A Few Fall Activities...

One of our favorite fall books, "The Little Scarecrow Boy" by Margaret Wise Brown

Ivy made a fall sketch book. She has been sketching leaves, pumpkins, apple trees, etc.

One of her pictures. She told me a story about her "Fall Picture" and I wrote it for her. (I felt sorry for her because I had  made her write a story earlier, her memory verse several times, her spelling words, etc.)

 I love Fall! More fun fall fun to come...

Look what mommy found.....

"Wow! Ivy, can I hold that book?"

 We had breakfast and I went to put some laundry in the wash. I came back and this is what I found. God used this to make me stop and count my blessings!

"Ivy, this book is so good. You make the best noises! Can you read to me again?"

Tiger Unit

Ivy read Tigers at Twilight out loud to me.  We love Magic Tree House Books

Lapbooks are such a great way to organize and keep up with all that we are learning on a certain topic

We don't do lapbooks all the time but Ivy loves it when we do.

Hard at work! Deep in thought!....

It's been fun learning about Tigers. Ivy even dreamed about tigers one night. Thankfully, she dreamed about a baby tiger!

So Big! Too Fast!

Sisters

How did she get this big so fast?

"Are you coming Ivy?"

SKY TOP

We took Ivy to the Apple Orchard! This was my most favorite trip! Cat told me about Sky Top and I love it! The orchard sits on top of a mountain and has the most gorgeous view!  They have hay rides, apple cider slushies, play grounds, pumpkins, butternut squash, rabbits, geese, sheep, a bamboo forest and apple donuts. Ivy really enjoyed picking her own apples. I'm really not sure if she was supposed to climb the tree to pick her apples. BUT she did! AND she loved it! Our favorite apple of the day was the mutzu apples.

"I'm so thankful for these two! What a fun day we had!"

"Trying to decide which way to go...Ivy always has a plan and it sometimes doesn't match her daddy's plans!"

"Ivy in her patchwork skirt!"

"Climbing a tree in a skirt!"

"Mom, I got the biggest, juiciest one on this tree!"

 So we headed down to feed the geese. I said, "Ivy, here is you a quarter, go feed the ducks!" She kept on walking. I thought she didn't hear me so I said, "Ivy, here is you a quarter, go down there and feed the ducks."  She stopped and looked at me and said, "Mom, ducks don't eat quarters do they?"  It was hilarious! She was so serious! Brent and I laughed so hard! My favorite moment of the day. She totally didn't realize that I meant go put the quarter in that machine and get the corn to feed the ducks. I left out a lot of details and confused her!

"Mom, these are heavy!"

A little tired and mad that we made her carry her apples!

BEES! BEES! BEES!

Bagging her apples with her dad!

I really am so thankful for the day we had yesterday! We loved the orchard. We missed Hayley but we are thankful for the time that God gave for the three of us to be together. Brent and I realized how important it was just to spend the day with Ivy! She needed it and we did too! Thank you grandparents for watching our sweet Hayley girl!

 Hayley, when you get older and don't have to stay in the stroller all day, we will take you to the orchard too! 

 (I just have a sneaking suspicion that Hayley had so much fun with her grandpa's that she didn't even know we were gone!! They spoil her ABSOLUTELY ROTTEN!!!!)

Oh, did I tell you all that I love the orchard? I really hope to go to the orchard again! (Jana and Cat are you listening???? We've talked about going to the orchard....when are we going???? And Ellen, you love apples and Leah needs and outing...when are we going to the orchard?????)  To my other family and friends....the orchard is so fun! I'll go with you if you want me too!  lol!!!!

After the orchard, we went to the fair! It was ok! We walked around and looked at the animals and Ivy loved riding the Farris Wheel. But, the orchard was our favorite! (or at least it was my favorite!)

Answers!

"This is good bread!"

This picture may seem funny to you but to me it is a picture of answered prayer. When we first introduced Hayley to solid food, she had a very hard time. She would gag and throw up everything even yogurt. I was so afraid that the tube that she had down her throat in the NICU had messed something up. I prayed that God would help Hayley learn to eat. God is faithful! Hayley loves to eat! I was making a peanut butter sandwich today. I put the bread on the bar and turned around to get the peanut butter. I was holding Hayley. She pointed at my bread and said "bite!" She wants a "bite" of everything! Praise God! I also praise God for giving Hayley hair! She was my little baby with no hair for so long. I love how God has blessed her with some wild hair!

To my friends who are "new" mommy's...my advice....pray about everything! Pray about your kids learning to crawl, talk, walk, eat, giving up their bottles, getting hair, nap schedules, etc. When I pray about "little" things, it makes me remember that it's all in God's hands anyway.  We always have someone who knows what's is best for our kids. He is always ready to listen. He is always faithful!

Oh...and she took 6 steps today!!! YAY!!! She walked from the refrigerator to the sink! Oh...did I say "Yay?" I might not be excited about her walking everywhere this time next week....

Yesterday, September 7th was Hayley's "due date" or the date that the doctors said she was supposed to be born. As you all know, God allowed Hayley to be born 2 months early. She was born on July 12. She weighed 3 pounds and 3 ounces when she was born. I often forget that she was a preemie because God has been so kind to her. I did remember yesterday because it was my sweet little niece Emma's birthday. I remembered that Hayley and Emma had the same "due dates!" I took some time yesterday morning to Praise God for His faithfulness in so many ways to our family. God allowed both Hayley and Emma to overcome a lot of "obstacles!" Both girls are so beautiful and so healthy! Thank you GOD!

Our sweet Hayley girl is very active and she is also very curious! Hayley is constantly on the go. She can crawl faster than I can walk. She has eight of the whitest prettiest teeth I've ever seen. She is so friendly to everyone. At Walmart, she waves at everyone and will say "AH" really loud until the person she is waving at waves back or talks to her. Hayley loves to dance, loves her big sister, LOVE, LOVE, LOVES her Papaw Dills and Paw Stewart. She loves her grandpa's more than anyone else. It is so funny! She cries when they leave her, she hangs onto their shirts and gets very upset if someone tries to take her away from one of her grandpas. She loves banana's. She can say "banana...very clear!" She says, "momma, Ida, da da and her favorite word its BA! She calls the deer Ba. She calls outside BA. Everything is BA!

Hayley laughs all the time. I LOVE to hear her laugh. If I laugh, she laughs, If she hears her daddy laugh, she laughs. She smiles and smiles and smiles. I love Hayley's blond hair and her blue eyes. I love Hayley's "Flinestone Feet!"

Hayley is ready to walk any day. She took four steps yesterday. She just knows that she can crawl so fast to get what she wants so why walk?

I could go on and on but Hayley now wants to dance!

Homeschool PE---Tennis

"Please, let me serve?"

"oh, it's so hot out here!"

"Ms. Ellen, why haven't you given me a few tennis lessons before mom sent me out here?"

Daddy's birthday

Brent's birthday was August 30th. The girls jumped in bed with him to tell him happy birthday. He isn't a morning person. When we finally got him out of bed, he took Ivy with him to McDonalds for breakfast. He had to leave his truck at the shop near McDonalds to get the oil changed. Hayley and I walked and went to the store for birthday supper groceries.  We had family time and apple pie!