Escobar Farm Corn Maze

Yesterday morning we went to Escobar Farm to try their corn maze.  We had very warm weather for the end of September (low 80s), so luckily this corn maze was just the right size for our family to explore in the heat.  The maze had two sections, and this was perfect because Reagan led the way through the first section and Collin led the way through the second section.  They both did very well navigating through the corn, and even though we had a map, we never used it.  Another nice thing about Escobar Farm is that they allow dogs in the corn maze!  We brought Boo; it was way too hot for Kelly, and she is a little too big for corn mazes anyway.

 There were a few of these silly cornundrum signs throughout the maze; they were fun little puzzles for us to solve.

 Kate and Reagan rode the cow train after we completed the maze.  It was cute!

The maze had a Wizard of Oz theme.  There were only a few references to The Wizard of Oz, but we thought these legs were funny!!!  I had to assure Kate that the legs were fake before she would let me put her down!

Every time we go to a corn maze, I realize that I have the worst sense of direction.  I don't think I would ever get out on my own!!!

Beach - August 27, 2014

I took the kids to the beach for a few hours yesterday, and it was a beautiful day.  The sun was shining, but it wasn't too hot, and the waves (red flag) were so much fun!  The waves were pretty intense, so the lifeguards weren't allowing boogie boards, but the kids had plenty of fun body surfing!

 silly girl

The waves were a little intense for Kate.  Most of the time, she was content to be in water that was just to her ankles.

These two had so much fun together.  It was really nice to see them enjoying each other's company and getting along so well.  I am really happy that I didn't invite any friends along because they would have missed out on the fun they had together.

Collin and Reagan spent most of the time in the water.  I hung out with Kate at the edge of the water as she scooped mud and threw it into the ocean repeatedly.  She loved seeing the seagulls, and just wanted to pet them, but they weren't sticking around for any of that.

After lunch, we climbed up and slid down the sand dunes for a bit.  Kate did a great job keeping up, and she loved it just as much as Collin and Reagan.

When Collin and Reagan returned to body surfing, I helped Kate make faces in the sand.

I wanted to get a good beach selfie, but the few I took didn't come out great, so this will have to do!

I also tried to get a nice picture of the three kids; this is what I got!

We had an almost perfect day at the beach; having Tom and Tyler with us would have made it perfect!  They both love the huge waves, and I thought of them a lot while I watched Collin and Reagan body surfing.

The Many Faces of Kate at the Zoo

Kate and I went to the Buttonwood Park Zoo this morning.  She had so much fun, and she was such a joy to be with.  I laughed so much with her today; she is just so funny and so darn cute.

Kate is all about making silly faces for pictures now.  She cracks me up.

 Kate rode the carousel twice.  Her first ride was on the hummingbird, and the second time she chose the zebra.  It was nice that she was able to choose which animal to ride; I love visiting the zoo when it is quiet.

 Lots of silly faces.

 Yes, she has a nasty bruise smack dab in the middle of her forehead.  She tripped over a blanket and hit her head on a chair.

 We also rode the train twice, and she chose the blue car both times.

Kate enjoyed seeing each and every animal, but she was content to take a quick look at the animal and move on to the next one.

When she gave me a chance to read the signs about each animal, I tried to tell her what each animal likes to eat.  The bald eagle likes to eat fish, and when I mentioned this, Kate said, "I love to eat fish".  I responded somewhat surprised with, "You do?", and Kate said, "YES!!!  I love to eat fishy crackers".  She didn't realize she was being funny, or that the "fish" she likes to eat are very different from the fish the bald eagle eats.

She is just so much fun; I love this little girl.

After the zoo, we went to Harve's to buy new shoes for Kate, and then we had lunch with Papa and Grandma at Not Your Average Joe's.  Kate loved playing cards with Grandma and trying on her bracelets.  I wish I had thought to take pictures at lunch!

Kate was exhausted after all of the fun, and she fell asleep on the car ride home.  She told me several times today that she had "so much fun" and that she "loved the zoo", and hearing that from my sweet girl is just about the best thing in the world.

Chris and Laurie's Wedding

Tom and I went to Cape Coral, Florida for Chris and Laurie's wedding over the weekend.  I was nervous about leaving Kate, but she was great for Grandma, and Tom and I had a lot of fun in Florida.  It was a nice little getaway for us.

We flew out of Boston on Friday morning, and returned Sunday evening.  Speaking of Boston, thanks to Tom who noticed her, I saw Giada de Laurentiis in the airport.  Back when Food Network was actually a cooking channel, I watched a lot of their programming and I have always been a big fan of her show.  No one else seemed to notice her, but I was excited to see her.  I did not talk to her or make any kind of scene.

We stayed at the resort where the wedding was held, which was nice because we didn't have to go anywhere.  It was a beautiful hotel, we had a really nice view, and I thought the bed was comfortable; that's all that matters!  The weather was also very nice with the exception of some super high winds during the ceremony.

The ceremony was short and sweet.  One of my favorite moments during the ceremony was a little fight that broke out between the ring bearer and the flower girl (they also happen to be the children of the groom and bride).  Alexis (age 2, flower girl) wanted the ring bearer pillow that her brother James (age 7) was holding.  Jimmy, the best man, had to make peace between the two kids.  It was cute and funny; kids will be kids, no matter what the occasion.

 Brian, Tom, Chris (groom), and Timmy - these four have been friends for a long time

 Tom and Laurie

Me, Becky, Laurie, and Terri -- look at our hair, you can tell it was VERY windy

 Tom and Jimmy (best man)

This picture of Tom and me was taken during the reception.  It's nice, but I wish I could get rid of those red and green lights.  See all the little red and green dots?  They were DJ lights, and there is one right in my eye.

I'm grateful for this time away with Tom, a whole lot of help from Grandma Susan and Grandpa Jim (he got the task of driving Tyler all over the place), time spent with friends, mostly beautiful warm weather, and lots of fun.