First Field Trip

I'm so thankful for my Rare Pair group.  Not only do all the wonderful Mommas involved help me keep my head on straight, but the fun activities planned for the kids keep us coming back for more! Like this particular beautiful, fall morning...several of the moms, with toddlers in tow, met at a fire station, while the bigger kids were in school.  This was Layla and Jenna's first field trip and I'd say it left a lasting impression in their sponge-like minds...we now have to drive very slowly when we pass a fire station so they can totally scope it out.  The fire station we visited that day was station #3 in Moore.  The facility was really nice and the firefighters were even nicer.  Most of these pictures are of Jenna, since she was totally into casing out the joint.  Layla stuck by my side, but you could tell she was taking it all in.     

Photo Disclaimer...more iPhone pics.  For the record, I didn't forget my camera again, I just forgot to charge the battery.  

Firefighter: "Hey, young lady!  What are you doing back there?"

Jenna: "Oh, I was just going to see how long I could hold a plank on this ball."

Jenna: "Wait a minute, are we gonna have to take a nap?"

Layla: "Can someone turn on 'Caillou'?  I'll catch up with y'all later!"

Jenna: "So what you're saying is fire is bad."

Jenna: "Sweet!  Perfect for climbing!"

Jenna: "You don't mind if I slip these on, do you?"

Layla: "Keep it moving, sissy!"

Layla: "Mommy says we can only bring one toy in the car.  These guys are so lucky!"

Jenna: "Stand back, folks!  I've got this under control!"

Jenna: "No, really.  I can drive this thing.  I swear."

Jenna: "Yes, sir, I would love one of your fancy coloring books and pencil."

Layla: "Thank you, sir!"

"Thanks, Rare Pair, for organizing this trip and thanks fire fighters for having us out to your home!  We learned so much!"

Oklahoma State Fair

All you Okies know that the Oklahoma State Fair has come and gone and I'm sure a lot of you went.  We went too...I'm not sure why, but we did.  It's not that we had a terrible time, I just think it's a little much for two year olds...my two year olds at least.  They enjoyed it, but I think they had more fun at the Cleveland County Fair.  I, on the other hand, thought the State Fair was a whip.  Maybe I'm just being a sourpuss about it because we made two colossal mistakes...

1. We didn't bring the good camera.
2. We chose not to bring a stroller.  

Now the first mistake, is not a huge deal...I've always got the iPhone to fall back on, you just don't always get the shot because it doesn't click fast enough.  But, the second mistake, well, that was a doozy...a 36 pound doozy.  There was a lot of ground to cover and, for the most part, the girls were happy to walk.  The problem, though, was that they move at a snail's pace and it was way too crowded to just let them roam.  The bigger problem was that the 36 pound doozy wanted Mommy to carry her, while the 26 pounder was much happier with Daddy.  Thus, sourpuss Mommy. Nonetheless, the good times were good.        

Jenna: "Hey, sis, you gonna be brave again and ride that thing?"

Layla: "Nah, I wouldn't want to show you up again."

"Now the petting zoo?  We're all about that!"

I love how Layla is tucking her sunglasses in her shirt like Daddy does.

"You think we can convince Mommy and Daddy that this swing would look great in our backyard?"

"It's like this round chair was made just for us!"

"Hey, look at the....!"

(I can't remember what we were looking at.)

"Let's go swimming!"

Jenna: "Thanks, Mom and Dad, for the cup of sugar!"

Layla: "All my sugar is gone."

This, by far, was L&J's favorite part...the hot tub showroom!

Sweet sisters!

Sorry for all the hiney shots...I guess that's what you get when (A) you miss the shot because your using an iPhone and (B) they are constantly running away because you don't have them in a stroller.  Lesson learned.

Oogieloves

On Labor Day, we took Layla and Jenna to see their very first 'REAL' movie...you know, like in a theater and everything.  What possessed us into doing something as crazy as that?  Well, a really, really awful movie was released that I thought would be just perfect for them.  Honestly, it's not very often a movie is made for big screen that is truly geared toward two year olds.  Even most Disney movies can be over their heads, not to mention a little scary at times.  But, I read about this one in People (yes, I subscribe) and saw a preview on tv and thought we should give it a whirl. Still, we had very low expectations and figured if we at least sat through 30 minutes of it we would consider it a success.   

"We're at the big movies!  I guess this is where Daddy goes with his friends a lot."

"This movie looks spectacular!"

"Um, yes.  We'll have some of this, please."

"Ooh, what nice, fuzzy seats and a booster to boot!"

"A movie AND popcorn???  What a treat!"

Believe it or not, the girls did great!  We stayed the entire movie and they were engaged the whole time.  Does this mean we'll be taking them to a movie every weekend?  Absolutely NOT!  In my opinion, there are 3 specific reasons why this trip was such a success...

1. The movie was tailored to two year olds.  About every 10 minutes or so, the kids were directed to stand up and dance along with the Oogieloves.  Perfect.  
2. This particular theater has a lot of legroom between the rows and we sat in the back which has even more room.  That meant the girls could stand, move around, and swap seats without bumping into everything and everyone.  
3. There was only one other family in the theater.  That, alone, allowed my anxiety level to go down.  I didn't have to worry about disturbing the other viewers if the girls were talking or, heaven forbid, got upset.  A less anxious momma results in less anxious children.   

Well, I guess I'll need to keep my eyes open for another terrible movie like this to come along.  Let me know if you hear of any!

TG Farms

Oh Fall, how we love you...especially because you mark the start of pumpkin patch season!  Our first patch visit was with my Rare Pair - Mothers of Multiples group out at TG Farms in Newcastle. Again, this is one of those annual events that just gets more and more fun every year (apparently, it gets colder too...last year was just down right hot!)  

Near the entrance of the patch stands this gigantic ruler...how cool to be able to see just how much they've grown!

                                     October 2012                                                             October 2011

Moving on...

 Layla: "Hang on...someone take my picture!  This is just too cute to miss!"

First off, Layla's favorite...the animals!

"Wow!  Look at those piggies going wee wee all the way home!

Layla: "Well, hello, cutie!"

"Want a little snack???"

Layla: "Gosh, Daddy, this little guy is hungry!"

Jenna: "Now, you two need to share...at least that's what my Mommy says all the time."

Jenna: "This doesn't seem like the safest place to have a snack, but who am I to judge?  Safety has never been my forte."

At some point during the day, we all stopped to get a group pic...can you find us?  

Back to business...

Jenna: "Check out my true Olympian form!"

Layla: "Now this takes total concentration."

Jenna: "Boo!"

Layla: "Man, climbing to the top of this haystack sure is a lot of work!"

Layla: "But, the payoff is AWESOME!"

Jenna: "Hey!  Can someone push me?  My legs aren't long enough!"

Jenna: "Check out this impostor trying to sneak into the pumpkin patch!"

Jenna: "Here's a winner!"

Jenna: "Coming through, coming through!"

Layla: "This just might work better if I roll it."

"Alrighty, we're loaded up...time to head home!" 

Thanks, Rare Pair, for organizing another fun outing to the pumpkin patch!