A mixed bag

This post is a bit of a mixed bag - a couple random things I've meant to blog about and just haven't gotten around to.

First, Katie is no longer in her crib. About 2 months ago we finally made the conversion to a toddler bed. For months we made alterations to her crib to prevent her from climbing out. But, once she started climbing out each time she didn't want to nap/sleep we didn't have a choice any longer. She is so proud of her "big girl bed" and shows it off to almost everyone who comes to our house.

Knowing that Katie may be our only child, it was difficult for me to put the crib away. I cried as we were taking it apart. To me it signified that our little girl isn't really a baby anymore. She truly is more grown up each day and showing her independence in so many ways. Its both wonderful, and a little sad.

Katie also had her first LunchBox day at school. She and I made a special shopping trip to pick out her lunch box. Initially, she selected a boys lunchbox which had a football, a soccer ball, and a basketball on it. I vetoed that choice thinking something more girlie would be appropriate. My mom laughed at the story....since I was the worst tomboy of all.

Pumpkin Pickin' - 2011

Mommy is almost as tired as Katie this afternoon and is considering a nap of her own....so I'm going to let the pictures do most of the talking for me on this post. We headed to Chesterfield Berry Farm today for Pumpkin Pickin', Hay Rides, Corn Kernel Pits.....and lots of other fun and games. Our fun-loving little girl had a blast!

We were one of the first 3 families to arrive at the Berry Farm and basically had the place to ourselves. Katie immediately took off running across the field to go play!

First stop was the Moon Bounce........ALWAYS a favorite!!

Next up was the Hay Ride out to the Pumpkin Patch......

Katie's telling her daddy which pumpkin she things is the "perfect pumpkin."

Showing Papa how to drive the tractor.

Playing in the corn kernel pit.

Last stop was the Barrel Train ride.....and it might have been her favorite. She had a tantrum when we had to leave....fortunately it was short lived.

And one video....

The State Fair

What a busy weekend! Yesterday we went to Charlottesville, and this afternoon (post nap) we headed to the Virginia State Fair. Matt had to work, but Katie and I had quite the trip. I didn't get too many pictures because it is very difficult to manage a stroller, a diaper bag, a 2-year old, and a camera when you are by yourself. I left our nice camera behind and just used my cell phone....when I could.

Our first stop was the livestock area. Katie got to see horses, cows, and sheep. Oh - and when we arrived there was a sheep riding (similar to bull riding) contest for little boys (like 7/8 year olds). It was soooo cute, and pretty funny to watch. After the livestock area - we headed to buy some tickets and ride some rides. I can't tell you everything we rode......but 2 specific rides were Katie's favorite. One was the Merry-go-round and the second was a Katie sized bulldozer ride. She cried hers eyes out when she had to get off that bulldozer - so we rode it 3 more times! :-)

After our rides, we headed to the crafts area - and then to get some yummy and totally unhealthy fair food. We settled on corn dogs, french fries, and funnel cakes.

Our last stop on the way our was the livestock area again. Katie is a little afraid of large horses - but she kept asking to go back and see them. I wish we could have stayed longer and taken in more sites, riden more rides, and eaten more bad food - but it was getting rather cold and late so we headed home. For all you Richmond folks reading this blog.....get your little ones out to the fair! They will LOVE it! Also - kids 2 and under get entrance and rides for free (at least that was the deal today)!

Hoo-ville

Its the first day of October and it feels like fall....and football weather. Since Matt had planned to go to the UVA game anyways - Katie and I decided to join him for part of the day in Charlottesville. Uncle Jake plays for the UVA band, so we went up to watch him in his pre-game rehearsal and eat some lunch. Katie loved the music and running all over the grounds.

We are all so proud of Uncle Jake and all he has accomplished....and goodness knows the family (not necessarily me) is happy to have another WAHOO in the crew! :-)

Blue Shaving Cream

Katie is fascinated with shaving. She watches her daddy shave, and likes to touch his smooth face when he's all finished. One night before bath, she managed to get into the bathroom cabinet where the shaving cream is stored. Instead of having a fight over taking the shaving cream away, I thought we'd have some fun. By the end of the bath, we were both laughing histerically.....so much fun this little girl.

Another night - we decided to mix blue finger paint in with the shaving cream. The water was so blue and cloudy we ended up draining it out and starting over. :-)

Odd Schedules

Dinner time at the Barnes house is usually just Katie and me. Matt works evenings at the hospital, so he has The Bug in the morning and I get her in the afternoon and evening. I've been trying to get into work at 7-7:30 each day so I can get out by between 3 and 4. Our odd schedules mean that Matt and I don't see much of one another during the week - but we try to maximize our Katie time as much as possible.

So, with it just being me and Katie at night - dinnertime conversations are interesting. I always try to ask Katie about her day at school. Usually I get an answer, but its very generic unless something special has happened. Normally she tells me she played with her teachers and her friends. This week is community safety week at school. As part of the community safety program, the school brings in members of the local police force and the local fire department. Katie was SOOO excited this week to see the fire fighters and get onto the fire truck. I asked her what color the fire truck was - and she told me it was yellow. I was a bit suspicious on that (I thought they were red). Turns out she was right - all Henrico County fire trucks are yellow.

Irene, Woolwine, and School

Time to play catchup from a multi-week blogging absense.....this post will be a LONG one!

The last weekend in August, Richmond got hit hard by hurricane Irene. We were out of power for 6 days. Fortunately, there was no damage to our house just some to our neighborhood. We spent 3 days at home, 1/2 day with Rob and Katherine, and 2 days with Popa and Abu. There is only so much camping out at home.....with no A/C that one family can take. The video below is from our time at Rob & Kat's house.....the girls play so well together. I think its so sweet how Claire "mothers" Katie. :-)

Then, I left Thursday afternoon around 5 PM for Woolwine. Katie and I spent the Labor Day weekend visiting Nana, Papa, and Gigi. Katie had so much fun in Woolwine. She helped Papa dig potatoes and wash them. She played with Maddie the neighbor's dog....and generally spent as much time outdoors as possible.

In other updates - Katie has moved up to the next classroom at school. She is the youngest child in the class right now (ages are between 2 and 3). I think she likes her new class, but she definitely misses her old teacher Ms. Liz. I got my first indoctrination into "school projects" in early September. Katie's class is doing an "All about me" theme for the month. Each child is supposed to do a poster showing pictures of their family members, their favorite foods (pizza, spaghetti, and goldfish), drinks (milk and apple juice), books (Maisy Books), and activities (playing outside & coloring). Nana came up with the idea of doing a Family Tree....and letting Katie finger paint the green leaves portion of the tree. Katie loved it and, of course, got green paint on virtually EVERYTHING. Finished product is below.