Pumpkins

On Sunday, Carissa and Gabe went for rides on their ATVs with Grandpa and Uncle Josh for a few hours. Carissa was ecstatic when she heard that they could ride their ATVs for a couple hours. Grandpa said that Gabe did great going up and down the hills, and that Carissa wasn't interested in the hills. After they got back I picked them up from my parents house and we went home to decorate pumpkins. This year instead of the kids painting their pumpkins we bought push in pieces that remind me of Mr. Potato Head pieces. It was really easy for the kids to do on their own. They got to use any pieces they wanted and put them where ever they wanted to.

Allergy tests

Today, Carissa and Gabe both went to the doctor for allergy tests. It has been just over 3 years since Carissa's first and only allergy, so it was time to see what has changed if anything. Plus this fall her allergies were the worst they have ever been, and we want to confirm that she really isn't allergic to eggs anymore. Then there is Gabe, and he has never had problems like Carissa. But, between him having allergy/cold symptoms at the same time the rest of us are having allergies and our previous allergy doctor telling me that because of mine and Ben's allergies our kids are pretty certain to have allergy problems too I assumed that Gabe had allergies as well. We ended up waiting over an hour from when our appointment was supposed to start before that doctor came in, and considering that the kids did pretty well. The sad part was that most of the wait was back in the room, and not in the waiting room full of toys, coloring, and video games.

The doctor was really nice and Carissa and Gabe both did great for the exam part. Then Gabe volunteered to be first for the allergy test, which involved about 12-14 scratches on his back. By the second one he was crying, and so was Carissa. By the time it was all over and Gabe was okay, we still hadn't calmed Carissa down. She tends to get upset when her brother does, plus I'm sure that she knew she was next for the test. Carissa opted for a blood test instead of a skin test to check her allergies, so we had to go to the lab after Gabe's test was done. This was Carissa's first time getting blood drawn, and she fused/cried just a little. Overall, she says that getting a blood test is much better than the skin test. I didn't expect the kids to like the skin test, but Carissa had the test done when she was 2 1/2 years old and didn't cry at all. She did great, so I also didn't expect as much crying as I got either. And thankfully my mom went to the appointment with me which we ended up being there for 3 1/2 hours. Ben was supposed to go, but he was sick and the doctor thought that he had swine flu and a sinus infection. So, Ben had to stay home.

After all that, Gabe seems to have very few allergies and they are very mild. But, that could change as he gets older. And, Carissa's results won't be ready for another week.

Cornbelly's

Over my fall break we decided to pick a place with a corn maze and other children's activities around here and go to it. The kids and I have never been to a corn maze before and we wanted to try it. So, we decided to try going to Cornbelly's, and it was a lot of fun. We watched the pig races, and we went on some rides, inflatables, and they kids dressed up like a princess and knight as well. The kids had a great time and have asked to go back several times since going there.