Today was the first day here in FL that ‘fall’ clothes needed to be worn. Which the layers have since been striped off! So I broke out my poncho sweater, and the girls both loved it and commented on it. Reese said “look at mommy” and Brady said “I love your outfit mommy”. So I put the girls in their poncho sweaters from their fall wardrobe and we took pictures to share with you!
I LOVE the month of October because there is so many activities to do with youngsters. Before this past weekend we had already, attended the Montessori Fall Carnival, hosted a playgroup Halloween party, went to a pumpkin patch, and attempted to have a family sleepover. Well, as if that isn’t enough we packed full our weekend… Friday we carved our pumpkins, Saturday we attended the Pensacola Interstate Fair and the Blue Angel Park Halloween festival, and then Sunday we trick or treated with our close buddies! Are you tired reading that? Because it wore me out!!! Here is a picture story of our past weekend, but first, a HUGE thank you to my mom for making amazing costumes once again! Every year she out does herself again!
Friday was enjoyable carving pumpkins…I found my favorite thing about living in FL, when you stick your hand in the pumpkin to clean our the goo, it is warm and actually pleasant to do. I remember all the years of having to run in and wash my hands right away to warm them up. I included a picture of my pumpkin I was carving with a ice cream truck in the background, I will have to say that was a first!!!
So Saturday morning, we woke up eager to go to the Pensacola fair, it had been in town for over a week, so we were ready! Well, I looked up the time it opened expecting to see 9 well it didn’t open until 10. That was a hard wait, especially for Brady. When we got there at exactly ten, we had the whole fair to ourselves. We couldn’t play my favorite game “I got it” because there weren’t enough people to play! We did enjoy the agricultural exhibits with the pretend cow to milk and the potatoes to dig up. Also we got to taste beignets, which is exciting since that is the yummy treat Tiana makes in the movie the Princess and the Frog. I will have to say I was SHOCKED at the high price of rides": $1.25 per ticket and rides were 3-5 tickets each!!!
Then after Reese’s nap on Saturday we headed to the Halloween Festival at a nearby Navy run park. My battery on the pocket camera died so there isn’t much pictures. Though, let me tell you about the pink paint they used in the face painting…well it is STILL in Brady’s eyebrows and that is after several scrubbings of baby oil, soap, baby wipes and eye makeup remover. UGH!
Then on Halloween day we, trick-or-treated. Brady loved the experience. Once she figured it all out, she was running from house to house, I couldn’t keep up with her! Reese, not so much! She whined to be picked up and was scared of all the dressed up people. As parents, Karl and my philosophy is that even if our kids cry not to do something (that is typically thought of as fun) we try to work them past the fear and get them past the tears. Well, we never got Reese to that point and a third of the way in Karl walked Reese home. You can tell from the picture of me holding her how she felt.
My husband is a VERY happy man! Like I have been reminded many times, this is the first time in his life a team he cheers for (in any sport) has won a national title!
I know I have mentioned on several occasions my daughters obsession of the Taylor Swift. But I was thinking no one, not even Karl, knows really how obsessed my 22 month old and 3 year old really are!
Remember while you are reading this, say a year ago, I did not listen to any kind of country music and I really don’t care for female singers. My ear has always gone towards males vocalist like Daughtry, Bare Naked Ladies and U2.
Let me give you some background on how this obsession came about. Karl got Band Hero for Christmas last year. He would play it with the whole family on occasion. So this past winter, Brady kept telling Karl she wanted “the girl” as the song for him to play. Well after scrolling through the playlist he figured out “the girl” was Taylor Swift’s “Love Story”. Well, Karl informed Brady “the girl” is Taylor Swift, and from there it expanded to her wanting all the Taylor songs on there to be played. Then Brady started memorizing the words to the few songs she heard. Then for her birthday my mom bought Brady a doll that sings a 30 second blub of one of the song. Then my mom realized that Reese loved the doll too, so a month later we had two Taylor dolls that sang. Somewhere in there I bought the Fearless CD and as you can tell it was pretty much downhill from there.
Let me tell you on a DAILY basis how much Taylor is dealt with in the Orthner household:
-My van’s 6-disc CD player has 4 Taylor Swift CDs in it. Both Reese and Brady ask to hear Taylor when we get in the car.
-If Brady is in my bathroom while I do my hair or makeup, she is in my garden tub which she has established as Nashville (where Taylor lives). In there she has pretend conversations with Taylor.
-If one of the girls talk on the pretend phone, the conversation starts with “Hi Taylor, how are you?”
-Both girls are sleeping in a Taylor Swift t-shirt as I am typing this.
-Both girls have SEVERAL cut outs of Taylor on their walls (Reese:10 and Brady: 42 at the last count)
-They have a Taylor Swift 2011 calendar which also has more cut-outs taped in it. They both look through it probably 4-6 times a day. A couple days ago, Reese asked for the calendar to be her good night story. Brady has already planned to bring it for show and tell, which isn’t until Nov. 16th. She practices the show and tell on us at least once a week since she got the calendar.
-My girls are allowed up to one hour of TV a day. Well, ever since there was a Taylor 3 part special on the new channel HUB, my girls have requested to watch an hour of Taylor Swift (recorded from the special) everyday.
-We have a couple of toy microphones. At least once an hour you can catch either one of them belting out Taylor tunes into it.
-If there is a magazine or newspaper, Brady will sit down and flip through every page in hopes of finding another Taylor Swift to cut out.
-If I have my iPhone out, they ask to see Taylor since I have the Taylor Swift app.
-Brady’s drawings are mainly of Taylor Swift.
-Most mornings the first words out of Reese’s mouth is “Taylor Swift”.
-Both girls can do the hand motions that Taylor does when singing live for a few songs.
-I normally keep Brady’s hair cut to around her chin, going about every 6 weeks. Well I have been informed that she wants her hair to touch her shoulders like Taylor and no longer wants to get regular haircuts.
-And yes, if asked, Brady would tell you that she wants the next family vacation to be to Nashville, even if you mention Disney!!!!
I sure I am forgetting something, but I think you got the picture.
You may remember my failed attempt to go to a “get off the vine” pumpkin patch. Well, we decided to go for the close by church already picked route last week. We were a lot more successful this time at bringing home pumpkins! The girls loved looking at all the options. They also liked that there were bumpy pumpkins and green ones. Lastly, they loved picking out ones they could pick up themselves.
Here is the result of what we did with the big and little pumpkins we brought home with us!
