Preschool Halloween Party

Dear Kate and Riley,
Oh man, here I am, so far behind again. Papa Ross wanted to know if I'd posted pictures from Thanksgiving yet and I said I hadn't even gotten to Halloween! Let's see if I can catch up here a bit.

Zach was SO excited for his preschool Halloween party. He told me, several times, "Mom everybody can't WAIT to see me in my costume!" Yes, I'm sure his classmates were at home dying to know what Zach would show up in. One thing that kid never lacks is self confidence.

The party was adorable, the kids sang some cute songs and wore their costumes and had a little lunch. It was fun to see him interact with his teachers and his buddies in that setting.

Getting ready for the show, I was trying to video tape and take pictures so I'm a little short on pictures

lunch

I loved the little table where they ate, I was surprised at how well they all sat in their chairs and actually ate their food, much better than at home!

Best buds, the Big Bad Wolf and Cowboy-- Zach insisted on being a cowboy this year because that's what Will was last year, I wonder if he'll want to be the Big Bad Wolf next year? (I don't think Brady could pull off Little Red Ridinghood as well as Annie though)

Love,
Mom

Pumpkin City

Dear Kate and Riley,

I think Pumpkin City is the most exciting part of the Halloween season. It is really just an over priced carnival set up in a mall parking lot but somehow it seems so much more exciting than that. This year Dad was out of town at a training and I had to brave it alone. Luckily, Nate and Nicole and a whole wad of cash assured that the kids didn't miss Dad too much.

Seriously, how cute is this kid?

Brady was SO excited when he realized he actually got to go on the rides with Zach, he loves thinking he is a big boy.

on the train

these two crazies in the front of the train ringing the bell

Brady, driving carefully!

Nate was nice enough to stand in line with the big boys for the big slide, he suggested I ask if Brady could go down with me but I had no desire to go down that thing!

The boys love the boats, they were cracking up the whole time, and Brady was laughing just because Zach and Will were laughing so hard.

Zach loved the obstacle course but I had to post this picture because I couldn't believe how old he looks!

Love,
mom

Tanaka Farms Pumpkin Patch

Dear Kate and Riley,

The day before Zach's birthday he had his first preschool field trip. We headed to Tanaka Farms for the pumpkin patch. It was the same place we just went for the watermelon tour but this time for pumpkins.

It was fun to see Zach interact with his classmates and with his teacher. I sure wish I could be a fly on the wall in that preschool class some time.

I think Brady may have had the best time, he loved thinking he was one of the big boys. And look at Zach and Will, those two are hilarious with how much they love each other.

tractor ride!

petting zoo, and no there isn't food on his mouth, those are stitches on his lip, I guess I should write a post about that too

most of the kids from class, there were a few that were missing

they made it to the center of the corn maze

this time they got to pick vegetables which was cool

they also got to pick a pumpkin

Love,
Mom

A few last birthday pics

Dear Kate and Riley,

Just a few more I don't want to forget. The 4th birthday was a fun one.

birthday morning, a big box of clothes which was actually better received than I thought!

Candy Land! A new favorite and I like it because it is slightly less dramatic than Chutes and Ladders.

The "big" present, a remote control truck

books from Grandma Janice and Papa Ross

this is a funny face, more books from Grandma and Papa

I can't believe Zach is 4! It went by way too fast.

Love,
Mom

The Birthday Party

Dear Kate and Riley,

This year Zach was very excited to have a birthday party. Every time we went to a birthday party this year he would tell me all about what he did and did not want for his 4th birthday. Since we didn't really do a party for his 2nd or 3rd birthdays, I figured it was time to go for it. The problem we had was that he wanted to invite every person he'd ever met. I tried to get him to narrow it down to 5 friends so we could do something little and fun but he was not having it. So I decided, what the heck, invite anyone you want and we'll keep it simple with pizza at the park.

I just had to laugh when every single one of the 20+ kids he invited RSVP'd that they could come. And then add the forecast for that week-- temps into the 100's. And the day of his party would be the hottest of all, in fact, I think maybe the hottest of the entire year. We changed locations to a park with a little more shade and while the moms roasted, the kids didn't care.

Zach wanted a "race car party" which somehow evolved into a "ferrari" party but the good news is I could tell him any car was a Ferrari and he bought it. We had all the kids bring their bikes and scooters so they could "race". Then we got a little trophy for each kid. It was a hit, throw in a few pizzas and everyone was happy.

notice all the red, flushed faces! It was sooo hot!

best buds

thank goodness Ralphs had a race car cake, he was thrilled (it tasted gross but no one cared)

Brady, trying to get some action and Annie resisting. I really hope this is on their wedding video some day ;)

the little trophies

So the best part of the party was that Zach learned how to ride a 2 wheeler bike with no training wheels AT his party. How cool is that? He had been really close but hadn't quite got it before but one of his friends had this little bike there and he asked me to help him ride it and about 2 min. later he was cruising all over the place. I, of course, ran behind him like a freak taking pictures and videos with my phone since Aaron was missing it. It was pretty cool that he learned at his party.

It was a fun 4th birthday!

Love,
mom