We also got to take a family outing to a pumpkin patch that was nearby - Old McDonald's Farm. It was SO much fun! They had a play area set up for kids, and Cora loved playing in the corn crib. She also loved going down the bumpy slide with Daddy! They had a pretty impressive petting zoo - Cora got to pet a toy pot-bellied pig, several baby goats, a rabbit, some sheep, a cow, a donkey, and a horse. We also got to take a hayride out to the pumpkin patch and pick out our pumpkins. Admission was $10 per person (Cora was free), and it included a pumpkin with each paid admission. Not a bad deal! We got a couple of really nice sized pumpkins.
Jeremy carved a pumpkin for Halloween. We tried to get Cora to participate, but she was having no part of it! She did love the "silly face" on Daddy's pumpkin. We recently had to throw it out, and she didn't understand why she could no longer find Daddy's pumpkin outside. Cora and I both painted pumpkins. She was very good about using her paintbrush! She had such a look of determination as she painted. She is very proud to show her pumpkin to anyone who comes over to the house, as it is proudly displayed on our mantle.
Cora and I also hosted a Halloween party this year! Daddy was gone to a football game, so he missed out on all the fun. We had yummy, spooky treats to eat and played some fun Halloween themed games. However, the highlight of the night was without a doubt bobbing for apples. After the adults finished, which was amusing, Cora and her cousin, Hayden, decided to get in on the action! They, of course, had no idea what the point of the game was, but they loved dipping their heads in the water! At one point, Cora did start to step into the bucket, but we drew the line there. Those girls were soaked by the time they finished....as was the floor around them. :) They did pick up the apples with their hands and then would drop them into the bucket and listen to them clang on the bottom. Eventually, Hayden decided that it was snack time and started eating one of the apples. :) Here is a video of the fun.
For Halloween this year, Cora dressed up as an ice cream cone, and Hayden was a cupcake. They were adorable! We went over to see Aunt Amye, Uncle Bryan, Hayden, and Aunt Mandy for a little while that afternoon. The girls had a blast playing outside in their costumes, and we got some really cute pics. Later that afternoon, after Daddy got off from work, we decided to take Cora trick-or-treating in Birchwood where she could see Jeremy's aunts and uncles and also his parents. We knew she wouldn't enjoy trick-or-treating much this year since she is terrified of strangers. Little did we know, she wouldn't do much better with Jeremy's aunts and uncles. We went to see Aunt Reba and Uncle Billy, and Cora had a total meltdown. She eventually warmed up to them and ate a Reese's cup that they gave her (her first one - she LOVED it!). They had also bought her a Dora ball that she enjoyed playing with. We moved on to Uncle Dennis and Aunt Anita, and Cora was being so bashful, she would not even look at them. She kept her head buried in my chest the entire time we were there. At one point, Dennis was talking in fairly close proximity to Cora, and thus began meltdown 2! We had thought about going to see some of Jeremy's family friends, but we knew at that point that it would not go well. So, we went on to Nana and Papaw's house, and finally she was happy! :) It certainly was not the ideal first trick-or-treating experience.
Here's another video of one of Cora's new favorite songs to sing: "Oh, How I Love Jesus". It is the sweetest thing. :)
She is also enjoying some Christmas music since her mama is listening to it. She loves Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph, and Parade of the Wooden Soldiers, particularly Harry Connick Jr.'s version of those last two. She also requests the Chipmunks fairly often now. We have also talked about how many of the Christmas songs we listen to are about the birth of Jesus. For whatever reason, Sara Groves version of "Angels We Have Heard on High" has stuck with her, and as soon as the song starts, Cora will say "Jesus was born" or sometimes "Jesus was a' born." She sings along with the Gloria's which is just precious. I love that she shares mine and Jeremy's love of music! I also love that she sings on pitch now. :)
Baby brother is still doing well. He's moving around a lot these days, and certainly has enjoyed punching and kicking my bladder! I'm essentially carrying around a 15 pound bowling ball on my abdomen these days which is starting to wear on me a bit. Carrying laundry up and down the stairs is not as easy as it once was! I am 25 weeks along today, so only 15 weeks left to go! Or possible as few as 13 weeks if he's early like Cora. We have decided on a theme for the nursery - we're selecting items from a Carter's collection that is a Monkey playing a guitar. It is really cute. However, that is as far as we've gotten, so we have lots to do in the next 3 months!
If you would like to see some of the pics from all of our recent fun, you can view my facebook album at https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100367056941870.2590074.12924167&type=1&l=601dfc59b9
