Kersey Valley Maize Adventure

A couple of weeks ago, we went to one of our favorite fall places, Kersey Valley.  Each year, this farm adds more attractions to its Maize Adventure, and it's such a fun place for families.  The new feature this fall was the bungee trampoline area, and L&L were allowed to take unlimited turns on the trampolines.  Once they felt comfortable, the kids started doing flips, and Leah counted that she did 30+ during one of her turns! 

Next to the bungee trampolines was the Rock Wall.  Peanut once again proved to be fearless, and she climbed higher than any of the other children.  Both Luke and Leah took several turns on this climbing wall, and were quite successful in their attempts!

The Kiddie Zipline is also a favorite, although I think that Luke's days on this attraction are numbered.  He's so tall that his feet almost touched the ground this year!

Speaking of tall, I can't even comprehend that his head reaches the 5 foot mark in this picture. Amazing!

Our day at Kersey Valley turned out to be even more exciting when we realized that our good friends were there, too.  We joined them for the rest of the day, and these 4 buddies had a blast on the giant jumping pillows!

Daddy is such a kid at heart, and LOVES these jumping pillows each year!

Another attraction was this cute little water pump area where the kids raced plastic ducks.  It kept them entertained for a long time, and was such a simple, adorable activity:

We took a ride around the farm in the tram train, and the girls wanted to take a picture in front of the tractor that pulled us.  These are such sweet friends!

After lunch, we entered the corn maze.  Mimi was with us, and we were eager to complete the scavenger hunt and find the punch stations that were hidden within the miles of pathways.  Inside the 10-acre corn maze, we worked as a team, solved the mystery, and found our way out... Hooray! 

Our last stop was the pumpkin patch.  My little pumpkins are growing, but still humored me by wearing their Halloween shirts and posing for pictures:

Fall also brings sweet treats.  Our neighbors brought L&L candy apples from the North Carolina State Fair, and the kids' eye widened when they saw these yummy conconctions!

Lastly, I may have jumped up and down, squealed, and caused a little scene when I found these pajamas at Gymboree last week.  I thought that our days of matching pjs were over, but when there is a size 8 and a size 12 just sitting on the clearance rack begging to be purchased (for $5!), and those happen to be your kids' exact sizes, it seems like it was meant to be, right?   The kids have worn them almost every single night, and the joy that this brings to Mommy is immeasurable.  

Halloween is just a few days away, and we're excited for our family costume reveal/theme this year.  Stay tuned!  

All she wants for Christmas is...

...her two front teeth!

September was a busy month for the Tooth Fairy.  Within a span of 48 hours, Leah lost both of her top teeth!  The first tooth to go was her upper left tooth, which had been loose for months.  Peanut fell in May and knocked this tooth loose.  Since then, it's been hanging on, and has been a bit of a bother for our sweet girl.  There was no corn on the cob eating this summer, biting into full apples was a challenge, and the tooth was annoying and uncomfortable.  The dentist encouraged Leah to wiggle it, and in its own good time, the tooth finally came out.  Leah pulled it out herself, and was so proud!

We put the tooth in Leah's tooth pillow, and it was a very exciting evening for everyone!

As soon as the tooth was out, Leah was able to wiggle her upper right tooth, which was also loose.  Within two days, this one was hanging on by a thread, and the recent novelty of the Tooth Fairy's visit (as well as the celebrity status that you earn in first grade when you have a "window") encouraged Leah to ask for Mommy's help twisting this one out, too!  

  My favorite detail is that Picture Day at school was one week after the loss of these two teeth, and  captured this very adorable stage.  Leah's permanent top teeth have already emerged, so we know that her toothless smile won't be around for long, but we couldn't adore this grin any more and are overwhelmed by its cuteness! 

