Our Day Pumpkin Picking

We went Pumpkin picking on Sunday and had such a great time. It is something I have always wanted to do as I love this season so much, yet up until yesterday never have. 

We went to Rombachs Farm and Pumpkin Patch which is only about 15 minutes away from us. It was a really really cold day and the wind was very strong so we didn't stay as long as we would have liked to. That's why we plan to go back next week when it should  be much warmer. 

Here are a few photo's from our day. 

Tiny Dancer

Calleigh decided to have a little dance with her Ariel doll and it is possibly the best thing I have ever seen! She does love singing and dancing! 

5 Fun Fall Activities with Kids

It's officially Fall. 

The weather is getting cooler, the days are getting shorter and there are lots of new, fun things to do now that summer is over. October is my favourite month of the year. I love Halloween and the start of the Fall season. I'm really looking forward to dressing Calleigh up for Halloween this year! There is also lot's of fun things happening in our local area that we will be going to.

Here is a list of my top 5 activites to do this fall.

Image Credit 

1. Visit a Pumpkin Patch and do some pumpkin picking- This is a great activity to do with kids. We have never done it before but are really looking forward to going this year. Just 15 minutes from us there is a great place called Rombach Farms which has a great Pumpkin Patch and lots of other activities to do there including hay rides, pony rides and a wooden maze. And the fun doesn't stop there, once you take the pumpkin home you can have fun carving spooky faces on it. 
2. Halloween Crafts- There are lots of places on the Internet you can download Halloween crafts for free. It's a great way to decorate your house for Halloween and practice creativity with your little one. DisneyJunior.com has a great range of Halloween crafts with all their favourite Disney Junior characters. 
3. Taking a walk- To me there is no better time to take a walk than this time of year. All the colourful trees, leaves crunching under your feet and lots of wildlife about. 
4. Keep a look out for local events. A lot of places will have Halloween and Fall special events and festivals. I know the St Louis Zoo is doing "Boo at the Zoo" for Halloween so we will definitely be visiting them this Halloween. 
5. Do some baking- Fall is a great time to indulge in some baking. There are some great recipes for Halloween cakes and cupcakes. You can find lot's of kid friendly recipes on the Internet and tips on how to make baking more fun with your little ones. 

Planning Calleigh's Birthday

I've already started planning for Calleigh's 2nd Birthday now.
Her birthday actually falls on Thanksgiving this year and the celebration will definitely be a little different to her last birthday.
To begin with family obviously won't be able to attend apart from Mee Maw who is flying out to see us again in November (can't wait).
And also Thanksgiving is a massive holiday in America and I can't imagine many places will be open for us to go on the day.

More importantly as she is going to be 2 (can't believe it myself, where did the time go?) and a lot more interested in toys there are lots of things I want to get for her. I already have a big list that only seems to be getting bigger. I probably shouldn't have started looking so early on but time just seems to be flying by and I know that before we know it November will be upon us. She already has a lot of presents hiding away that Auntie Lana and Mee Maw brought when they visited us in August.
We plan to get all her presents in November as knowing me I will end up giving them to her anyway before her birthday.

She is definitely going to be having a Little Einsteins themed party.
She loves those guys.

Unfortunately as Disney don't make Little Einsteins Toys or decorations anymore (thanks for that) it's pretty much going to be handmade by me. I'm not the most creative person in the world but as long as it's got them on I'm sure a two year old won't mind shabby work.

I have already made some things including a banner and some fun cut outs and now just need to sort out balloons and other little decorations to pull it all together. I only really get Wednesdays to do these things as Calleigh goes to daycare.
 Unfortunately you will have to wait until after the day to see them as I don't want to ruin the surprise. I will be posting about how I made them for anyone else that has a hardcore Einsteins fan and wants to make them.

For a birthday meal I will be making a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner (our first one)! Maybe with a little help from Mee Maw.

And as much as I love baking, I will not be making the cake. I want it to look good haha.
 So I will be going to a little Cake Boutique just down the road from us this weekend to talk about cake designs and what I want. I'm really excited about the cake. I don't know why, I just love cakes and cupcakes and think they will really be the centrepiece of the whole day.
Well after the birthday girl that is!

Sneak Preview of one of the decorations!!

Potty Training Progress

We brought a potty a couple of months ago to have around the house ready for when training began. Calleigh knows what it is for but up until recently has shown no signs of wanting to use it yet. We haven't pushed for her to start using it as she is still young and has plenty of time to learn when she is ready to. 

The other week, whilst having a bath I noticed she stood up and was showing her usual signs of doing a number two. With no other option we took her out of the bath and placed her on the potty just to see if she would do it on there. She stayed sat on it for some time and eventually did her business on the potty. I was so proud, we clapped and praised her and she enjoyed the attention (although she was more interested in trying to pick it up- eww).

We thought it may just of been a fluke, an achievement through convenience rather than a sign she was ready to begin potty training. But to our amazement the next day she did it again. Although it took a lot longer this time- poor thing. Again we clapped and cheered, praising her achievement and she clapped for herself too. 

I was beginning to think maybe she was ready to begin training and we should start to take the next steps. Unfortunately since those two times she has refused to go on her potty, taking us back to square one. 

I'm very much okay with this though, as much as it would of been nice to get and early start on potty training I believe it is up to Calleigh when she starts as it will make the process much easier if she is willing.

I don't want to force the matter so for now we will just keep asking if she wants to go on potty and until that day she says yes or gives us the nod we will carry on as we are. I am happy with knowing that she knows what it is there for and has a good idea on when to use it and what to do.