Pumpkin Time!

Somehow, over the course of October, we did not make it to a good pumpkin patch. I say "good" because there are several in a twenty mile radius that not only let you pick pumpkins, but also have animals, hay rides, and activities. This was mostly because I wanted Mark to be able to participate and we really needed a Saturday morning to take on such an event. So, we ended up hitting the local pumpkins in a field of grass. Anna Kate was still stoked, so all is well. We even headed home to paint up some of the mini pumpkins she picked out!

She was excited, I promise. Although I missed all of her good smiles!

We told her to pick a little one. She was excited, and also confused about which was little.

I mean. Cutie alert.

She wanted to take every mini pumpkin in the place home. Luckily they were 5/$1... so we were able to indulge her a little bit.

Painting pumpkins outside with my girl! It went a lot better than the first time!

The end result!

Anna Kate-Isms

Lately Anna Kate has been saying some pretty hilarious stuff. Okay, so it may not make a joke book and she may not be a comedian someday, but she knows how to make her mommy and daddy laugh and smile! (Even if it is not on purpose)... So without further ado, and so I don't forget these adorable things some day... ((More to come))


Anna's First "Joke":
Mommy- Can I call you peanut?
AK- I'm a peanut. You're an almond!

At dinner, learning her emotions:
AK- Mommy, I am frustrated.
Mommy- Why are you frustrated? (hard to keep a straight face)
AK- I am frustrated because you want me to eat my broccoli.

After trying Mark's "weird" pizza from a local store, a few days later we tell her we are going to go get pizza...
AK: We are going to go get pizza? I don't want any with the weird stuff. Pepperoni is okay.

And some cute random photos...

Wearing Mommy's shoes! She is actually pretty good at keeping them on!

She helped make her first salad... note the high volume of cheese. She pretty much ate none of this.

Following instructions in the activity book, she drew a "face" on the doll. I was proud, despite how scary it looks. We will just say it was for Halloween.

Michigan Adventure

A few weekends ago, we headed up to Michigan to spend some time with the Great Grandmas. Anna had not been to Michigan since she was nine months old, since last year we had so many family weddings and were able to see Michigan family more than usual (so we skipped the annual Thanksgiving trip), so it was a "new" experience for her!

We were also able to travel by plane (thanks Grandpa!) and Anna was beyond excited in the days before the trip. She kept asking each day, "we go to the airport? to go on a plane? to go to Michigan?". She did very well with the flight, absolutely no tears, just lots and lots of talking. Taxiing was a confusing experience for her, as we apparently were leaving from the furthest runway from the airport, and she kept asking, "are we flying?!". She also didn't sleep, if you were wondering. Which put her bedtime on Friday at around 11pm and about the same time again on Monday night. AK kept up as well as you can expect a two year old lacking sleep in a new place.

I'll let my phone photos tell the rest of our story (who has room in their carry on for a big camera?), as the moments captured are quite all over the place. We by no means captured everything we would have liked to, but we hope to visit again soon! We are so very grateful we were able to go see family and spend time together!

The best photo I could get of Anna's super excited "oh my gosh I'm on a plane" face. Since this trip, this has become "her" plane. Glad to know I'll be taken care of someday when she makes it big and has a plane.

Anna Kate on the penny pony at Meijers. It has been around since Nana was a little girl!

Eating veggie straws and watching Nascar with Grandpa. I feel like they both compromised here- next time it will be popcorn and Daniel Tiger!

Since Anna is obviously a big fan of animals and the zoo, we took the opportunity Monday to go visit the zoo in Grand Rapids. It sure was nice to not have to drive forever to get to one! Here Daddy and Nana are helping AK get a good view of the penguin feeding!

Kindred spirits.

The petting zoo was obviously a hit, although AK had hit meltdown city at this point- the goats revived her by allowing a good brushing.

Taking in some light reading on the way home. Safety first!