The Pumpkin Barn 2010

Our girls...growing up!

I'm not even going to tell you what we were joking about to get the smiles in the above picture...but it worked!

Decisions, decisions, which one to choose...

There is just something about this next picture that I like, I can't explain why...there isn't anything special about it, other than my Kenney-Bear of course!

Our happy, go-lucky Kate!

Katelyn loves herself some big ol' pumpkins!

Take note of how gently Katelyn places her pumpkin into the wagon.

Now, take a look at Kennedy in this next series of photos. Let me commentate on the events that you are about to see..."She finds the perfect pumpkin, manages to pick it up, takes off running toward the wagon trying not to drop the pumpkin, she makes it to the wagon and...heaves it!" See, just like Katelyn, Kennedy likes herself some big ol' pumpkins, but she doesn't quite have the finess that Katelyn has with the heavy pumpkins.

But, she sure was having fun!

Another fun and memorable year at the Pumpkin Barn!

Kennedy's 1st Day of Preschool

Our pretty princess!

The sillies are just about to escape...she's not going to be able to hold them back much longer...

Yep, the sillies have arrived!

Laying on her sweet little charm

2nd Grade

Springing into Action

One of the first major milestones in gymnastics in getting your round-off backhandspring. Well, I am very proud to announce that Katelyn has officially reached this milestone. Checkout the short video clip to see our little gymnast in action.

I am looking forward to this year's competition season. Katelyn has all new routines this year that incorporate advanced skills...like the round-off backhandspring! Go GymQuest Level 4!!

I Love Having Big Kids

I always thought that having babies would be the best stage of parenting. I have to admit that there are definitely times that I miss my itty-bitty babies. But, I really am enjoying watching the girls grow and develop new interests. It is quite refreshing that as the girls get older, they also become increasingly more independent. As I poked my head into Katelyn's bedroom this afternoon to see what the girls were up to, I was so touched by what I saw...Katelyn reading to Kennedy in the middle of the afternoon while Mommy blogs...a beautiful thing!

I love how attentive Kennedy is, how Katelyn is also reading to her favorite teddy bear (which Kennedy is holding), and that Katelyn is wearing her styling new glasses. These images have made a permanent impression in my brain that I will always cherish.

Kennedy's Turn To Perform

     As many of you already know, Kennedy loves theatre performances. Up until recently, however, she was much too shy to even consider getting up in front of a crowd...even though she really has a passion for performing! Well, little Miss Kennedy has evolved this summer! First up, is her dance recital from June 2010. She was on a stage in a high school auditorium...and she did great! FYI...Kennedy's hair bow is really high up on top of her head...this will help you track her throughout her performance. She starts out on the very end of the line, but she moves around throughout the performance...good luck keeping up with her!


     And for the record, Kennedy was correct when she started walking stage right early in the routine...although she did forget to add her arm movements with her walk. Secondly, wasn't it hysterically funny when Kennedy and the other little girl danced right off the stage in the middle of the routine, only to reappear again when it was time to chasse back the other direction...darling!

     For Kennedy's second performance of the summer, she got up in front of the congregation at church this morning to perform a song and dance that she learned at VBS this past week. Katelyn, Kennedy, and their cousin Reagan all performed together this morning. You can pick my girls out of the bunch because they have matching outfits...blue skirts and hot pink shirts. My niece, Reagan, is the one with the adorable blonde curls and the striped shirt. Look at the joy on Kennedy's face throughout this performance...enjoy!

     Kennedy has really "come out of her shell" this summer! She even attended an art class for 3 weeks in which she didn't know any of the other students or the teachers. She marched herself right into class the first day and got right to work, without any hesitations! I am so glad that she has overcome her shyness! She is now such a happy, confident, and outgoing little girl!

Swimming Fun

Every summer, we start off by going to the pool several times a week. Then, by mid-summer, we make it over to the pool about once a week. As summer starts winding down and the panic of school starting back up sets in, we start heading to the pool more often again. We seem to follow this same ebb and flow every summer.

Both Katelyn and Kennedy have hit some new milestones with their swimming/water skills this summer. Kennedy completely abandoned her life vest, arm floaties, or any other type of flotation device this summer. Early on this summer, she proudly announced that I was no longer allowed to even pack such devices because she most certainly does not need them...and she was right! The girl took to the water, free as a bird...or should I say a fish! She swims, goes underwater, jumps in...everything! I do have to keep a close eye on her as she likes to head to the deep end of the pool to show off her skills.

Katelyn decided to try a flip off of the high dive this year. It is a funny story how all of this actually unfolded. We were swimming with our dear friends, the Scotts. Their pool has a high dive, something my girls have rarely even seen, let alone jump off of. Katelyn was so excited and spent a large portion of the day jumping off of that high dive. She asked Kevin to do a flip off of it. Kevin told her that he would do a flip if she did one...thinking that there was no chance that she would actually do one. Well, Katelyn proudly marched right up to the top of that high dive and did a beautiful front flip. I believe the words that came from Kevin's mouth were..."Oh crap, that wasn't supposed to happen!" Well, after standing up there trying to build up his nerve, Kevin too did a flip off of that high dive! I do have to point out that Katelyn had the better form on her flip...ha!

Here are some pictures of the girls just swimming and having fun in the water...

Kennedy's laugh is always this big, with her mouth open and head back...adorable!

Katelyn would run from the side of the pool, jump in as high as she could, and Kevin would flip her over his head.

Katelyn with one of her best friends from her gymnastics team...

Campout with the Cousins

We had all of the cousins over Friday night...7 kids ages 8 years old down to 4 months old. Kennedy had her heart set on a pinata...so a pinata we had! The kids always get into the dress up clothes, as evidenced in the pinata pictures below.

We also turned the evening into a camp out with 4 of the kids. Of course, it happened to be the hottest day of the summer, and the evening brought little relief. Needless to say, we didn't end up sleeping in the tent. We gave it a good try, but abandoned the tent around 1:00am for the nice, cool, air-conditioned house. We had a lot of fun and all of the kids were beautifully behaved!

Here is a glimpse into some of the fun we had...

New Look and Ready to Start Blogging Again

I have recently redesigned the look of my blog, Peanut Butter Pumpkin Pie. For those of you who have read my blog in the past, I apologize for my complete lack of posting in 2010. I am proud to announce that I have finally published my 2009 blog book and am now ready to jump back in and start blogging for 2010. New posts coming soon:)