Karen Doesn't Have Trust in My Parenting Abilities

For some reason, Karen is unwilling to leave the kids under my watch while she goes on vacation. I really don't get it. Here is an unrelated video I took of Sprout the other day.

In my defense, I did not encourage this activity, I simply documented what was already going on when I went down to the basement. She was actually ready to jump from the 6th step and I made her move down to #4.

Halloween Fun

This weekend we started getting in the Halloween spirit. Sprout kicked things off by decorating her pumpkin.



 The plus of using the washable markers is that I can rinse off the pumpkin and repeat. Instant hours of decorating enjoyment.

 On Saturday, the kids dressed up in their costumes and we went to the wildlife refuge for animal education, crafts, and story time.

 Sprout was being shy, so she decided that getting a ride was better than walking to the different animal stations. They had educational lessons on local predators, owls, snakes, bugs/spiders.

 This sums up how the afternoon went- Marcus is crying and Sprout is picking her nose.

Afterwards, we retreated home for some pizza and a much needed beer. Luis helped entertain my favorite pumpkin while I recovered from the outing. On a side note- Sprout wore this same pumpkin outfit when she was 8 months old. It fits Marcus at 4, almost 5, months.

Linder Farms

Last week we ventured to Linder Farms to enjoy the pumpkin patch and other attractions. Before heading out on a big adventure, it's important to be well rested.

 The girls enjoyed playing on the bounce house. Elena would have been happy to spend the entire outing here, but there were many more attractions to see.

 We went for a ride on the barrel train. I got a free ride so that I could supervise the kids and keep them from barrelling out at the wrong time.

 There were a few photo ops. I'm pretty sure this one won't make the Christmas card.

 Elena loves swings and this one was no exception.

 The last stop was the petting zoo. There were a variety of animals including sheep, goats, pigs, rabbits, chickens, ducks, and donkeys.

 Speaking of donkeys- everything was going great until Elena took it upon herself to feed the donkey unassisted while I was helping another kid. The donkey was trying to sample "Sprout" and she ended up with a sore finger. When asked the next day about the trip, she was sure to tell you about the donkey biting her finger. Hopefully this will reinforce why we don't bite.

We had an enjoyable day and look forward to making it an annual excursion. If you're local and are looking for a kid-friendly outing, we highly recommend this one.

Random Kid Stuff

I have been remiss in my blogging duties, so I will post several random pictures of the kids. I call the first one "Sprout's Imitation of Joe Southwick." Let's face it, he's no Kellen Moore.

 

 A few weeks ago, Luis and I took the kids fishing in the world-renown waters referred to as the Low Line Canal. The fishing was really good. Here is a picture of Sprout with one of her first fish.

 

 Elena has become a media addict. After she played with my phone the other day, I noticed the following screenshot saved to the camera roll in my phone. I find this troubling for two reasons: 1) I will be forever stalked by Shapes and 2) my toddler figured out how to take a screenshot before I did.

 On Friday Sprout and I did some chores around the house. Thankfully, she actually enjoys doing laundry and she's pretty good at it.

 We also picked some produce from the garden. While most of the plants froze, the peppers and tomatoes are still ripening on the plants. We even got a few raspberries.

 Marcus is now sitting upright well enough to join Karen on her runs. He is also rolling over from front-to-back and back-to-front. The good old days of leaving him in one spot and returning to find him still lying there are officially over. :( 

4 months

Marcus is now four months old. Don't let those chubby cheeks fool you- he's 85% for height and 37% for weight, coming in just under 15 pounds.

 

 He likes lots of attention, snuggles, naps, and spending time in the outside swing. Bath time is the best part of the day. Could do without independent play and tummy time. 

Weekend Review

We had another quiet weekend at home. Elena and I have started making pancakes on Sundays. She's turning into quite the cook.

 We've also been focusing on crafts again. Marcus is still too young to participate, so he's an observer. We made puffy paint ghosts earlier this week. Elena didn't like getting the paint on her hands, and used a paint brush instead. Why she has issues with paint and not with mud I'll never know.

 Marcus has found a new past time- watching football. He spends a fair amount of time checking the scores with his dad. Never too early to start learning the fundamentals.

Resistance is Futile

Karen and I are technologically resistant. She won't let me throw out the typewriter in our closet (even though neither one of us knows how to use it). I watch football at the neighbors'  house because we refuse to get satellite TV. A few days ago, Karen was concerned because the VCR part of our DVD/VCR player quit working (for the record, I shrugged and walked away). Let's face it, we've been avoiding the New Device.
I present to you the Old Device. It's almost as old as Sprout and barely works. Karen's device is not shown as it has already been cast aside.

Below you will see the New Devices. We opted for the iPhone 4s instead of the new iPhone 5 so that we could stay at least one step behind the technological curve.

 

After using the New Device for 24 hours, it's hard to believe that we were ever able to live with the Old Device. We find ourselves wondering why we have been resistant to technology. Now we are concerned about the fact that our two year contract will hold us back once the New Devices become obsolete and unattractive in a few months.