Halloween Parade and Trick-Or-Treating

There was a neighborhood Halloween parade on our street that we went to. It was the first (hopefully annual) parade and we had a really nice time. Several houses have sold this year so there were quite a few new neighbors we had a chance to meet. 

Anna and Jane wanted to be birds again and I was fine with re-using the costumes. After how much time I spent last year making them I was thrilled they would get used again. 

After we walked in the parade we had fun playing games and eating snacks and treats. It was so nice of the neighbors that hosted this and we're looking forward to helping out in the future. 

"Catch the donut!"

Sister birds!

On Halloween we all dressed up for trick-or-treating. Kevin had a hat and was supposed to be a bird watcher but without the hat he sort of just looked like a creeper. I can't laugh too much at him though since I was a nerdy bee. 

Both girls were so incredibly cute trick-or-treating this year. Anna was great about ringing the doorbell and quickly getting out of the way so the door could be opened. Jane was awesome about saying "Happy Halloween" back to people too

. This was by far the most fun I've had on Halloween with girls so far.  Jane lacked the stamina though and after we'd covered our street she was ready to head home so I took her back.

 Kevin and Anna forged ahead and hit up quite a few houses. We had convinced her to let me take her first round of candy back with us (promising not to eat any of it of course) and it was a good thing because she had that bucket full when they returned. 

Pumpkin Hollow and KC Pumpkin Patch

As usual I'm behind on posts. Seems to be the story of my life. I'm pretty sure only 2 or 3 people even read this but I want some documentation so I will attempt to catch up once again. 

I took the girls to Pumpkin Hollow at Deanna Rose Farmstead one weekend when Kevin was out of town. It was crazy hot but we had a really fun time. They had a slide that you had to climb up a bunch of hay bales to get to which the girls enjoyed. 

Made it down the slide!

There were lots of areas for the kids to play and mess around. 

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There was a giant minion made out of hay stacks. The girls thought it was hilarious and I love this picture of Anna trying to get Jane looking at the camera for a picture.

There was a cute tractor train that took the kids on a ride around a field. My pictures weren't that great but they absolutely loved this. 

For our admission we were able to pick out a pumpkin and this was a huge deal. Anna picked hers out immediately and did not want to look at any others but Jane had to walk around forever inspecting each one before she could make up her mind. 

Some other fall activities included making a few fall cookies.  

Fall cookies.

Doing fall crafts. 

And of course our 'official' trip to a pumpkin patch. This year we went to the KC Pumpkin Patch which is in Olathe. I thought it was a little expensive but there was so much to do there. We went pretty late in the season so the pumpkins didn't look that great but they were giving out gourds and the girls loved choosing their own.

I love moments like these when we catch the girls being sweet to each other unprompted. 

There was another train ride and I was able to get a little bit better picture this time. 

There was a fun water area where the kids could pump water and move a bunch of rubber ducks around. Jane was a huge fan of this. 

Fun slides. 

Glider swings were a blast. 

This picture makes me smile whenever I see it. I love these goofy girls. 

Our attempt at a group picture. 

It was a fun day I think we'll plan on this pumpkin patch for next year!

GLOW Jack-O-Lantern Festival

The weekend after visiting Brian and Moria, Kevin was off for a guys weekend and I wanted to do something fun with the girls. I'd heard about this GLOW Jack-O-Lantern Festival on Facebook and I thought it sounded like a fun thing to do with the girls. For some reason I thought it was a little closer than it was and this made the outing a little longer and more exhausting than intended but we still had fun.

Caught a hayride and the girls loved it despite Jane's expression. She just doesn't really like people that she doesn't know. 

My two little cuties. 

"A tractor Mommy!"

The jack-o-lantern walk was pretty cool. There were over 700 pumpkins carved and the girls enjoyed it. 

A kind stranger offered to take a photo of all of us. 

