Favorite Farms of Cornelius

The rain and wind calmed down so we finally made it to our two favorite farms in Cornelius, LakeView Farms and A Maze in Grace.  It was ridiculously muddy but totally worth it for the gorgeous views, boat ride, train ride and pirate ship ride.

It doesn't get much prettier than the lake at LakeView Farm.

J&K on the boat ride to the pumpkin patch.

Watching the boat depart.

Another Stand By Me moment.

Riding the train with my girlies.

Kurt with J&K.

Cute little train tableau for photo ops. It was SO muddy!

Jocelyn and Kathryn really enjoyed the pirate ship ride this year at A Maze In Grace.  Lots of smiles and clapping.

Wind Storm

We had a six hour wind storm on the last weekend of October. Winds were gusting 40-50 mph.  The girls have always loved wind.  They love to be out in it or watch it blow through the trees.  Kathryn really wanted to go outside so we popped out for a few minutes.  Jocelyn and Kurt joined us a little later for a windy walk through the neighborhood.

Kathryn was all smiles as she headed down the driveway.

Barefoot and running in the wind - her shirt says it all.  She was HAPPY!

I picked her up to carry her barefooted self back home and we clicked a few selfies.  I love this laughing one.

Possibly my favorite picture of the year.  The happy, windy selfie.

Jocelyn also preferred to ride instead of walk in the wind.

A huge gust caught their attention while I was clicking pictures.

This image doesn't quite capture the drama that was unfolding.  There were leaves blowing everywhere and a gust had blown off Kurt's hat and popped up his hood.

Baggenstos Visit

We knew a big wind storm was headed our way so we did some errands in the morning.  One of which was heading out to Baggenstos to get a couple specific types of pumpkins for our Halloween display.  The girls ran around the farm for a little while until the wind picked up and the sky got dark and we got the heck out of there.

Kathryn and Jocelyn.

Not our best picture, but this showcases the start of the wind storm.

3rd Grade School Pictures

Jocelyn - check out her long, luxurious hair!

Kathryn - couldn't quite coax a smile out of her this year.

Joe's Farm

Right up the road from my parents' house is Joe's Farm, which is a produce store year round and a fun pumpkin patch in the fall.  They had an amazing variety of huge pumpkins.

Jocie, Kate and Grammy by the corn stalk tee-pee.

Kurt and Jocie in the corn maze. Jocie lead the way this year.

Grampa and Grammy with their girlies.

Jocie totally dug this inflatable witch.

Smiling Jocelyn on a hayride.

Not to be outdone by her sister, Kathryn flashed her bright smile, too.

Smith Berry Barn

Our first new farm of the season was the Smith Berry Barn in Hillsboro.  They had a small play area in the back with farm animals, so the girls were thrilled.  There were some grouse-type creatures roaming freely and the girls reveled in chasing them about.

Cute and festive red barn.

Twins headed for the farm animals.

Kate with the grouse-type birds.

Jocelyn was the king of the mountain.

Sitting on the hay ride, going nowhere fast.

Kate found a roaming chicken.

Jocie befriending a goat.

Kate taking the slide. Her legs were almost as long as the entire thing.

Halloween Fantasy Trail

It's time for the Halloween Fantasy trail again.  We waited until mid-October before heading out to Oregon City for our favorite fall activity because the weather has been so summer-like that it felt weird to be celebrating fall.  The trees were finally changing and leaves were dropping and we made our way through the Wenzel's fabulous trail.

Family picture by the entrance castle.

K&J are almost too tall to sit comfortably in the Halloween photo op this year.

Kathryn on the pirate bridge.

Jocelyn looking surprised in the little Halloween house.

Twins in a window.

Fabulous fall scenery.

Kurt with J&K.

Jocelyn celebrating a successful trip to the pumpkin patch. Kathryn looks a little wind-blown.

Such a sweet face on this girl.

Kathryn posing for her turn.

Another family pic in the woods.

9th Birthday Party

For the girls' birthday party this year, we opted to go low key. We did a little family party in the back yard.  The big treat of the day was taking them to Metro Gymnastics for an hour of happy bouncing, swinging and playing.

Attempt at a full family picture using the camera timer.  Jocelyn didn't get the timing quite right.

We made a birthday cake and a bowl of birthday frosting.  Frosting is a favorite treat for both girls.

Watching the candles re-light themselves.

Kathryn blowing out her "9" candle.

Jocelyn steps up to blow it out next.

Opening presents. Most of the pics from this birthday are of the top of the girls' heads.  No one wanted to look up long enough for a picture!

Kathryn's favorite present of the day - a hippo shape sorter that she has seen on Baby Einstein for years.

Girls happily playing with their presents.

A brief glimpse of Jocie's eyes as she played with her new stuff in the grass.

Twins in a foam pit at Metro.

Kate got a huge kick out of the pit.

Papa rolled Jocie around in this little contraption.

Jumping takes a toll after a while.

Kate stretching out.

Jocelyn couldn't get enough of the chalk bin.

She would clap her hands together and yell "SNOW!"

This is what most of the hour looked like.  Twins in motion!  Perfect birthday for our active girls.