Ride like the wind

With all of this beautiful weather we have been having, we've been trying to spend more time outside soaking the fall in. One of these days it's going to be cold:(, so we are taking advantage of whatever fall-like weather we can! We pulled out the bike trailer after a long time of disuse. Eli hasn't been on a bike ride since he was about 10 months old. He was to little at first, then it got too cold, then I was pregnant. But now, Kamdyn is finally big enough to sit up in it so we decided to pull it back out. The kids love going on bike rides. I think the first time we went, Eli just kept saying, "Dada......bike! Mama.....bike....fast," the whole bike ride. It was so cute. Kamdyn just jabbers away most of the time, or bothers her brother (surprisingly it doesn't seem to annoy him as much in the bike trailer...knock on wood...). I love when we go on bike rides. At this point, it's new enough to Eli that we don't have to fight him to get in the trailer. He is excited to go. Plus, it gives me some much needed exercise. Especially since I am usually the one pulling the kids (in Brian's defense, he offers to pull them every single time. The bike trailer won't work on his bike, so it has to go on mine, but I hate riding his bike, so I always pull the kids. He hates this, says he bets people think he's lazy when they see us:) This particular trip was the first time he pulled it because he didn't give me a choice in the matter:)) I'm sure hoping this love of bike riding lasts a while. (sorry for the crappy picture. apparently I can't see the thumbnails good enough when I'm selecting photos to pick a good, non blurry picture of our kids!)
P.S. Is this the life or what?!?!? I sure wish I could get a ride in the bike trailer. Love that Eli is pant-less too. Oh to be young again:)

Their favorite time

Our kids love bath time. I think it is, hands down, their favorite time of the day. They love it, mommy and daddy don't. I'm not really sure why either. Probably has something to do with the fact that instead of supervising them splashing in the water(usually getting splashed myself), I would rather be relaxing in my own bath, or bed, or sleeping, something peaceful (selfish, I know). Regardless of my dislike of this time at the end of the day, it is a great way to waste a little time before bedtime. Added bonus, the kids do love it. It is fun to watch them now because Kamdyn likes to play so much more. She is getting downright daring in the tub. She likes to try to pull herself up and you have to keep a constant eye on her. Eli loves to share toys with his sister and make big splashes with her. Maybe one of these days bath time will grow on me:)

Pumpkin Patch

We visited the pumpkin patch for the first time at the beginning of the month (we went on Oct. 2nd, I'm not TOO far behind:)). It was a pretty cold, windy, fall-like morning, but it didn't really bother Eli. I swear, I don't even think he notices the heat or cold unless he's in the bath tub. Either way, Eli had fun. We went to Applejack Pumpkin Patch in Augusta. There was tons of stuff for Eli to do. There was a playground, a "train", feeding goats, big slide, duck races, tractor ride (to the pumpkins), and you could even launch pumpkins for extra money. Eli made his rounds...his favorite was the barrel train. Big surprise there. The only fit he threw all morning was when we made him stop riding the train so we could go pay for our pumpkins and leave.

My boys:
Eli and daddy going down the big slide.
Isn't he a hottie?! I've got such a hunky husband...I'm one lucky gal:)
Me and Kamdyn.
The infamous barrel train.
In search of the perfect pumpkin
I was trying so hard to get a cute picture of this little pumpkin with the pumpkins, but she was far more interested in playing in the dirt.
Very poor picture of Eli riding the barrel train. He was in the caboose this time:)
Heading to pay for our pumpkins:)
In other news......Kamdyn had her 9 month dr. appt. this morning. She is such a little thing. Mom, John, Brian....I won the weight bet. I was the closest, and even I guessed to high:) At 9 months:

Height: 25 in (this put here under the 3rd percent for her height. Lol, what a little shrimp...she was 19 1/2 in when she was born.)

Weight: 15.15 (25th percentile)

Head Circumference: 17 in (50th percentile)

For the record.....

I am not supermom.........

Far, far from it actually. I love my kids dearly, but they drive me nuts sometimes.......I lose my patience, over-react, yell, scream, act like a child myself, feel like pulling my hair out, feel like ringing their necks (no one call child protection services, I would shut myself in my room long before this:)), ect. Being a mom is one of the most rewarding, exhausting, frustrating jobs out there. There are plenty of days where I wish I could trade my "stay-at-home" sweats in for a dress clothes and a 9-5 job. I don't get paid (not with money anyways) and there are plenty of times I feel like I must be talking to a brick wall because our two year old certainly doesn't listen to a word I say.

I will never forget a day around Eli's first birthday. My sis-in-law, Amanda, was over helping me frost some cupcakes. Eli was driving me nuts with his whinning and I said...."Eli, shut it". Probably not very nice to say to a one year old, but I guess the plus side is, he doesn't remember it. I just remember Amanda laughing and saying, "I'm so glad to see that you lose your patience with your kids too." Well let me set the record straight folks, I lose my patience plenty. I may seem like I am always so clam and collected with my kids and they just don't get under my skin. But that's not true. The older Eli gets, the more he tests my "iron-clad" patience. I still have a good amount of self-control and am very good at blocking out things that annoy me, which is probably why I always seem like my kids don't ever drive me crazy with their antics.

That being said, I love my job. More than anything. I wouldn't trade it for the world. There are days I want to escape to a foreign country, but I would always want to come right back. Because the bottom line is....no matter how much they get under my skin, I love them too much to miss out on all the love they have to give me. One smile, or one hug from them, is enough to erase some of the previous offenses they have built up. Walking into their rooms in the morning and being greeted with a big smile and total elation at seeing my face makes all those bad days worth it (ok, if I'm totally honest with myself, I really only get elation from Kamdyn anymore...Eli is much more excited about his trains, or the trains on his pillowcase, but I'll take whatever I can get). Being a mom is tough, but I am so thankful to have been given the ability and opportunity to raise these two kids.

But I just wanted you all to know, that I'm not supermom......and my kids get to me too. But they sure are cute (and so worth it!)

Say hello to my little friend....

The sucker......

I have recently discovered this little jewel for Eli. Parents aren't supposed to bribe their kids though, right? Well, I don't really bribe him with suckers, but they have proven to come in handy when I need him to behave and sit still for a little while. My grandma gave him one at the football game on Friday and he sat and just watched. Such a nice change, usually we are trying to chase him around and I'm short of tying him to the bleachers. I will take giving him a sucker anyday:)

Big Wheels

Eli got some new wheels for his birthday. His feet don't quite touch the peddles, so he doesn't really do much "riding", but it's still a pretty sweet little bike. Added bonus......there are tons of buttons to push, every kid's dream.
Kamdyn enjoyed her brother's bike too. Actually, I think she just likes all the buttons and noises it makes. It's probably a good thing she can't stay on this thing by herself yet. I'm just imagining the fights that might possibly break out between our two when she gets older....yikes...