Happy Halloween!

We hope everyone had a great Halloween and had their fill of sugar! Here are some pictures of all of our fun (although a bit out of sequence!)...


Peyton surveying her stash when we returned from trick or treating!

Peyton enjoying her warm and sunny 1st Halloween!

The neighborhood gang stopping for a quick pose!

Peyton was very successful in getting quite the loot too - even though she can't eat it yet!

Kylie as Barbie the Russian Princess. She was so excited to finally wear her costume! We bought it over a month ago and it was the first and only costume she had eyes for this year! I got this picture of Kylie outside before we left for school- what a beautiful princess for SO early in the morning :)!

Our gang as we were about to venture off to do our trick or treating- yes, that's Daddy in his scary jester outfit, his good ol' costume to fall back on!

Kylie and I in the foyer at school- yes it's dark as night outside and no I can't believe we were successful in getting everything together that we needed to for all of the Halloween festivities of the day :)! I also had to dress up for my company's annual Halloween potluck so I went as a Tavern Girl (aka Beer Wench per Daddy!)

Another house, another pack of Skittles!

Peyton on Halloween morning before school. She actually didn't mind her little princess outfit and loved her magic wand of course as she has been groomed by Big Sis on that one :)!

The annual picture of "The Stash"!

Grandma B. joined us for Halloween as well and here she is with Peyton who was very happy with the last treat she was given in her bag- a pumpkin straw!

Here's the one picture I captured of Princess Spike. So much for those cute dog costumes you see everywhere now- what a joke! In a matter of minutes, Spike's fairy princess hat and skirt were destroyed!

This guy was the main attraction of the night! Instead of sharing just a photo I thought I'd post the video of him in action! I think Kylie would volunteer to be his partner any day!

Silly Little Peyton!

Peyton has developed quite a silly personality over the last 11 months! She's a fairly content little one compared to how her big sis was but she's following right in her footsteps as far as silliness goes :). You never know what little trick she has around the corner because of her pretty even demeanor. But when you least expect it you'll see those bright blue eyes start twinkling and hear that adorable little giggle that'll bring a smile to anyone's face! Here are some shots of her at Grandma and Papa's over the weekend...



After taking Papa's cookie, looks like Peyton is willing to share it- but looks can be deceiving :)!

Hanging out with Grandma's Halloween Frankie in the pack n play- Peyton LOVED how his eyes lit up and how he talked! There's that silly little face!

Shopping in Grandma's crisper drawer with some of Grandma's play beads on- very formal for just a little grocery shopping!

Tap Tap Tap!

Kylie definitely got the dancing gene! She loves her ballet class that also includes tap. Over the weekend, Grandma pulled out my old tap shoes and Kylie couldn't wait to get them on (no matter how big they were!) and show us what she had!

Baby it's cold outside!

Captured this shot on Friday morning when Peyton was bundled up in a hat for the first time this year. I'd been trying to ignore the cooler winds and darker days lately but I finally accepted that it was getting to be too cool for just hoods and light jackets! But I'll take these 45 degree mornings vs negative 45 degrees any day!

Go Fish!

Daddy recently taught Kylie how to play Go Fish and it's so much fun! It's amazing how quickly Kylie picked it up and how "smart" she plays too! The only hard part is looking across at her when we're playing and thinking, "How is she such a big girl now that we can hang out together and play cards?!" And we can't forget about Peyton- she's not content being the silent observer. Oh no- she needs a card or two of her own to get in on the action :)!

And yes, in these shots from tonight, Kylie decided that with or WITHOUT her pants she was going to be the winner! Do anyone else's kids decide that they just don't need their pants anymore after going potty sometimes?!?

A bowling break

To give his brain a bit of a break from work work and school work this weekend, Daddy wanted to take Kylie for a game of bowling this morning. So off we went and here are some shots I captured of our "team"! The added bonus for Kylie was it was Cosmic bowling time- bowling plus rainbow lights, Hannah Montana music and everything GLOWING!

On a sidenote, I think I got my personal high today, 150, thanks to the bumpers we put up for Kylie :)! Kylie did great with a 75 and Daddy got a 200 of course!!



I'm up!

Peyton had a front row seat with concessions and all!

This looks like a good one!

Anyone need a drink? I had to capture this shot of Peyton with the drink menu Daddy gave her to play with as we were finishing up our game. Picture was taken BEFORE she jabbed the plastic corner of it into her eye :(!

More fall fun!

Grandma and Papa B. arrived last night to spend the day with us today. Unfortunately apart from some things he had to finish for work, Daddy also had to complete a 8 page paper for class on Monday so he wasn't able to share in much of our fun today. After doing a few errands we went out to lunch and then headed out to where I now work. It's a nice drive and I also knew that there was an awesome pumpkin farm practically next door to my office that we could visit- Goebbert's Pumpkin & Farm Market.

We treated Kylie to a pony ride which is the best surprise she could ever wish for these days, we all went on a hayride, the girls got to play in all of the pumpkins and little play areas and we topped off the visit by enjoying a ghost cookie, a Halloween brownie, kettle corn and apple cider. It doesn't get any better than that on a sunny October afternoon!

