Thursday, October 27, 2011

Fall Fun

Last weekend, Grandpa (or Heepah as Isabelle calls him) came for a long weekend. And we packed in quite a few autumn/Halloween activities! First was the pumpkin patch by our house. Every time we drive by, Isabelle squeals with delight, so we decided to try it out with Grandpa. Here is Isabelle in the hay maze with Daddy. She thought it would easier to just climb over the bales of hay, but Brendan made her find her way through! Go Daddy!



Grandpa and Connor on the wagon waiting for the ride.

Isabelle got to go on her first pony ride! She was so excited because she felt like she was right in the Barney episode on the farm. Of course, everything in her life relates to Barney.

Family shot at the patch. I think we have at least another 3 years before we can get both of the kids to look at the camera and smile.

Petting zoo fun. It is not enough for Isabelle to just pet the animals. She must KISS all of them. And when I say kiss, it's usually not on the back like you see here. It's a full fledged make out on the mouth.

We had a great time with our Grandpa at the pumpkin patch!

Now on to the neighborhood Halloween festival. We got to go with our neighbor friend Chase. They are SO cute in their little costumes holding hands. It is so nice that our homeowner dues go to pay for fun events like this!



Spinning the wheel for a prize. She got a big balloon.

Isabelle and Chase sharing a moment at the haunted graveyard.

Jumpy jumpy! Chase's first time in bounce house!

And here we have an example of Isabelle making out with a goat.


Getting her face painted...she was not too sure about this.



While my dad was here, we also went to the State Fair of Texas. It was too much fun! Last year Isabelle was not walking yet, so it was pretty much just me pushing her around in a stroller. Now the fun can really begin! She got ride on rides, play games, walk in front of the stroller rather than riding it, and eat all sorts of fun treats.


Playing a game to catch a ducky. Every kid gets a prize!


This was called Little Hands on the Farm. Each kid got an apron and a bucket and got to pretend they were a farmer, harvesting crops, milking a cow, and selling their goods at the farmers market. What a fun activity!



More petting zoo fun. Hello Mr. Ostrich!

Oh, and Connor was there, don't worry! Poor little buddy sits in the stroller so sweetly, and gets pats on the head and kisses every few minutes. Big sister is usually the center of attention...

Rides! Rides! Rides! We did the carousel and several other ones. We had to ride with her, but I had SO much fun, even on these kiddie rides! Here is Brendan leading her on to the monster trucks.


This hot air balloon ride was actually pretty crazy! I thought it would just go in a circle, but it lifted up and spun around wildly. I'm still not sure if she liked it...but I sure had fun!

Mmmm...ice cream!

Checking out all the rides at the car show. This was great because one of her favorite things to do at home is to sit in the car and push all the buttons. We had such a fun time at the fair. Next year will be awesome because Connor will be in on ALL of the action, too!!!

The weekend ended with the McKinney Performing Arts Center Halloween Party at a neighborhood called Tucker Hill. It kind of looks like a movie set with gorgeous homes and landscaping. They close off the streets, give the residents candy and tell them to decorate and dress up, and anyone can come a trick or treat. How awesome!

We met up with our neighbor Grace to trick or treat. No, Isabelle is not in a costume but in a festive Halloween ensemble. I thought she looked precious!

Here is an example of the neighbors at Tucker Hill. That little man was hilarious!


She loves all things Halloween, and isn't really scared of much.


She LOVED this reaper guy. Isabelle was high fiving him. I hope she continues to love Halloween. Next year we'll get her some kind of fun elaborate costume. This year we are using our Disney princess dress and a ballerina outfit. She really only gets that you get to see lots of pumpkins and ghosts, and get candy at people's houses (the most important part, really, haha).
We are so blessed to live in a community that has such wonderful free events for its residents. Happy Halloween!!!