Pumpkin Patch Trip #1

Today we went to the pumpkin patch with Aunt Amy, Cora, Nana and some great friends we've had since we were little. We've known the Lawler family our whole life and it's so much fun to get together with everyone, especially since we all have little ones now. We visited the Hanover Vegetable Farm and everyone had a really fun time. I feel like all we've done lately is feed animals and go on hay rides. I'm honestly getting a little tired of hay, but kids never get tired of this type of stuff and we need to take advantage of this great Fall weather. We're going to the pumpkin patch again in a couple of weeks with our playgroup. It should be another fun time!

Madelyn went to bed super early and I'm not that far behind her! I can't imagine going to these places next year with a 2nd child in tow:) Here are some pictures from our day:

McKinley, Amy, and I with our little ones. The little boy, Ashton, is visiting from Florida. He's Court's little boy. They are all so cute!

Madelyn playing in the corn kernels!

Racing the ducks with Nana!

Trying to walk through the pumpkin patch. Madelyn fell a lot so I'm not so sure how much she liked the actual patch!

Ashton, Kaley, and Madelyn riding on the hay ride with their pumpkins!

Madelyn and Kaley are really starting to enjoy their play dates together!
Feeding the goats again... I guess it never gets old for toddlers!

Hanging out with Aunt Amy and Cora!

Loving Fall!

On Saturday, Madelyn and I spent the day with Nana and Pop while Bill played in a golf tournament. We went to a Fall Festival organized by a family that goes to my parent's church. The festival was a charity event helping people in Tanzania and was held at a house located on a pond. The setting was very pretty and the weather so nice! All the booths at the event were perfect for Madelyn and we all had a great time. Madelyn especially enjoyed petting and Alpaca, riding on a horse with Pop, and the bean bag toss. She visited the face painting booth, but she did not like the brush hitting her cheek. She opted to get her hands painted instead and loved the pink flowers they painted on both her hands. She looked at them all afternoon!

We are really enjoying Fall and all the fun events that take place during this time of year. It's been especially fun this year because Madelyn is now able to participate in everything and gets so excited about the smallest things. It's amazing how much she can talk now and communicate with us. She has learned how to sing her ABC's and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and sings them constantly!

After eating dinner at the table at Nana and Pop's house on Thursday, Madelyn has decided that she no longer wants to sit in her high chair. She thinks she is such a big girl in her booster seat with her pink place mat and folded napkin!

Eating breakfast as a big girl with her pink place mat!

Having a picnic with Cora, Nana and Pop at the Fall Festival. They had some yummy BBQ!

Madelyn getting her hands painted. Maybe next year, she'll graduate to the face!
Admiring the pink flowers on her hands!Madelyn's version of the bean bag toss. She cheated, but she got a prize anyway. She picked the pink hairbrush from the basket of goodies. I'm not surprised!

Riding on the horse with Pop. I was so shocked she actually got on the horse.Another horse picture with Pop!

Cora enjoying her horse ride!

It's time for the State Fair!

As many of you may know, I'm not a fan of the state fair. I've always thought it was dirty with very interesting people walking around. Yesterday, we went to the state fair with our playgroup and had a great time. They changed the location so it seemed a lot less dirty and there really wasn't a ton of people watching (could be because we went on a Wednesday).

Madelyn enjoyed seeing the farm animals, watched a stunt dog show, ate funnel cake, and rode some rides. She had a great time and had a fit when she had to get back into the stroller to go home. I think her favorite part was the rides. She loved riding down the giant slide with me (went on that ride twice) and going around in the bulldozer with her friend, Kate. She also loved the carousel. She was a little leary of the rides at first, but once she saw what they did, she was all about going on them!

We'll definitely be going to the fair again next year!

The group getting ready to go into the Fair (Kate was on her way and didn't make the picture)!The kids loved standing on the platform watching the baby chicks. That was one of the highlights of the day. Who knew a platform would be so exciting! Walking around looking at the farm animals with Charlotte! If you haven't noticed, Madelyn wore her sunglasses the entire day.

Eating funnel cake while watching the stunt dog show!The Stunt Dog Show. So exciting!
Riding the bulldozer with Kate. Kate is riding the ride for the second time because Madelyn had to watch everyone go around before she felt brave enough to ride. She's still wearing her sunglasses!

The best picture I could get of the carousel without Madelyn falling off!

Super Heroes, Princesses, and Mulch

We had a very busy weekend with birthday parties and yard work. Madelyn's friends Jackson and Tyler had a joint Super Hero birthday party on Saturday morning. Alaina made little capes for all the kids and Madelyn wore her pink cape for about 3 minutes before she wanted it off. It was a very cute idea! The party was a lot of fun and we are so glad the rain held off for the kids to play outside for the fun party games!

