Cousins Just Want to Have Fun...

A few days with three 3-year olds and an infant.

Avon Walk 2012

I have returned from a more than AMAZING weekend in New York.  I joined 4,000+ participants and walked the city, crossed some bridges, and landed on an island while meeting so many incredible people.  We raised over $8.2 million for the foundation!

Things I never want to forget:

• My friend Laura!
• My family and friends who have been diagnosed and are fighting breast cancer this year - Aunty Barb, Karen, and Laura.
• The three men in pink whose shirts read "Testies for Breasties"
• The group of ladies who raised over $73,000 this year
• The lady from Turks and Caicos
• The women who took a picture at every mile marker and dedicated it to  someone in her life affected by breast cancer.
• The lady on the shuttle talking about her chemo regimen this summer
• The mother and daughter who made a collage of all the pins, stickers, and buttons we received over the course of Day1.
• The hot breakfasts and coffee
• The Youth Crew and the young man who spoke at the opening ceremony dedicating his efforts to his Mom.
• The brother and sister who were walking in honor o their sister-in-law.
• The sweet lady who helped us figure out how to use those mylar blankets on a cold morning.
• The men wearing shirts that read "I LOVE BOOBS!"
• All the women in pink tutus.
• The random people on the streets of NYC that thanked us as we walked by.
• My Dad who came to the city to make sure I had a cold beer and good dinner after day 1.
• My Mom for coming to NC to take care of Kate and Max
• Peter's unconditional love and support!!!

 

I sincerely appreciate all the wonderful support I received from family, friends, and neighbors through donations, emails, snail mail, phone calls, visits and texts.

Green Level Gourd Farm

My Mom and Emma are here for a couple of days so we took the kids to a nearby farm since the weather was perfect and I seem to love any reason to see pumpkins in October.

Playground Area

 

Hayride

Donkey Ride

Green Acres

The kids and I thoroughly enjoyed the Green Acres Farm this weekend.   The weather was perfect - sunny, clear and warm.  There was so much to do we did not even get to everything. 

Some of the highlights:

Bounce Structures

Hay Stacks

Farm Machinery

Spider Rope

Pony Ride

Sand Pit

Hay Ride

Pumpkins!

We are ready to go back!

Max

A few updates about my sweet boy!

Legos Duplo - He really studies the pictures and replicates the objects in addition to his own creations

Singing - He loves to sing and asked if he could take singing lessons.  When we had the camp fire in Maine he busted out with "Ring of Fire."

Crafts - The other day he said he was working on a project... When it was all done he brought it to me and told me it was a card to give Anna on her birthday. I squeezed him so hard and had to fight back the tears.

Reading - Over the last two months he has started sounding out words in books and spelling words by sounding them out.  He rhymes words and then spells the new words he comes up with.

Play - Inside or outside he has no trouble finding ways to entertain himself, Kate and Anna! He loves setting up Anna's farm "the right way" with all the animals in place.

Pretend - He loves pretending to be a fireman, a captain, Kate's Prince Eric, scuba diver or pirate.

Cooking - he loves to bake with me.  He will ask me if we can go to the grocery to get all the "gredients" to make cookies.

Party - Max loves a good excuse for a Rain Party - where we go outside on the front porch, eat yummy treats and read books.

Dance - The boy loves to shake his booty.  

School - He loves school, his teachers, crafts, snacks, the playground, singing and playing with his friends.

Kate

A few updates about our Kate-a-potomus!

Pretend - I can hardly keep up with which princess she is from hour-to-hour.  She is constantly getting married to Prince Daddy or back-up Prince Max (when Daddy is at work).  She has rings for them and herself and she showed Daddy how a really prince and princess kiss which was hilarious.

Dance - She loves to dance and shake her booty.  She especially loves to do her ballet which means slow motion twirls, pursed lips, and closed eyes - so funny.

Cooking - She loves helping us in the kitchen.  She will help cook, bake, and CLEAN (huge bonus).

Hair Do's - Kate loves getting her hair done every morning.  She tells me exactly what she wants and patiently waits for it to get done.

Animals - Her baby animals are her prized possession. She cares for them endlessly - making beds for them, taking them to the doctor, finding new homes for them. Anna's baby animals keep dissappearing...

Crafts - Her art projects are getting neater and more organized.  She is working on coloring/painting inside the lines.  She draws stick people and has a story to go with each picture she draws. She recently started tracing letters.

Hoarder - She collects "stuff" and organizes it all over the house.  She loves a good organizing project which she calls "my work".

Reading - She loves to be read to and always begs for one more book. She has memorized how to spell a few words beyond Kate and Max and is very proud to "read" every stop sign we pass.

Sister Love - Kate has unconditional patience when it comes to Anna. She will sit with her while she eats, make faces at her so she laughs, sets up her toys in every room and encourages her endlessly.

We love our little firecracker!