Monday, October 3, 2016

An Afternoon at Montpelier Farm

We spent our Sunday at Montpelier Farm in Bowie. We went there once before for an Easter thing and it was so crowded we vowed to never do that again but there was a deal on Living Social for the fall stuff so off we went.

My friend Lisa is the one who told me about the Living Social deal so we made sure to go on a day that they were able to make it as well. The kids are always so happy to see one another and we love hanging with Lisa and Jeff too.




These water pumps worked a lot better than the one's from last week! The kids really enjoyed racing their ducks!




Once Dakota saw the giant pumpkin jumping mat, she had to go! Harper wasn't a huge fan but the other three kids loved it!


From the jumping pillow we headed to the pedal carts which were a lot of fun!


I'm not sure how long the kids played in the corn, but once it started to get crowded I had to make them get out! They were having such a good time in there but there just weren't many toys to choose from so there was some bickering.


Harper said his favorite part of the whole day was feeding the goats grass through the fence. I don't know why the kids love that so much, but they do!



After feeding the goats we found a place to wash our hands and then had lunch at one of the picnic tables. We bought some Popsicles and ice creams for the kids and a couple Whoopie pies to share as well and then we went on a hay ride before heading out.



So, the fall fest at Montpelier gets two thumbs up from us, but the Easter Egg hunt was two thumbs down! It was a fun day and we'd definitely go back! 





Saturday, October 1, 2016

Positive Office Referral

This past Thursday I got a call from the principal at Dakota's school. As soon as I saw the number I got nervous because I couldn't for the life of me figure out why someone from the school would be calling when Dakota wasn't even there! (He called at about 10:15 am and she doesn't go to school until noon.) Anyways, he said he was calling to tell me that Dakota's teacher had sent a "positive office referral" to him because Dakota was being rewarded for being a "respectful" student. 

He went on to tell me that her photo would be hung up in the school's cafeteria and that her name was said over the intercom during morning announcement's but since she's an afternoon preschooler, she wasn't there to hear it. He also said that he makes sure to call the parent's of each child that is chosen for these awards to let them know how wonderful their child is. Gulp. 

If you've been reading here at all this past year you'll probably remember me talking about how hard preschool was for Dakota. It just never clicked for her and she cried nearly the entire year. It was tough for her and maybe even tougher for me. This year has been 100% different. She loves school and can not wait to go every day. She never cries about going and is the happiest I've ever seen her. It's a beautiful thing to see especially after our difficulties last year.

So, this award makes me unbelievably proud of her. 


The paper reads:

Dakota makes sure to tell all of her classmates that she loves them. She helps her friends all the time and always invites people to play with her. She is a great role model.

I might have had a tear. <3 div="">





Apple Picking at Weber's Cider Mill Farm

Last Saturday we drove out to Weber's Cider Mill Farm and did some apple picking. Landon was a bum and decided to stay home and sleep (teenagers!) so it was just me, Tony and the two little's. We decided to pick a "peck" ($19) which was between 10-12 pounds worth. They supply the bags according to how much you want to pick and then you go and fill them up. There were several varieties to choose from and we were able to fill our bag in no time. There were Macoun, Empire, Jonagold, Golden Delicious and Crimson Crisp to name a few.






Once we'd finished picking our apples we headed over to the other part of the farm where all the activities are.








The hay bale maze is always a big hit with Harper but they both really enjoyed the giant slides this year! They must have gone down at least a dozen times!



We rode on the hay ride and then had some lunch before heading out. It was a really fun afternoon and something the kids have enjoyed each year. I hate that we'll only be able to do this a few more years before they'll outgrow it. 









Homecoming 2016


It's really crazy that I dropped Landon off at his school for the homecoming dance tonight. I can remember Zoe's first homecoming and it sure doesn't feel all that long ago. 


He was invited down to his friend Alyssa's house for a little get together before the dance so I got to go down and get a bunch of pictures of him and his friends before I dropped him off at the school at 7 pm. 


One of the other mom's stood on the table to get this one:


I think this is probably the best group shot I got, and it was the very last one I took.


Landon with Alyssa:


Landon, Alyssa and his buddy Tyler:


I sure hope they all have a great time! 

April Fools Pranks

The two little kids made me laugh yesterday morning.  I was upstairs getting things ready for school when I heard them talking about how ...