Halloween, Here We Come!

We're busy gearing up for Halloween! We've ordered our costumes, we're rockin' our fall wardrobe, we have a few Halloween parties on the horizon, and today we visited a pumpkin patch! 

At the pumpkin patch...

C, Daddy, and J loaded up on the tractor and ready to head out into the pumpkin patch.

Mommy and Margaret on the tractor.

Daddy and J looking out across the pumpkin patch.

Caroline gor right down to business, hauling pumpkins through the patch.

Julia was happy just to sit and look at the pumpkins.

Margaret couldn't have cared less about the pumpkins. All she wanted to do was eat snacks.

Caroline sitting pretty with her pumpkins.

1, 2, 3, everyone only Mommy look at the camera!

Caroline and Mommy after we tackled the corn maze.

SO big!!

I had a great time at the pumpkin patch!!!

 Back at home...

Julia the Jack-o-Lantern looking cute while keeping an eye on big sister.

I love my Halloween jammies!

Aren't I a cute little pumpkin??

Margaret off to school in her Jack-o-Lantern dress.

Julia ready for school in her owl dress (and carrying a travel hairspray just for good measure).

 Margaret

Julia

Fall is for...Baking!

We must have jinxed ourselves with all that playground plundering and nice weather talk because we've had nothing but chilly temps and rainy days here since the weekend. Yuck! We've stayed as busy as we can indoors though, meeting friends at Cartwheels and Coffee, snuggling in to watch a movie or two, and making some yummy snacks to share with our friends and preschool teachers.

Here's the treat we made together today...holiday pretzel bites. I love these because Caroline can do all of the prep work, which she absolutely loves since she always wants to help in the kitchen but isn't always able to do so safely.  We used Pumpkin Spice Hershey's Kisses and autumn colored M&M's this time around. My only complaint is that the Pumpkin Spice Kisses didn't melt as easily as regular Kisses do, so this batch wasn't as "pretty" as other ones we've made. That's okay though, they still taste delicious!

Tomorrow I will be baking a dessert to share with my fabulous supper club ladies. I still haven't picked which recipe I'm going to use, but these are the front runners. I really don't think I can go wrong...

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars
http://pinchofyum.com/peanut-butter-chocolate-chip-cookie-cheesecake-bars

Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake
http://www.pauladeen.com/recipes/recipe_view/pumpkin_gooey_butter_cake/

Pumpkin Gingersnap Tiramisu
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/pumpkin-gingersnap-tiramisu

Holiday Pretzel Bites

Here's a picture of a very pretty batch...

Prep time:  5 mins

Cook time:  4-5 mins

Ingredients

• 1 bag waffle pretzels (I like the butter flavored ones)
• 1 bag Hershey Kisses - any flavor you're in the mood for!
• 1 bag M&M’s

Instructions

1. Unwrap Kisses and set aside in a bowl. 
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Fill baking sheet with as many pretzels as you can!
3. Place 1 Kiss on each pretzel.
4. Bake at 170 degrees for 4-6 minutes, or until kisses have melted to cover most of the pretzel.
5. Remove from oven and gently place an M&M on each pretzel. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes to set.

Julia helps Caroline unwrap the Kisses.

Caroline carefully placing the pretzels on the cookie sheet...

...and the Kisses on the pretzels.

              While the pretzels were "baking," the girls sampled some of the extra Kisses. Yum,,,

Yum...

Yum...

... and yum!!

My little bakers, Julia, Caroline, and Margaret

Delicious!

Playground Junkies and Soccer Shots!

We've been spending an extra lot of time playground hopping lately. The girls and I are like a bunch of fresh air junkies willing to go anywhere for our next outdoor sliding and swinging fix. All it takes is a friend to shoot us a text and we're out the door with our snacks and sippy cups in hand, ready to have a great time!
 Check out some of the fun we had over the last couple weeks...

It's snack time at the playground, but Julia prefers to eat on the run.

Julia taking a breather.

Margaret trying so hard to be like big sister.

Julia watches as Margaret shoots down the twisty slide.

Margaret going round and round.

Caroline the climber

Caroline SO eager to master the monkey bars.

Climbing up for another ride down the twisty slide.

Peek-a-boo, we see you, Margaret!

What's worse than cleaning up one kid who's been in the sand pit? Three kids who've been in the sand pit.

Sliding sisters....

Margaret takes a wild slide ride...

And in other news, Caroline is really enjoying her latest activity: soccer!! She plays after school one day a week and then with her Soccer Shots "team" (aka a bunch of wandering 3 and 4 year-olds with varying states of interest in actually playing soccer) on Saturdays. During her first game, Caroline actually scored a goal!!

Dribbling during warm-up

Listening intensely to Coach Evan. Or day dreaming about butterflies.

Ready to play!

Boo-yah! I scored a goal!!!

15 Month Old Stats

Despite the fact that Julia and Margaret are well on their way to being 16 months old, they just now completed their 15 month check-up. Here are the girls' latest stats and a little bit about each of their personalities at this age.

Julia
Weight: 22 pounds, 12 ounces
Length: 30 and 7/8 inches
Teeth: 6 fully in, and molars on the way!
Words: Mama, Dada, dog, hug, water, eyes, jump (all inarticulate except Mama and Dada)

Julia is playful and intense. She loves music, roughhousing and climbing, all things related to pretend play, and snuggling with Daddy.  Julia has an endearing way of getting into trouble while simultaneously looking adorable. She vents her frustrations intensely with tantrums, biting, hair pulling and even breath holding spells (thankfully not all at once). But she is also quick to forgive and loves to give hugs and kisses and receive them in return. Julia tends to jump into social situations with ease and can often be found introducing herself to a new friend by yanking on her hair :)

Margaret:
Weight: 20 pounds, 12 ounces
Length: 29 and 7/8 inches
Teeth: two on the bottom, and one breaking through on the top!!
Words: Mama, Dada, dog, bunny, eyes, shoes (all inarticulate except for Mama and Dada)

Margaret continues to be our sweetheart. She is sensitive, joyful, and quirky. She makes us laugh every time she throws her hands up in the air and loudly exclaims, "Dah!!" upon seeing something she likes or finding something exciting. Margaret adores books, Mickey Mouse, all things soft, tutus and shoes, and food, food, food. Despite being 2 pounds lighter than Julia, Margaret could beat out either of her older sisters in an eating contest on any given day!  Margaret does not particularly enjoy new experiences and would much rather observe them from the safety of Mommy's arms. 

Here are more pictures of our 15 and a half month old cutie pies!!!

Margaret and Julia

Julia

Margaret