We had a very fun first this week - Livi's first field trip! The Tadpoles headed to Waterman's Family Farm and I was very excited to be able to go along. Nine preschoolers with two teachers and five parents are pretty good odds, right? Of course, the first snow fall of the year the night before was an added surprise. Nothing like having to brush snow off your favorite pumpkin before taking it home!
And what trip to the pumpkin patch is complete without a hayride? Livi certainly loved it! I think most of the hay even stayed in the wagon.
An added bonus at the pumpkin patch was the train ride. The kids thought it was great! Although it was cold out, the kids (and the adults) had a great time. I only wish I could've crawled into Livi's cot with her for nap time afterwards. That much fun is very tiring!
The next day was the start of my fall break - yeah! Since my birthday fell during parent/teacher conferences and Josh and Livi were in a minor fender bender (thankfully no one was hurt!) we delayed celebrating a bit. Livi and Josh took me on a shopping spree that included one of my favorite stores - Kate Spade! Livi helped me pick out a cute pink purse/bag for work and was very eager to help pay for it.
After a fun day of shopping, there was no rest for the weary. Livi and I headed north to Grammy and Grampy's house, while Grampy came to our house to help Josh finish up the new windows before the weather gets really cold. Doing what we Banks girls do best, we headed for dinner and shopping at the mall. Grammy bought Livi a cute (and warm!) winter coat and hat. I think Livi may still need a little practice putting it on though (although she apparently has no trouble slipping my shoes on)!
After spending a few days at Grammy and Grampy's house, we drove home and quickly stopped at our house for a quick change into Livi's Halloween costume so we could meet the Galyen family at ZooBoo. We lucked out with fairly mild weather and very cooperative kids! Although, the last picture in this bunch cracks me up. By this point, Olivia was done having her picture taken and was starting to get hungry and tired. Way to pose for the camera, Livi!
Livi has also finally taking a liking to the carousel (the jury was out for quite a while on this!). She was very excited to ride the "monkey". She also went for a wagon ride with her friend, Spencer. While it would make his mommy and I very happy if he does indeed turn out to be her prince charming, I think for now Daddy is still the man who hung the moon!
Due to some very nasty storms, trick-or-treating was postponed until November 1st this year (have to love Halloween in Indiana!). But, that didn't stop the Halloween parade at preschool! And it gave me another opportunity to practice my Cinderella hairstyling technique. (Thanks to Debbie Smith for sharing this pic!)
Finally, the big night for trick-or-treating arrived (although Livi loved each and every opportunity to dress us as Cinderella!). She happily and proudly beamed on the front porch as she posed for pics before she and Josh headed out for candy. The "Em in Ems" were her favorite.
Since I was on candy patrol, I was very excited to see this princess ringing the doorbell. She even humored me by yelling, "Trick or treat!"
When it was all said and done, Livi got quite a haul (Josh and I may have sampled a few pieces just to make sure it was safe). She also had some Cinderella earrings she insisted she needed at the store but took them off pretty quickly at home (can't say I blame her!). And what does a princess eat for dinner? Why macaroni and cheese with chicken of course!
I had so many favorite moments this week, but this one really takes the cake. Olivia and her classmates sing this song before meals at preschool. She has been singing this song on and off for the last few weeks, but it was so hard to catch it on video. She sings it with such pride, happiness, and joy. It's moments like these that make the guilt that sometimes go along with being a mom who works outside the home (trust me when I say ALL moms work!) a little bit less.
