Happy Fall from The Valentines!

We endured just over a week of sickness in our home full of strep throat, croup & general exhaustion with every member of our family.  We were thankful to be feeling better & could hardly wait to have enough energy to head over to the Pumpkin Patch in Celebration.

Our last experience with pumpkins was when were went to the Dallas Arboretum last fall.  Charlotte threw one up in the air, over her head & we saw it go splat right in the entry of the lovely Arboretum.  She had a little more respect for the pumpkins this time around & little sissy is not quite strong enough yet to hurl them up in the air so we (or the pumpkins) were safe to say the least : ) We stayed for nearly 2 hours & could have stayed for longer.  These two girls were so happy looking at all the different shaped pumpkins & all the colored gourds.  They carried them all over the place, tried to climb on top of the big ones & made sure they rubbed the dirt all over their faces multiple times throughout our visit.

I was laughing as I picked out their outfits knowing it was about 85 degrees outside. That just seems strange even being from Houston. Eloise had an adorable summer style but fall colored little outfit my mom had made for Charlotte when she was about 16 months old. We borrowed a dress & shoes from Char’s friend Macy & I whipped up a sash and a couple bows to coordinate the outfits. They looked precious…not that they cared one bit but, isn’t it important to look cute when you visit the pumpkin patch just in case there is someone their who might like to take a picture?

I never succeeded at getting both to look at me & smile at the same time but that was alright….they were happy to look at all the other mom’s taking pictures ; )

I think these are two of my very favorites….at least at this moment they are….

But I really love this one too since she actually smiled her regular smile….
and this one, my little Charlotte who is rarely serious these days & is looking older & older!


I had to include one of Eloise with her tongue out since that is pretty much a way of life for her ; )

So our first trip to the Pumpkin Patch was last Thursday & Jenny, Karis & Isaac were planning to join us but Isaac had a fever that just wouldn’t go away.  We awoke this morning to a chilly 50 degrees outside with a high in the mid 60’s & decided that it was a once a century chance to go to a pumpkin patch in Central Florida with weather like this! We picked up the rest of the Valentine clan & headed back to Celebration.

My adorable niece & nephew are NEVER short on smiles & are much easier to make giggle than my stoic two.  Get ready for some cuteness!

 
Don’t you think it would have been so neat to have a picture of all the cousins together? We did too but it was IMPOSSIBLE with a grumpy Eloise. Oh well, maybe next fall! Just kidding, I have a feeling it’s only getting more difficult with every baby (or two) we add! Also, this pumpkin patch said no strollers allowed so I can guarantee I am not taking that trip alone!

We are so very excited about our cool weather this week.  I think one reason I love it so much is because I know it only lasts for a bit! Here's to fall!