September Sports

I'm pretty sure that September is my new favorite month.  We are a family who thrives on and embraces structure, and there is such comfort in settling into our September routines, being back at school, and starting fall sports.  Each September, I have an ambitious list of projects that I'd like to tackle once the kids are back at school, and I set lofty goals for what I think I'll be able to accomplish.  With this "to-do list", the resumption of weekly extracurriculars, and a myriad of back-to-school events, the month flies by, and it's always busier than I anticipate.  However, it's the best kind of busy, and we spend our weekends doing what we love: being at the soccer field and watching WFU football:

BB&T Field: Home of the WFU Demon Deacon Football Team!

Our seats on Deacon Hill.  Life is Good!

This fall, Leah moved up to U8 (under age 8) soccer, which is all girls (vs. her previous U6 co-ed team).  Mark is coaching her again, and he commented on how different it is to coach an all-girls team.  I immediately thought he meant that there was girl drama or that the girls were overly sensitive, and responded with some "helpful suggestions".  

Mark retorted, "No, it's great.  The girls actually all listen to me when I talk.  They are respectful and polite.  No one is falling all over each other, no one tackles the player next to them, and it's no longer like herding wild cats..."  

Ahh, yes, it's a whole different world coaching boys vs girls.  Coach Mark deserves this sweet girl team this year (after years of patiently coaching wild boys), and Leah was thrilled when she found out that her team's uniforms were turquoise, her favorite color!

Leah's team named themselves the Blue Ninjas, and it's been really fun to watch these girls play.  They are aggressive and quick, and we're really enjoying this soccer season so far! 

U8 is the first age group in our rec soccer league that introduces official goalies, and I remember marveling at how big the goal looked compared to little Luke when he was this age.  I was no less amazed this time around.  Look at that teeny tiny Peanut in that great big goal!  Leah loves playing goalie, and we love watching her determination and fierce spirit:

Luke hit the jackpot with his U10 soccer team this fall.  He has a great coach and many familiar faces on his team, including his best friend, Aiden.  When Luke and Aiden found out that they were on the same team, they immediately started brainstorming "plays" and team names.  Luke is currently reading the Percy Jackson book series (which is based on Greek mythology), and he and Aiden proposed to name their team the Maroon Minotaurs.  Luckily, the team agreed, and the Minotaurs are having a great season. 

In the first game, Aiden passed the ball to Luke, and Luke scored a goal.  On another play, Luke assisted and Aiden scored, and these two 4th graders still can not stop talking about their moments of fame and glory.  Oh, how great it is to be nine!

In other September sports news, Mark participated in his second annual Victory Junction 5K this month with a team from his work.  Victory Junction is a camp for children with disabilities, and last year, a handful of Gilbarco finance employees ran in their inaugural race to raise money for this wonderful cause.  This year, the Gilbarco team grew to over 85 people, including Luke, who asked if he could run the 5K, too.  We were so proud of our Bubbie for raising over $100 to help sponsor a camper:

Both boys did great in the race, and we were impressed that Luke placed 4th in his age group (age 14 and under).  While Luke and Mark were running, Leah wandered around with Poppy and me, and was able to pet Victory Junction's mascot and take a turn driving a giant 18-wheeler:

Finish Line!

Cheering for the runners!

While we are talking about running, here's a picture of the new running shoes that I bought for Luke:

It seems like Luke often complains that his shoes are too small, and this kid's feet are growing faster than I can keep up with them.  He went from a Youth 4 to a Youth 6 in a matter of weeks, and when I told the cashier at the shoe store that my nine year-old needed new shoes AGAIN, his jaw dropped:

"Wait, he's NINE, and wearing a Youth Size 6 (equivalent to a women's size 8)?  That's going to be one BIG boy..."   

I am used to these comments about my tall children, and just nodded.  

"One BIG, BIG boy..." the cashier continued to mutter under his breath.  "WOW."

So here's Luke's shoe again (in the front of the picture), beside Mark's size 12 (in the rear of the picture).  The scale/perspective is a little off, but it's not too far from the mark.  I had no idea that I was buying Luke nearly identical shoes to Mark's, but it does make their below racing outfits even more coordinated.  (And I may get teased for calling those "outfits"...)  

Even though September seemed to pass in a blur of sports fun, we still took time to try to sit and soak it all in!