Phew, Pumpkin Patch Pics!

We had a last minute dash to the pumpkin patch this weekend.  We have been so busy that we just didn't make it out until the weekend before Halloween!  As you can see, we had to dress warm for a very chilly morning. 

Mommy and Daddy recall how hard it was last year at the patch.  Cooper and I were fighting over pumpkins, Cooper was screaming and crying in the pictures and it was....stressful.  This year, we were both busy and happy boys, despite cruddy noses and lots of coughing from our colds this past week.

Cooper's gopher hat still fits him from last winter and my monkey hat fits "OK" too.  The cold weather hit really suddenly these past two weeks.  We haven't had time to buy new coats and winter-wear, so luckily, everything works good enough for now!  Here are our Pumpkin Patch activities from Saturday.

 The tractor hayride was one of our first stops....as you know Coop and I, you know we love tractors and gadgets.  We go on this same hayride in winter to their tree farm to cut down our family tree.  Very Griswaldish but it is a fun tradition.

Cooper is very animated with sounds.  He made tractor revving noises while he pretended to ride the tractor (above photo) and when we saw the brand new train (below photo), he played conductor with lots of "CHOO CHOO, ALL ABOARD" and rang the bell endlessly.  It was.....annoying.

 The pumpkin patch is no ordinary pumpkin patch.  It really is a huge playland with lots of fun slides, haystacks, swingsets and more.  Daddy and I raced down the plastic tube slide and I won~you just can't see it as I snuck up from behind :)

 Cooper is fascinated by horses and livestock.  He took this wooden horse set-up very seriously.  We think he thought it was an actual ride (see him holding tight below).  Sorry Coop.

 As you may recall, Mommy dislikes corn mazes, but she still is a trooper and goes anyways.  Since we went to the pumpkin patch so late this year, the corn stalks were trampled down and thinned out.  She wasn't AS worried that she would get trapped forever in the middle of a field nor lose one of us.  It was another successful year in there.

 Can you tell by the look on my face that I am starting to get a little annoyed with the photo sessions!?!?!?  Mommy was trying to make up for lost ground as she hasn't taken pictures the past several weeks.

 We fished for magnetic/wooden fish in a stinky boat full of rain water.  We didn't last long thanks to the stench and we didn't even catch a fish.  Boo.

 We jumped our little heads off in the huge jumpy house....

 And could have played until next Halloween in the haystack thingy with tunnels and slides.

 Our last stop before cider and home was the bike track equipped with pedal tractors, trikes, bikes and othe ride-on toys.  Our favorite part was the little garage you can park these into.  Go figure.

Mommy took her annual fall porch decor pictures with Cooper and I.  Most of the pumpkins in our picture are from our garden (cornstalks too) and the white painted pumpkin was a Pinterest inspiration Mommy found (she's majorly addicted). She promised she would only take one more if we squeezed together and acted lovingly, so this is what she got below.  Have a great Halloween and we can't wait to post our Halloween happenings next weekend!

Boys Will Be Boys!

Mommy wanted to capture some of our typical day to day events, so she grabbed her camera for one of our nightly wrestling sessions.  Our house turns into a WWF wrestling ring after dinner. Daddy started this with innocent "MONKEY PILES" and now it has turned into full-fledged wrestling (check out Cooper's moves....we have NO idea where he gets this from, seriously!!!!).  While Daddy was working in the garage, Mommy just sat back and chronicled the craziness.  When Daddy returned, she showed him some proof and asked "Is this typical to have boys constantly wrestling?"  Since Daddy is the oldest of 3 boys, his response was not what she hoped to hear.   "Boys Will Be Boys!"

After my brother beat the tar out of me, Mommy decided it was a clear sign that we needed to be active away from home.  The Sports Center offers a Family Fun Zone during the week.  This is a fun place to run, play on jumpy inflatables, try on silly costumes, ride bikes and toys, and kick and throw balls.

 Cooper and I had a great time dressing up in costumes.  Mommy just hopes there aren't cooties on these!

 Disregard Cooper's strange/mis-matched outfit.  He dressed himself for this special outing.

 We love to jump and jump and jump!

 This was the first time Cooper was able to scale up the "mountain" to slide down the other side.  Even though Mommy put his "bumpy" socks on, he discovered that no socks at all worked best.  She was really stressing out at this point (as you know, Mommy is kinda OCD with cleanliness).

My preschool class took their first field trip of the year!  We went to a nature center for a fun day of exploring critters in our environment.  Daddy chaperoned the field trip and Cooper was invited to come along.  I was happy to not have my Daddy crawling up my back and screaming as he hates, hates snakes!  Mommy was shocked that he even took a picture of the snake in it's cage.  He must be going through some desensitizing therapy :)

On field trips, we wear our special tie-dye shirts we painted for these outings.  I think mine turned out really cool!

When Mommy asked about the highlight of the field trip, Cooper and I both were SUPER excited to tell her all about beaver poop....the color, smell, and overall appearance.  Once again, she decided this must be a "boy thing" or something.

This weekend, we went to Grammy's house to help her take out all the docks and boats.  It was a chilly and rainy day, but we braved it and had a great time.  It was fun to see Kyra and Bennett too since they were also in town to help out.

 Bennett started Kindergarten and he also is sporting new glasses!  Look how old we look here!!!!

 We played really well together all day long.  There was no crying or fighting which is a big success!  We were really sad when it was time to leave after just a day-long visit.  We hope to see them again soon!

 I had my last soccer game in the cold, drizzly weather.  My parents are relieved they will not have to brave another chilly Saturday morning at the soccer field.  To sum up the soccer season----it was fun, I run a lot, kick the ball rarely, and mostly just chase and run into the other kids.  I will play on the same team this spring.... way to go, Doves!

Mommy caught me reading the newspaper on Saturday morning.  She thought it was hilarious that I was reading the Lifestyles section (Daddy secretly loves this section....he reads all about the engaged and married couples and birth announcements!)

 And our final news and celebration is Cooper has now transitioned into the toddler daybed!  His crib converts to the daybed, making it an easier and semi-familiar transition.  The first two nights he wandered into Mommy and Daddy's room around 2:00 a.m. but with a quick escort back to bed and some kisses, he fell fast asleep.  The third night was perfect!  We are hoping he continues to stay IN his bed instead of visiting us at night :)

 Cooper LOVES his Lovey!

 We love to cuddle and have lengthy discussions about garbage trucks, snowmobiles, monsters, you name it.

And of course, we love our nightly routine of reading a bazillion books, but this time, we can cuddle up in Cooper's big boy bed!                 

Night-Night!