Fun in the Pumpkin Patch

Jared was so thrilled to be the official pumpkin picker for the family!

This is the BEFORE photo when the boys visually protested being constrained for a photo!

Jared got back into the spirit quickly!

One of Josiah's favorite parts was scaling the various planks that the bales of hay rested upon.

Jared's goal was to find the biggest pumpkin they had!

While Jared searched for the perfect pumpkin, Josiah ran laps around the pumpkins!

Jared struggled to choose! There were so MANY perfect pumpkins!

Every chance Josiah could, he would run back to the picnic table. I think he was hoping they would serve lunch! :)

Here is the AFTER picture... the boys had SO much fun running up and down the aisles of pumpkins!

Jared really wanted to help carve out pumpkins (he was going to be a scooper) but he did NOT like the smell. Every time he tried, the poor child would gag!

He DID help me draw the plans for carving on the pumpkins!

We did it! Dalvin and I carved our first pumpkins (Dalvin's is on the left, mine is on the right)! Jared approved of our efforts-- after we implemented his recommendations of course!

All in all, the boys were pleased. It was a good day, full of pumpkin cheer!

Happy 2nd birthday, Josiah! :)

Jared's 4th Birthday...

Just a few extremely belated birthday pictures from Jared's party in July!

The Book Nook

I recently created a booknook in the corner of Jared and Josiah's playroom-- it's nothing fancy, but they LOVE it. They ask to be read to every day and they spend time snuggled in the floor pillows turning the pages of whatever book catches their fancy. It's the best thing I have done in awhile! :)

Unadulterated Joy

Josiah's Rendition of "No One"

Jared's favorite song is "No One" by Alicia Keyes and because we listen to CDs primarily in the car, I am usually driving while singing.

Apparently Josiah is also tuned in while Mom is singing because here you see him imitating me while playing with the steering wheel at the park. This completely caught me off guard, and is so hilarious!

Dragon Hunting at the Zoo!

This past Sunday, we had a family trip to the zoo. It was a gorgeous day and our zoo was having the premiere of the new Asian Bamboo Garden and the Komodo Dragon Exhibit. We haven't been able to schedule a family excursion in a minute, so this was the perfect opportunity. And to make it even more special, we were able to join Michelle's clan for dragon-hunting adventures!

The zoo was divided up into sections, many of which were based on continents and the animals that inhabit those areas. The first area (and the one where we spent the most time) was Africa.

Jared was very serious for most of the day, I felt like he was collecting data for a research paper!

I was really surprised at Josiah's fascination with the animals. He would eagerly point out animals that I hadn't seen or that he wanted to get a better view of!

Here is Jared peeking over the fence to catch a glimpse of the warthog!

Jared and Daddy posed for a picture in "Africa"...

Josiah spent the first half of the zoo trip eating his hamburger and pointing at various exhibits as though to ask-- "Did you see this one yet, Mom?"

One of the funniest things about the day was that Josiah wanted to tickle all the animals... Dalvin would pick him up the give him a better view and he would reach out saying, "Tickle, tickle!"

For some reason I love this picture of Dalvin and Jared...

Josiah excitedly pointed out the anteater to me!

Mommy and Jared paused to snuggle by the elephants!

After being trapped in the stroller for most of the day, Josiah was gleeful at being free! He is a little escape artist!

Dalvin showed Jared and Josiah the enormous koi (and various other fish) in the pond...

The kids are excitedly examining the big fish in this exhibit-- and as usual, I got a great shot of the back of their heads!

I cannot BELIEVE that Gabriel is taller than his mom!

As was the norm for the day, I took a lovely shot of the kids enjoying the Asian Bamboo garden.

The kids made a pitiful (and relatively unsuccessful) attempt to let me photograph their faces for once!

The kids watched the komodo dragons from a special kids-only viewing window-- and I watched them!

The KOMODO DRAGON!

Jared and Josiah peered in at one of the komodo dragons...

Gabriel, Logan and Eden found a komodo dragon they could climb on. :)

Jared was obsessed with the zoo map and spent the second half of the zoo trip asking me to identify the symbols on the map and show him which way we were going on the map...

Jared REALLY wanted to pose for this picture with Eden, but he couldn't stop looking at the map even long enough to smile for the camera! Too busy navigating!

After a long day at the zoo, both boys fell asleep in the car on the way home... Jared continued his nap on the couch...

Josiah continued his nap in the bed... what a wonderful day!

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Learning to Write J-A-R-E-D

Jared has been begging me to teach him to write lately, so I bought him a whiteboard to practice on. It has a page for tracing letters, one for shapes, etc. Tonight he asked if he could learn to write his name. He can already spell it and has randomly practiced his letters at different points, but this was the first time I wrote his name and asked him to copy it.

"I am running out of room!"

"Yay-- I did it!"

The final product... not bad for his first solo try!