Little Miss Independent

Today, my 3 year old reached new levels of independence. While her "nesting" mother decided to pull out every item out of our pantry to organize, she decided I was making entirely too much noise and retired to the basement for some quiet play. She was down there for over an HOUR! Normally, she would come up and down the steps to make sure I was still there, but not today. She was just fine playing down there all by herself. . .in the peace and quiet!

Then, tonight, as we were eating dinner together as a family she said "can I eat downstairs, please?" I said, "No, we need to eat at the table so we don't make a mess downstairs." And her reply "Maybe I can eat at my letters table downstairs and eat my food all gone."

I mean, how can you argue with that logic??? So, little did I know this morning when I barely got ready for the day that I would be having a nice, romantic dinner date night with my hubby! Here is a picture of her, eating her meatloaf, potatoes and salad all by herself, in the basement.

And yes, that's right, she is not wearing any pants. Oh, and just so you know, as I was trying to capture the moment with my camera, she put her hand up in annoyance and said "enough, Mom." Are we 3 or 13, I mean really!?

Leaves!

Last week, we went to our friend's Connor and Peyton's house for a playdate. We have enjoyed weekly playdates with them for several years now. They have a beautiful yard complete with tall, mature trees, a playset, and wooden playhouse. This time of year, their house looks like it should be on the cover of a magazine with the unbelievably colorful trees! Since we live in a fairly new neighborhood, Mackenzie has never experienced the joy of playing in a pile of fallen leaves. So, last weeks playdate was especially fun for her. The 3 of them had an absolute blast throwing leaves, burying each other under a blanket of leaves, jumping into leaves, and riding bikes. Thanks again, Connor and Peyton, for sharing your leaves with us!

Trick-or-Treat!

This year, we enjoyed a fun night of trick or treating with Nana, Grandpa, Emily and her dog Liam. We have made it a tradition to meet up at our house for dinner, before heading out to trick or treat. Kenzie for the most part had a blast trick or treating. . . until she rounded a corner and met the dreaded wolf! Yes, that's right, she spotted a boy dressed in a wolf costume and from that point on, she was obsessed at all times with where the wolf was, and if he was coming to her house to get her. After visiting about 15 houses, her candy bucket became rather full and she was officially done. It had been a long day at her sitter's, with no nap, and lucky for her, she found a cuddly caveman to carry her back home!


Waiting for Trick-or-Treat to officially start!


Getting a picture taken with our neighborhood friends b/f heading out for candy!


Hitting the streets for some sweets!


Fairy Princess Kenzie



Kenzie and neighborhood friend Reggan


Kenzie and neighborhood friend Morgan




Kenzie and friends Andrew, Abby and a creepy caveman. . . oh wait, that's Daddy! :)

Neighborhood friend John and dinosaur daughter Morgan, Kenzie and Caveman Daddy


Kenzie and her entourage hittin' the streets for candy


Trick-or-Treat!


Crossing the street with a caveman




Catching a ride home with a cuddly caveman. . . trick or treating is hard work!


Showing off her candy!


family picture. . . someone is less than thrilled about posing, but I'm not naming any names!



Check out her loot!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO ALL!

Carving Pumpkins

Tonight we enjoyed one of our favorite Fall traditions. . . pumpkin carving! This was the first year that Mackenzie was an active participant. She decorated her own mini-pumpkins with a sharpie marker and helped us scoop out the gooey seeds. She loved watching the pumpkins transform into spooky jack-o-lanterns and was Daddy's assistant when it came to lighting the pumpkins on the porch. Now let's hope she's equally as excited about dressing up in her Halloween costume.

Loudonville Street Fair

This weekend, we headed up to Loudonville for the Free Street Fair (www.loudonvillefair.com). We look forward to it each year. We always enjoy spending time with our family, and Mackenzie loves getting to play with her cousins, Ella and Kaylee. Unfortunately this year, both of our sweet neices, along with Aunt Kate were under the weather, so they did not make it up for the Fair. Luckily, we ran into Vern and Ashley (Uncle Sam's Son-In-Law and grand-daughter), so Mackenzie had a buddy to pal around with! Even without the rest of the Buzzard clan, we still managed to consume a ridiculous amount of fair food, ride rides and visit with old friends. . . but it was definitely not the same without Jeff, Kate and the girls!



























. . . and what trip to Loudonville would be complete without a visit to Buzzard Family Shoe's (an after hours visit at that!:) Thanks Grandpa for the new kicks!