On Saturday afternoon, our neighbor had a princess party. Madelyn loved looking at all the decorations and they had a huge spread of food and drinks and it was as much a party for the adults as the kids. Madelyn was completely exhausted after a fun-filled day of birthday parties!

Bill spent most of the weekend aerating, seeding, spreading mulch, and making a new flower bed around the mailbox. Our trees are struggling a bit so the arborist told us to mulch around them. I helped when I could during naptime, but Bill put 2 whole days into our yard. It looks really good, but Bill is super sore and exhausted tonight!

Tonight, we went to El Paso with some friends which was a great end to a busy weekend. I'm starting to have cravings and that big burrito hit the spot!

Madelyn with her super hero pink cape! It matches her bow perfectly..too bad it only stayed on for a couple of minutes!Madelyn playing with her friend, Judah, at the birthday party!These three girls are going to be nothing but trouble in a couple of years! From left to right, Delia, Adeline and Madelyn. Adeline and Madelyn will be in the same grade and Delia is a year behind them. Watch out boys, here they come!!!

Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oh my!

Today, our Wednesday Stroller Strides playgroup took a field trip to the Richmond Zoo. The Richmond Zoo isn't the best zoo in the world, but it's perfect for Madelyn's age group. We had a great time because the animals came right up to us. Madelyn really enjoyed the first half of our trip to the zoo and walked around with everyone and looked at all the animals. While looking at the tigers, one of them came right up to the glass window and scared Madelyn so she wanted me to hold her going forward which was not very fun for me. Madelyn's favorite animals were the monkeys and giraffes. She's been talking about them all day!

Looking at the birds with her friends, Bennett and Aiden. They were more fascinated with shaking the rope than watching the birds!

Watching the monkeys with the group!

Watching the monkeys some more! They were pretty entertaining!

This is the tiger that scared Madelyn which made the rest of my zoo visit not so enjoyable!

Madelyn and I hanging out with the giraffes!

The picture says it all!

We are very happy to announce that Baby McGuire #2 will be arriving at the end of March. I am a little over 12 weeks along and the due date is 3/29/10. We are very excited about growing our family and Madelyn can't wait to be a big sister. We are trying to explain to her that the baby is in Mommy's tummy. Sometimes the baby is in Madelyn's tummy and sometimes in Daddy's tummy. Hopefully she'll somewhat grasp the concept by March.

I have been feeling pretty good. I was very tired and nauseous up until a couple of weeks ago. Now I pretty much have it under control as long as I eat throughout the day and take a nap in the afternoon. I think I could get used to this afternoon nap!

We'll be finding out the sex of the baby the 2nd week in November. Last time, I had a feeling it was a girl. This time I have a boy feeling, but the heartbeat has been about 155 so I think it's a girl. It's an old wives tale but Madelyn was that range as well. Obviously, we'll be thrilled to have either!

End of Summer Fun at the Beach

We spent last week in Corolla at the Outer Banks with friends. We rented a huge house with two other families. Madelyn had a great time playing with all the kids. September is usually a great time to go to the beach because the rates are lower and the temperature is a little cooler. Unfortunately, we ran into some rain and it rained for half of our vacation. Despite the rain, we had an awesome time spending the last week of summer at the beach.

During the rain, we had to be creative in finding activities to keep all the kids busy. Despite the cooler weather on the rainy days, we were able to go on some walks on the beach as long as we bundled up with sweatshirts. On the day of Jackson's 4th birthday, we went to a mini aquarium, a lighthouse, and the kids painted wild horses. They had a good time and Jackson had a very fun birthday!

Madelyn loved the ocean and the waves, but she hated the sand. She said the the "Sand Hurt" which we know isn't true. She played in the sand as long as she had her water shoes on and I had to constantly clean off her hands when they got dirty. She loved having Bill carry her in the ocean and she leaned down and touched the waves. Madelyn also had a great time hanging out in the pool and hot tub at our beach house. The hot tub was a huge hit and we turned the temperature down to 98 degrees and it was a big bathtub for the kids!

Walking on the beach with Daddy!

Spending an afternoon at the beach on one of the rainy days!

Hanging out at the top of the sand dune with Daddy!

Madelyn is actually playing in the sand!

Catching some rays! Madelyn loved sitting on the beach chair and as you can see, she is wearing her water shoes!

Getting some sun with Daddy!

Getting doughnuts for Jackson's birthday!

Painting a wild horse with the kids!

Looking out at the water in Corolla!

The group eating dinner at the Oceanfront Grill in Corolla Light!

Madelyn loved hanging out at the pier after dinner!
Madelyn obviously loves sitting on chairs and benches!
Our family the last afternoon at the beach!