Pumpkin Patch Kids

We went to the pumpkin patch last night. We have gone to this pumpkin patch for the past few years. We loved taking the cutters and a wheel barrow and going to cut pumpkins. This year they changed it so all of the pumpkins were already cut. The kids love to "drive" the tractors and go through the corn maze. We tried to grow our own pumpkins this year, but were unsuccessful again. Next year for sure.

Daxton was being Indiana Jones in the corn maze.

Snowy Sunday

It snowed at our house a couple of weeks ago. It was just enough to play in. It didn't stick to the roads and we didn't have to go anywhere, just like I like it. I really enjoy the first couple of snow days of the year, especially if they come before Christmas. We went out in our backyard and played in the snow before church. We even made a snowman and snow angels. It was a blast. Too bad Kenny had meetings and didn't get to play with us.

Makenna learned quick from Daxton to eat the snow. Thanks Dax.

Football, Football, Football

Daxton has been dying to play football. We finally signed him up for flag football and he has loved it. He really wants to play tackle next year when he is old enough. We are not sure about that, but we all loved flag football. The best part is that it doesn't conflict with Saturday college football games. Dax had a great coach and a fun team to watch. He scored a touchdown in every game except for one. He had a chance to play offense and defense in every game. The last game we finally told him we would pay him a quarter for every flag he pulled. We should have started that at the beginning of the season. He used most of the money that he earned from soccer to buy football receiver gloves. He loves to tell his football stories. He must get that from Grandpa Korth, because most of them are made up. Just ask him about the football practice where he was attacked by birds who dug their talons into him.

Dax handing off.

Dax playing center.

Dax on his way for the touchdown.

The video is of Dax scoring on a two point conversion. About midway through the season, he learned how to cut back across the field.

Sorry the video is so bad, it was taken with my regular camera.

Playing Tag

My brother-in-law Jon tagged me, thanks to Kyle my nephew. Jon probably tagged me because he is sick of checking my blog to see that I haven't posted anything. Here goes.

Name & meaning: Cherice= beloved, dear (really, I looked it up)
Age: 36
Nicknames: She-nae-nae (only from Russ at the Off Broadway Theatre)
Favorite Activities: playing games, swimming, running, biking, camping, raquetball, reading
Favorite Food: Today it is fresh garden salsa
Least Favorite Food: Anything soggy (i.e. bread, cereal)
Favorite Music: I'm not picky
Favorite Toy: I have toys? I guess our Brain Age game
Favorite Book: The Alliance
Favorite Clothing: pajamas
What makes you happy: Being active with my family
What makes you sad: The state of the world today

I tag Kenny

Mandi's Wedding

Kenny's niece Mandi married Bart on September 20, 2008. It was a beautiful day. Kinlee and Makenna were flower girls for the ceremony. I wasn't sure if they were really going to be a part of the wedding or not. Mandi was nice to invite them, even if it was risking a wedding fiasco.

Kinlee went to get her hair done with the other flower girls at the hair school where Mandi went. The poor girl who got to work with Kinlee was so sweet. She did her best to get some curls in her hair with a curling iron. (She has never had her hair curled before.) I ended with some cute pony tails and some curl. All of the girls looked beautiful.

Mandi rode to the garden ceremony in a horse drawn Cinderella carriage with all of the flower girls and the ring bearer. We had to sing songs to the girls while they waited to keep everyone in control and in the carriage. They all felt like princesses. Mandi was great with them. Mandi's dad, Kevin, helped everyone out of the carriage. (Kinlee decided that she liked the carriage and wanted to get back in. I had to go and grab her so Mandi could get out.) Makenna followed her cousins down the aisle and to the front (with a little encouragement from grandma). She was such a big girl. She even stood at the front during the whole ceremony. Thanks to her cousin Lilly (who is 3) she even managed to not jump in the pond. The wedding fiasco was averted.

Daxton didn't want to leave the reception until the dancing was over. It was a good thing that we didn't. They were so cute dancing on the side until it was their turn. I danced more in public that night with my children, nieces, and nephews than I think I ever have. It was a blast.

Thanks to Mandi, Bart, Kevin, and Sherill for allowing my girls to feel like princesses for the day and for giving Daxton, Abbie, and Hunter a play day, all day.

The boys with the bride and groom.

Tanner, Hunter, Mandi, Bart, Mylan, Daxton, Jamison, and Dallin.

The girls.

Abbie, Lilly, Mandi, Makenna, and Kinlee.

Makenna loved her basket of flowers.

The girls in the princess carriage.

Lagoon Day

For the past few years we have taken our employees and their families to Lagoon when it is 2 for 1 days. It has been a lot of fun. A lot of my family came with us this year.

I hated the roller coaster when I was a kid. It scared me to death. I always said that I would never make my kids go on rides that they didn't want to. Come on, isn't riding rides supposed to be fun?

So here I am at Lagoon some 30 years later with my daughter who doesn't even want to go on the kiddie rides. We go up to the Odysea ride, which I can sit right next to her on, and she starts screaming before we even get in the ride. I was determined to show her that it could be fun. I strapped her in as tight as I could and off we went. She still screamed a lot, but she was beginning to relax.

Next I took her on the Dinosaur Drop ride. Unlike the Odysea ride, you are right in front of the line of people waiting. As the ride dropped, Kinlee would do her mad face and kind of squeal, and then the whole way up she would hit the safety bar and yell "stop, stop, stop". Luckily for me, not everyone could tell what she was saying. It was so funny that I couldn't stop laughing. So those cute little people in line were watching this distressed 4 year old with Downs Syndrome freak out, while her mom was laughing. (Yes, I am up for the parent of the year award.) The thing that I knew and they didn't is that I would get a bigger reaction from her if I turned off her favorite TV show or made her eat her dinner. It is all relative. So, so much for not making your children ride the rides. By the end of the night she actually liked riding a few rides. Too bad we only go once a year, because by next year we will have to start all over again.

We made up for all of the drama with playing at Lagoona Beach for several hours. My girls love anything that they can do with a swimming suit on this year.

Madison, Makenna, Haley, Chelsie, and Jake.

Makenna and her cousins at the pavillion for dinner.

This is the cute guy that was on "So You Think That You Can Dance?"

to promote awareness that people with disabilities can do great things.

He is also going to be in the new "High School Musical 3".

This was the last ride. The girls weren't sure if they liked the boats this time.

I had to get a picture of the tears.