"Authentic Fall Fun"

On Monday, we headed with our new (and super cool) friends Kelly and Eloise to a farm to soak up everything fall, harvest, and halloween. We went to The Farm at Swan's Trail in Snohomish where the website boasts that it is "home to authentic fall fun for everyone." You might wonder, what the heck that means? I had no idea either. Well, along with the traditional hay ride to pick out pumpkins, there was so many things to do, including: animals, a water pump game [don't really know what to call it, look at pics of it below], corn pit [again don't know how to label it], tube slides, tire swings in the shape of animals, hay maze, duck races, and so much more that we didn't even get to do. 

I kept remarking to Kelly that "we could be here ALL day long." We really could have if Whit didn't have to take a nap. We were there for well over 3 and half hours and all the kids were happy the whole time and not once bored. That constitutes "authentic fall fun for everyone" in my book.  

Even though his face doesn't say it, he is pretty excited to be here. 

Checking out the animals. Mae loving up on Whitaker. 

Whitaker saying, "OH! OH! OH!"

Eloise a little dubious about what this Play Area is all about it. That was only for about a second. 

Water pump thing. This thing kept them entertained for quiet awhile. 

Watching the duck get pushed by the water from the pump. Fascinating! 

Kelly showing Mae and Eloise how it is done. Again, fascinated! 

Corn Pit. Really it was. They had probably a 10 by 10 foot area completely filled with corn kernels. It was like a ball pit but with corn. I got in at the end of the day and it was pretty relaxing in there. 

Whitaker enjoying the corn. 

Whit trying to make it up a dirt hill. He realized he couldn't walk it so he had to take it down to a crawl. 

You got to give it to his kid, he never gives up and rarely asks for help. 

Trying to get his balance. 

Made it. 

Time for some tube slides. Whitaker, of course, had no fear about doing this on his own. 

And neither did Mae. 

Eloise, Kelly, and Whit onto the hay. 

Mae holding on to the tire swing shaped like a horse. There really was no place to put her feet, which made it rather hard to stay on. 

Hay Maze

These were the ducks that participated in the duck race, which I thought was the coolest thing of the farm. 

Tractor ride! 

Putting her feet up while enjoying the ride. 

On the hunt for the perfect pumpkin. 

Whitaker enjoying eating dirt. 

Mae's pumpkin! I told her to hold up and she put it in front of her face. 

Back to the water pump. I told you that my kids couldn't get enough of this. 

Relaxing in the corn after being at the farm for 3 hours. 

Sometimes I Wonder...

if these kids have any intelligence?!?! 

Perfectly Your Mother

There is an article making the rounds on the internet that hit pretty close to home for me yesterday. It was beautifully true. The author of the article writes about pictures of her with her kids. She writes, "I'm everywhere in their young lives, and yet I have very few pictures of me with them. Someday I won't be here -- and I don't know if that someday is tomorrow or thirty or forty or fifty years from now -- but I want them to have pictures of me. I want them to see the way I looked at them, see how much I loved them. I am not perfect to look at and I am not perfect to love, but I am perfectly their mother." 

The article hits so close to home for me. The author speaks about how she is never in her photos because of her fear of what she looks like. I delete photos ALL the time of me when I am in them. I think that my face looks too fat, my body looks too large, and I have too many wrinkles. Combine that with the fact that I am not in that many photos of me with my kids since I am generally always taking them. 

This afternoon, I took out my camera when we decided to haul the tent outside and have a snack picnic. The weather was, yet again, perfect and my kids were adorably happy. I couldn't imagine not capturing their beautiful faces and smiles. While taking photos, Mae insisted I join them in the tent, which is no easy feet for an adult. I decided to oblige her. Coincidentally, I didn't put my camera down. Hearing the author's words in my head, I decided to take photos of me with Mae. Whitaker joined for a second and wreaked a lot of havoc - got to love that kid. The photos of me make me cringe because I think that I don't look perfect - my chin is too pointy, the bags under my eyes are too dark, my double chins are too many. But I can only hope when Mae and Whitaker read this one day, they know that I am "perfectly their mother." 

Holy Cow!

I don't really even know how to categorize the weather we have been having in Seattle but to say it has been picture perfect and totally out of character for the Emerald City. I know I have already raved about the weather recently but REALLY folks the weather is absolutely positively insanely beautiful!! It is sunny when we wake up but has the crispness of fall. Then the weather warms up in the afternoon to the 60's and some days even 70s. I can't even tell you how over the moon excited I have been. The kids and I have been out and about each morning and afternoon. Here are some photos from the last week. On Sunday, Mae and I met my friend Deanna for a goodbye walk along Lake Washington. It was so nice that Mae insisted on wearing a bathing suit because she wanted to go swimming. She even brought along her inner tube. 

Deanna and Mae

Mae Goes to the Dentist

Today, Mae went to the dentist for the very first time. I was a little delinquent on the doctor's orders to take her before her 3rd birthday but I partly blame being gone for all of August and the other part I blame on Pearson for not doing it.

When I told Mae a few days ago that we were going to the dentist, she seemed a little bit nervous about it but that was NOT the case today. When I told her that our plan for the day was to go to the dentist and then the "fire engine" park, she wanted to leave immediately. I didn't know if her attitude was going to be the same during the exam but she was a total rockstar about it all. I attribute part of that to the television on the ceiling that played cartoons while Mae got her teeth cleaned. My younger sister's comment to that was, "Damn, these kids have it so easy these days." To which I said, "I think it is more for the parents well being." Mae did so great that I was even able to leave Mae in the chair to let Whitaker terrorize the reception area for awhile. 

The best thing of the visit was that Mae has great teeth (so far). Now we can only hope that her love for the dentist continues and she doesn't become like her father who will wait years to go. 

Mae meeting her hygienist Mirabel. 

Mirabel explaining some stuff to Mae. 

All smiles! 

So far so good.

More explaining by Mirabel. More listening by Mae. 

Headphones on. Stuffed animal in hand. 

Watching Dora while getting her teeth cleaned.  

In the zone. 

Calm. 

Whitaker checking it all out. 

Stats

Today, Pearson and I took both kids to the doctors. Mae for her 3 year checkup and Whitaker for his 15 month appointment (although he is already 16 months). Pearson and I are happy to report that our kids are healthy and presumably happy. Also, one of our kids [Mae] is a complete stud and ask for the flu vaccine in a shot form over the easier nasal spray. Isn't that ridiculous (or studly) that my 3 year old wanted a shot?!?

Here are the kids stats:

Whitaker Ian Cummings (15 months)

• Height 32" (63.25%)
• Weight 25 lb 3.2 (74.52%) 
• Head Circumference 48.8 cm (89.49%) - The kid has a huge head. 

Mae Rose Cummings (3 Years)

• Height 36"(18.57%)
• Weight 30 lb (40.63%)
• Blood Pressure 92/56

There you have it. Our kids are growing up.