Festival of Lights

Since we didn't make it to the Festival of Lights at the zoo last year, we thought we would go this weekend and cross it off the list before all of the craziness of December hits. So we broke out the kids new winter jackets and hit the road. Chloe somehow got over the fact that her coat has "GREY" dots on it, and Drew finally realized that no matter what, he can't take his coat off. Once they successfully angered us to almost the point of no return with their complaining about their coats, we all actually had a good time seeing the lights and holiday characters. Santa and Mrs Claus were at dinner, so we didn't see them, but Chloe was pretty excited about a real-life Gingerbread Girl. Brian and I vowed that if we go back, we'll definitely be getting the "spiked" hot chocolate.....:)

Thanksgiving

Here are some pictures from Thanksgiving--this is only a fraction of the total number of kids at Aunt Joanie's--needless to say it was impossible to corral all of them at the same time for a picture!

Chloe's Songs from Preschool

After agreeing to my bribe of Oreos and Milk, Chloe made my day by singing her favorite preschool songs for the camera!

Julie & Adam Visit!

Julie & Adam came to visit this past weekend, and we had so much fun visiting in Dayton with Great-Grandpa Creech and lots of fun fall activities back in Cincinnati! I'm so thankful we had such great weather so that we could see Great-Grandpa play catch with Drew--priceless!

Chloe's Big Goal!

Tonight was Chloe's last soccer game of the season--and without a doubt, her best effort of the year! If she played with so much energy all year, going to soccer games in 90+ degree heat wouldn't have been so bad!! And to top it all off, she had her first and only goal of the season--I have honestly never seen her so proud!! So no one can ever mention to her that she scored a goal for the other team!! After all, this is YMCA soccer and we don't keep score, right?!

Big Girl Best & Best Friends

A picture of Chloe's new bed--we are still amazed at how high it sits off the ground, but thankful for the new storage room under the bed, since it takes up half of Chloe's room now! We had Chloe and Drew's best friends over last weekend, and everyone had a great time--in fact, the only crying of the night was Chloe when their parents came to pick them up! There is something truly special about best friends at this age!

Chloe: Soccer Superstar

Yes, yes, believe it or not....another soccer mom actually looked at me during one practice this season and said, "Wow, she is our superstar!" Now, to be fair, Chloe tends to go all-out during practice when there is no threat of physical contact, but she still shys away from the ball during the game. And she would still rather sit on the sidelines making friends, but that's OK too! (Note the large "egg" on Drew's head--courtesy of his failed attempt to jump UP the curb in the driveway!)

Trip to the Zoo

On a rare cool morning this month, we took a trip to the zoo with the kids and Mama and Papa. Chloe of course loved showing off on the rhino, but Drew was a little bit unsure....I guess he thought that the rhino was going to start moving!

Chloe's First Day of Preschool

Chloe's big first day at preschool was definitely a success--she is already reciting songs and things that she learned--so cute! She even told us this morning that we could just drop her off at the door and she would go up the stairs to her room all by herself--does this mean that she doesn't need us anymore?? sniff sniff!

A few more vacation pics (cont'd)

A few more vacation pics....

Norris Lake 2010

A few pictures from our trip to Norris Lake-we did our best to capture some of the fun moments, but with all the action going on all the time it was a tall order!

Lake Cumberland July 2010

Yes, that is Chloe on real, big-kid water skis! And yes, that is Chloe crying and screaming at the top of her lungs in protest! She could do it, just not willingly. Our weekend at Lake Cumberland with the Kuenning family was full of all sorts of first--from Chloe skiing to Drew swimming by himself (with the life jacket on, of course) to 12:45am kid bedtimes (oh yes, you read that right) to no naps all weekend long....oh yes, it was a fun/sun/water-filled trip that was so much fun, and so exhausting! I love it that Chloe and Drew have such good friends in Josie, Jack & baby Sam--and I'm so glad that we can make fun memories like this for them to share. Maybe next year we'll be able to get them to bed just a weeee bit earlier, though! :)

Chloe's Best "LeBron James"

The picture pretty much speaks for itself, but this is Chloe's best athletic feat performed to date--a leaping jump off the couch to reach the ribbon on the balloon hanging from the ceiling. Good camera work, Daddy!