Carving Pumpkins

We carved our pumpkins tonight. It had to happen even though Ava need to go to bed early tonight (NO NAP!). Last year she didn't mind getting slimy, this year not so much. She also secretly put all of our pumpkin lids in the garbage. Ummmmmm........we need those. She requested a kitty cat......so I attempted it. It was the fastest pumpkin carving event we have had at our house. We even carved a baby pumpkin for the baby that doesn't arrive for 5 more weeks. HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Trick or Treat Play group

We went to church playgroup last week. This is where I discovered that Ava did not want to wear her crown, wig, or jewelry. What princess doesn't want these accessories? I also discovered that Ava wanted to eat all of her candy, but I didn't let her. This year she gets Halloween.

Pumpkin Patch

Ava imitating daddy when he said to smile with your mouth.
Looking for the perfect pumpkin.
Trying to lift the perfect pumpkin.
Our little muscle woman has lifted it off the ground, but couldn't walk with it.
Family photo with the horses....plus my not so little belly.

Ava riding a giant rocking horse.

Ava standing by the goats, and not getting too close.

Every year since Ava was 3 months old we have gone to the same pumpkin patch. As Ava gets older she likes it more and more every year. You can buy the pumpkins pre-picked or take a horse drawn wagon ride and pick your own, so that is what we did. Ava found a pumpkin she could lift, but it was too heavy to carry. She also insisted we get a pumpkin for her baby sister. Because this place is a family farm there were also a few animals, goats, dogs, sheep, and a donkey. They also had a bouncy house, but Ava only wanted to go in it if the three boys got out, which they didn't, so we watched them jump for a bit.

Packing Peanuts

So who knew packing peanuts could be all the rage? My friend Katie sent a package (all of my toiletries I left at her house, sorry Katie). When I opened it up Ava exclaimed "Marshmallows". I explained that they were not marshmallow's and that she should not eat them, so she didn't. Instead they were the new entertainment. Her Baby "John" took a swim and a bath, it was a bed and a car for the two of them. Then the best was the art piece she made out of the coffee table. She was very particular about were she placed each peanut. The gift that kept on giving.........

Fall is Here.

So even though it was 80 degrees this weekend (very, very, unusual for Oct), Fall is here. As you drive around all the leaves are changing. We do have brilliant color changes here in Wisconsin. And the trees just started to change last week. Our neighbors tree had dropped a few leaves and Ava insisted on gathering each one and making a little bouquet. Lucky for me she was happy to leave them outside when it was time to go inside.

Little Monkey

Ava new thing has been looking for anything she can hang and swing from. Today we went to the park for a picnic and as she was hanging from the top of the slide she yelled " Momma I a monkey". And then she wanted me to try it. A big pregnant lady should not be hanging from anything, plus I don't think my arms would hold me.

Little House

So we bought a play house. We went to Sam's to buy a veggie tray and ended up walking out with this fabulous playhouse. Here are some great things about it.

1. It was half price! $200 bucks, I don't even think you can buy the cute plastic ones for this price.

2. It was the last one, so it was already assembled.

3. It is cedar.

4. It is big enough to last a few years.

5. It has cute details like a little porch, little shutters, a little planter box, a little bar area where Ava serves her fake food.

6. Ava always wants to play in her new house.......this is good and bad. This last week was warm, but the week before it was cold and rainy. She doesn't mind the cold, but I am not a fan.

I thought it would make a great addition to her play room, especially with winter right around the corner, but it was too big to fit through the doors (6X5X6) with out taking it a part. So for now it is on the patio. I hope it lasts for years to come.

The Flip

Just to clarify, we didn't buy that awful house. Way more work than it was worth. I guess I forgot to say that part. We'll concentrate our efforts and money on our own house for now :)

Bath Tub Friend

Ava found a mini mirror in the bathtub last week. She just kept saying "Hi" in different tones and voices, to the little girl she saw in the mirror.

Dinner at the Diner

My Husband went out of town for a boys weekend in Michigan. The UW badger football team was playing and they drove 7 hours to watch the game. So Ava and I had a girl's weekend. Friday night we went to the Gus's Diner in our neighborhood. They had a great Friday Night Fish Fry special, so I had that and Ava had grilled cheese with fruit. We have eaten there for breakfast once in awhile, but we hadn't tried dinner before. Ava loved the mini juke box. Every time I put quarters in she would just start pushing random buttons even though I wanted her to push the numbers I had already scoped out. I guess Ava wanted to be the DJ and I have to say I didn't know a single song she chose.

Lunch with a friend

Ava and I went to Lunch with my friend Andrea and her new baby. Ava was thrilled to play with all of the baby's things, like his fun mat, his car seat, his swing, his bumbo, etc... She is so gentle and helpful with babies. It will be interesting to see if this carries over with her new little sister.

Friday Night Fish Fry

Ava just before we headed out for dinner snacking on some raisins.
Ava would jump off the boat and into dad's arms. The water was cold, so she would get back to the ladder ASAP and then jump again. What a brave little girl.

So in Wisconsin and probably other places, they do this thing every Friday called "Friday Night Fish Fry". Not eating meat on Friday is one of those Catholic rules, especially during lent (sp?). A lot of bars and even some of the chains have a fish special. You usually get fried fish, bread, salad, and a baked potato or fries. We went up to the cottage for one of the the last nice weather days a couple of Friday's ago. When we got there we took the pontoon boat out for a spin and to swim ( I wasn't planning on swimming but I sorta fell in when I was attempting to jump on the pier....twice! I have no coordination when I am prego) and then went out for fish fry. It was really delicious and nice to spend time at the cottage.

Flipping Out

Matt pretending to take a shower.
Woah what happened in here?
Anyone want to cook in this kitchen?

So we watch those shows about people flipping houses and we own some income property, so when this house went up for sale, we thought maybe it would be a good flip..........oh we were so wrong. It wasn't only disgusting but with all the damage it was a total tear down. It sounded decent on the fact sheet "in a culd-a-sac, decent sq footage, big yard".....la la la. The mold smell was so strong, I couldn't get the smell out of my nose, so I stopped at dairy queen for a mint cookie blizzard on my way home, and it worked!