five happy grandchildren!

The kids checked out the old-fashioned tractor.

Madison and Avery rode together in the barrel train.

The other barrel held Addison, Payson and Hayden. It was a little tight but Addison and Payson pushed in close to give Hayden the extra space she requested.

A few weeks later we headed out to the Flower Mound Pumpkin Patch for more fall fun!

The kids loved the complimentary wagon and enjoyed pulling each other around the pumpkin patch.

The kids sat on pumpkins, rolled the pumpkins, tried to pick up pumpkins... it was good ole' fashioned fun!

They had at least 100 cutouts of cartoon characters and the kids had a blast running from one to the next, while excitedly exclaiming each of their names. It was a great, busy morning!

Bits and Pieces

October has been a busy month! Here's what we were up to pre-pumpkins and Halloween...

Hayden flies her plane at DFW's Founders Plaza as we watch the real planes take off.

Payson and Madison fly their airplanes as well, sound effects included!

Playing at the Allen playhouses with the Todd triplets.

Payson peeking out the window.

Mommy somehow managed to snap a picture of all three sitting together on a bench!

The kids are starting to color in the lines on their coloring pages and are doing quite well!

The kids can get quite immersed in their pretend play these days so, in an effort to prevent morning meltdowns, we now have reading time on a blanket whenever we have a few spare minutes before we need to leave the house in the mornings. It really does help!

I recently pulled out my childhood Care Bears for the kids to play with, and the girls love them! I took great care of my toys when was little (I know, such a surprise to most of you) so they are in really great shape.

I caught the kids sitting sweetly together as they sorted seeds and leaves in the backyard.

The kids are helping out more and more in the kitchen, and they can't seem to get enough of the grown up fun! Here Hayden is helping me make pumpkin-shaped sweet potato fries for dinner.

The girls showing their sisterly love...

... which reminds me of this sweet photo I took when the kids were just 2.5 months old!

Keith and I tried to cheer the Cowboys onto a win. No luck!

Girls night!

Having some silly fun with the "Pencil Test." How many kids are you having?

Celebrating Andy's 30th with Robin!

Recent DMN Moms Blog posts I have written:

Teaching kids about giving season

Only real compliments, please

Home photos: Good for memories and teaching

Amateur Wrestling

Payson vs. Madison
Referee (and cheerleader): Hayden
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We all know how this is going to end...

Future Recording Artist

Living in Big Tex

Big Tex, that's where Payson recently said we live. While we don't exactly live in Big Tex, we did recently visit Big Tex which is what put his name on Payson's mind.

After our super fun visit last year, which included a chance meeting with Oprah, I wasn't sure if we could top last year's Fair fun. But, we kicked it off right with a funnel cake before taking in the dog show!

We tasted all sorts of fried goodies including this tasty Chicken Fried Bacon. My favorite was definitely the Texas Fried Cookie Dough! Gotta love the State Fair of Texas!

The kids just loved the interactive farm where they got to feed pretend farm animals, plant and pick crops...

...gather eggs...

...drive their goods to the market, earn a dollar and then buy a real snack with their earnings. Such a great idea!

Last year only the girls would approach the puppet after the marionette show but this year all three went to the stage to get a closer look.

Everyone's a winner with the duck game so it's the perfect fit for three toddlers.

Madison needed a little time to decide which prize she wanted so she lined them all up to take in the pros and cons before finally choosing the dog - of course!

Last year the kids fearfully rode a few rides alongside an adult, but this year they were courageous and excited about riding the kiddie rides all by themselves.

The kids had to wait a long time for the ATV ride to fill up with riders, but they kept themselves entertained by honking their horns!

We all had a blast and already can't wait to do it again next year! What a fun tradition it is! Thanks Pops and Nunie for accompanying us to the great State Fair of Texas!