The Pumpkin Patch

What's fall without a trip to the pumpkin patch?
Off we went a few weeks ago to get some pumpkins for our front steps.
But first, there's a little story to share.
For the past few weeks, you have reminded your dad and I - numerous times -
that we need to get 5 pumpkins.
You see, according to you, we are expecting two babies this winter.
Baby sister is growing inside my belly, and baby brother is inside yours.
You lift your shirt up to show him to your friends.
You have named him Shane (after your buddy).
You somehow even convinced my OBGYN to hook you up to the heart monitor
so we could listen to baby brother's strong heartbeat.
No joke!
Just when I think you might be disappointed in another few weeks
when we welcome one baby instead of twins,
you tell me with a grin "Mom, I know baby brother is just pretend".
So, back to the pumpkin patch...we were on a hunt for our family of 5.
You and daddy looked all over for the best ones.

We took them (and you) for a spin in the wagon

We went for a hayride around the farm.

We got some apple cider.

And took a few last photos.

You and daddy loaded our pumpkin family into the car.

And off we went to decorate the house for fall and

your Halloween-themed birthday party!

P.S. About a week later, one pesky squirrel 

took a few big bites out of baby brother ;)

Fall Fun

Fall is such a great time of year to live in New England.
The weather has been beautiful.
The leaves are just about at their peak.
And, let's not forget all the pumpkins and Halloween decorations around town.
Our drives to school and to run errands are a lot more exciting
now that you can point out the family of pumpkins we pass by
and the ghosts and witches hanging from trees.
You insisted for weeks that we had to get 5 pumpkins for our front steps:
one for daddy, one for mommy, a big sister pumpkin
and pumpkins for baby sister and "baby brother".
More on him (and our visit to the pumpkin patch) in another post.
To celebrate the season, we met Beth and Ella
at the fall festival a few weekends ago.
You got to pick out pumpkins to paint/decorate, sit on tractors, stuff scarecrows
and enjoy some apple cider and donuts.
As for the tutu, that was all your idea.

We also joined a few of our favorite families from your preschool for a nature walk recently. 

You got the chance to meet some of the animals at the Audubon. 

Like this cockroach that you touched without hesitation.

As well as this cute, cuddly hedgehog that you took longer to warm up to - go figure. 

And then it was time to explore one of their walking trails with your best buddies.

I didn't realize that you and Stevie had become good friends - since she's new this year.

But all morning long she kept asking you to hold her hand. 

You were very excited to see their barn owls - just like Uffu, your lovie

On a hunt for the ducks

7 Years and Wedding Highlights

To my very own Prince Charming,

Happy 7th Anniversary! I love you.

Apple Picking

On a picture perfect fall day,
we met up with Tyler and Shane for a little apple picking at Silverman's.

The three of you were pretty pumped.
A tractor took us to the top of the hill,
and you guys raced all through the apple orchard.

Playing tag, plucking apples, doing an "apple cheers"

and, of course, sampling as many as you could.

It was such fun to see your excitement,
especially since Fall is your mommy's favorite season.
Now, I need to find us an apple crisp recipe, pronto.

Next up, the pumpkin patch with dad!

A few firsts

First up, a great big congrats to our beautiful niece/cousin Courtney on her acting debut! I got to watch her as a munchkin/poppy in "The Wizard of Oz", and she was hot stuff. We are so proud of you Cece.

Alexis recently had a "first" also...

it was her first trip to the dentist. 

I have to say, this pediatric dentists' office was pretty brilliant.

They designed the whole experience with a toddler in mind. 

And between the stickers, new toothbrushes and sunglasses, 

Lexi enjoyed herself much more than her parents due at their checkups.

Other than trying to eat the toothpaste at every stage of the process

(something she does every day here at home too),

she was quite cooperative and excited.  

"You plan to do what with that, exactly?"

"Oh, this is a piece of cake"

Happy little camper

See you again in 6 months guys!

And to show that he doesn't scare easily either,

Vic had his first CrossFit competition a few weeks ago.

(Little did I know the monster that I was creating when I encouraged him to join last year).

The hockey skates have been replaced by burpees, kipping pull ups and box jumps. 

So, up to MA Lexi and I went for a little moral support.

The weekend was long and hot for everyone involved, 

but we're glad we got to see him in action and make a family trip out of it. 

Baby Ella was there too watching her daddy, so Lexi had a friend to keep her company. 

The Office

Most days, when Lexi comes racing to our room in the morning,
she finds an empty spot on her dad's side of the bed.
Usually, she asks if he's at work.
Sometimes, though, she thinks he's at the gym.
He does go in the mornings, so she is kind of right.
But, by 7 am, he is always sitting at his desk on the trading floor...
where he stays put for the next nine or so hours.
I always find it funny, when, after school, a playdate, errands, etc.,
she asks if he's still at the gym.
To show her that daddy is actually hard at work all day long,
we paid a little visit to his office.
I'm not sure who was more excited

(Tom, I can just hear you saying to yourself, 

"Did he really wear that to work?")

A true perk of the satellite office!

Keeping up

We were at the playground a few weeks ago.
Enjoying the nice weather and killing some time
before your babysitter was set to arrive.
A big group arrived - complete with a bunch of older boys and girls.
Your eyes lit up, especially once the big kids started playing games.
You watched in fascination as they played cops and robbers.
Then, they switched to red light, green light.
You stared at them for a few minutes, figuring out how the game worked.
Then, without hesitation, you walked right over to them and asked if you could play too.
I'm not sure if it was because their moms were sitting nearby,
or simply because they were a nice bunch of 7-10 year olds,
but they let you tag along.
And, I'm pretty sure it made your day.