The festival was fun but I definitely learned a few things to make it go smoother if we ever go in the future. I saw people eating out in the parking lot (some were even grilling) and this is an amazing idea. The lines for food were ridiculous and with small children and no other adult they were impossible. We did manage to grab a few overpriced hotdogs afterwards but it wasn't really worth it. Also, next time I'll bring all my own glow stick wands/bracelets/whatever from the dollar tree rather than paying $3 for a glow stick with a butterfly on top that your 3 year old loses on a pitch black trail packed with people. 

There were some really cool parts of the walk though. My personal favorite was the 'fairy forest'. It started out with a display of pumpkins and varying fairies carved in them. Next, we entered a wooded area and they had lights projected and it made it seem like you were in a fairy forest. 

Despite the stressful portions it was overall a fun experience. If we go again I'm going to remember my personal tips and make sure I have another adult with me. I was very thankful for the snacks I brought and our double stroller. 

Lewisburg, PA

I've had these photos loaded on here for a few weeks but I just haven't had an opportunity (and/or motivation) to do the typing and posting. Here we go...

At the beginning of October Kevin and I took our first trip with just the two of us since before having kids. For our getaway we went to Lewisburg, PA to visit Brian and Moria. We hadn't seen them in over two years and it was time. A big 'thank you' to Kevin's Mom and Dad for taking the girls for an extended weekend. 

We flew out on Saturday and arrived at Brian and Moria's place in the afternoon. We spent the rest of the day hanging out, eating some delicious stew prepared by Moria and playing singstar for old times' sake. 

On Sunday we took a walk to Bucknell Campus where Brian and Moria are both working as assistant professors in the Chemistry and Biology departments. We were excited to see a little bit of campus and to check out where they've been spending the last few months. 

Rooke Chapel on Bucknell Campus. It was a gorgeous day to be out walking around. 

The building where both Brian and Moria work.

Rooke Science Center

In their offices we insisted on a few 'professor photos'- inspired by the photo wall on Stanford Campus of all the chemistry professors. 

Moria inspecting a molecule- pure concentration

We couldn't leave the office without a quick molecular review.

It's official. Her name is on the wall.

So is Brian's! So proud of our friends and very happy they are living in the same state now!

Brian's turn for an office professor photo.

Brian trying to remind Kevin about some simple chemistry ;)

A gorgeous view from campus.

Time for a selfie while waiting for the guys.

After touring campus we headed towards downtown Lewisburg and grabbed some lunch at a cafe. Such a beautiful fall day to be spending with friends. 

Later on that day we had delicious ice cream at a The Purple Cow and it did not disappoint. Once we'd enjoyed our snack we played out back and we had a chance to meet some friends of Brian and Moria's.

Enjoying the beautiful day.

That evening we enjoyed some wine from Ridge Winery. Ridge is a favorite for Brian and Moria and I believe this is one of the bottles that we gave them for their wedding. It was a treat sharing it with them. 

On Monday we drove to Rickets Glen State Park and did some hiking. The trail was gorgeous and we were able to see numerous waterfalls along the wall. Hiking with these guys brought back so many wonderful memories of our time in  California. 

It was still a little early in most parts of Pennsylvania, but we snagged a preview of fall on our hike and during the drive to the park. 

I had to bring a little bit of fall back with me from the hike. 

On the way back we stopped at Old Forge Brewery in Danville, PA and had fun sampling some tasty brews. 

On Tuesday I went with Moria back to campus. Even though it was fall break, some students had requested a studying session and being the amazing person she is, she set one up. It was fun being in the lounge and watching Moria in 'teacher mode'. While we were on campus the guys went out to hit a few balls on the Bucknell Golf course. That afternoon Kevin and I relaxed/napped while Brian and Moria took care of some stuff for their classes/students. Later that evening we checked out several places in downtown Lewisburg and we even had a chance to meet another friend of Brian and Moria's.

It was our last night and we realized we never had someone take a picture of all of us together. We did our best to get one using the self timer mode on the camera. 

It was a wonderful trip and we are so happy that these guys took the weekend to hang out with us and show us around. It was a little sad saying goodbye but we know that friendships like these are everlasting and we know we'll see them again.