The best part of all of today was on the drive back home when Kylie said the pumpkin farm was the best place ever and thanked me so much for taking her there. I don't think much can make me feel better than knowing we truly make the time we spend together so special. So on that note, Happy Sweetest Day to all of our friends and loved ones!


Kylie riding "Fluffy" the pony- Kylie was sure to name her within minutes of meeting her!

Who needs a well architectured playland? Just toss a bunch of pumpkins in the grass and let the fun begin!

Peyton having a great time watching the pony rides- but secretly wishing she could hop on one too! It was good to see her smile because she's had a very rough, fever filled week of cutting her second top tooth!

The girls and I on the "wagon" ride (no longer complete with mounds of loose hay in consideration of allergies I was told!)

Snack time- look at Peyton in this one- what a ham! She is all smiles when food is involved :)!

A-1 Farmstand 2008

This morning we went to a local pumpkin patch: A-1 Farmstand. We had taken Kylie to the same one a few years ago. Kylie had already gone on a field trip last week (to the same farm I went along with her to last fall with her prior school when I was quite pregnant!) but we wanted to take both of the girls today too because it's such a fun thing to do each fall!

It was a great time! The girls loved all of the animals and activities that were there. Here are some pictures from the day as well as some pictures back from when we took Kylie in 2006!


Kylie's face painting- a pretty PINK flower!

One of the three little piggies- and did you know pigs eat pumpkins - well at least these 3 did!

The roosters were a big hit with both girls- and Kylie held her own with these guys making her signature rooster sound!

All of the goats fighting for the dixie cup of food Kylie poured in for them

Peyton in front of the A-1 Farmstand "growth chart"

Kylie seeing how she measured up this year

10/8/06- Kylie was even a little daredevil back then- but Daddy was up in the wings if needed

Today she was on her own and even doing tricks on the way down to entertain Peyton

Kylie riding the Sweet Corn Express Trolley in the gift shop

The first pose of the morning

Kylie ready to master another bouncy slide in Camelot's Castle

10/8/06 - But we need one more head in here...

Today- and here she is!

10/8/06- How adorable!

Today- I didn't capture such a calm pose this time around!

Daddy trying to hold Peyton back from attempting the huge bouncy slide herself!

To all The Zerbes Zone fans

Please accept our sincerest apologies for the lack of posts over the past few weeks. The lack of subject matter isn't the issue it's just the lack of hours in the day!

New job is going as well as can be expected for the first 2 weeks. Very long days starting out of the gate but hopefully I can get into a routine and schedule myself to be closer to home on some days. At 6:30am you'll see a big white blur flying out of our driveway- it's just the girls and I heading to school. Once everyone is settled there it's off to work I go- about a 15 mile straight shot north. By 8:00am I'm in my office, coffee flowing, as ready as I'm going to be to get started! Since it's a very sales oriented position I have to wear a suit and heels every day which has been interesting getting used to again since most companies have moved quite a bit away from that. It definitely puts you in the mindset that you're at work!

Daddy picks the girls up around 5:00 and does a great job tending to Spike once they arrive home as well as getting dinner for everyone (and usually baths too!). I get home by 7:00 to absorb as many hugs and kisses for the day as I can and do all of the bedtime rituals. Needless to say, at that point Daddy and I wish we could turn in as well but of course there's things to catch up with, etc., as well as grab some dinner ourselves!

As crazy as it is, it feels good to get back into the routine as we know it. Kylie is doing wonderfully at school. Although she has a good grasp on writing all of the alphabet letters, her class works on a letter each week. They are up to the letter D and Kylie does a great job identifying things that start with the letter of the week, doing lots of art projects around that letter and practicing it over and over again on that paper we all know and love with the solid line and dotted line for the upper/lower case versions of the letter. She is also learning sign language again, and continues to enjoy her spanish, music and ballet & tap classes. Peyton is doing better each day getting familiar with her school and teachers again and also has music and spanish class- yes you read right :).

Daddy also has class on Monday nights so although it's made me have a good idea of what an Indy racecar driver must feel like, so far so good with making the swap of the little ones so Daddy can get into class on time. Thanks for everything you have done Daddy since I've gone back to work. You have always been a very hands on Daddy and helpful with absolutely everything but I know how hard it's been keeping everything going. We'll figure it out :)!

So that's about it for now. Hope all is well with all of you. Don't you fear, we won't forget about you. We'll make sure to continue posting pictures and sharing our life's little moments with you.

Happy Fall!

Wet but happy!

This is the scene I found in the kitchen yesterday.

Daddy giving Peyton a sippy cup of water and Peyton in turn deciding to let it flow freely out of her mouth each time she took a drink. Poor Peyton- she was DRENCHED but both she and Daddy couldn't have been having a better time!

Guess she wasn't thirsty afterall :)?

Peyton's Whereabouts

Thought I would share some of the places I have captured Peyton exploring over the last few days. She is definitely in the "curiosity killed the cat" stage and is growing more confident in her ability to get herself just where she wants to go every day!


Wow this is fun! Wonder if the roll will ever end???

Daddy won't mind if I "help" him finish up this laundry!

Hey those look like like my diapers in there - gimme those back! (Peyton beating Spike to the garbage can in the upstairs bathroom)

Where she'll stop next nobody knows :)!