Sandy

"Superstorm." "The Perfect Storm." "Frankenstorm."
That's what we are busy prepping for right about now. 
School is closed until Thursday, 
the field trip and class party are obviously cancelled too. 
We expect to lose power, we may be gaining three new family members
if the Emmotts are forced to evacuate their beach-area house,
multiple dinners have already been cooked,
flashlights are ready,
the iPad is charged,
and we're ready to hunker down.
Not exactly how we planned to be spending the next few days,
but there are tens of millions of people in the very same boat.
Stay safe and dry, everyone!

Odds and Ends

Alexis and I joined Nanny and Courtney in New York yesterday.
We went to see Annie on Broadway during its preview run!
It was the first play I ever saw...at almost the very same age as Lexi,
and Courtney auditioned over the summer to be one of the orphans.
So Nanny thought it would be the perfect early birthday present
for her two oldest granddaughters.

Lexi's favorite part was when Sandy (the dog) ran onto the stage.
She also loved the Christmas scene,
and was very concerned when Rooster arrived at the party,
because Annie wasn't able to open all those great gifts.
She said so aloud, and the rows directly in front of and behind us
got quite a chuckle.
It was a great afternoon.
But these are the only photos I currently have -

because I left/lost my phone on the train coming home.
Metro North claims that its lost and found department
has a 60% return rate.
We'll see over the coming days if luck is on my side.
I am LOST without my iPhone, much as I hate to admit it.
We're also getting into the Halloween spirit around here.
Our costumes are all set for the parties and events coming up.
Let's just hope the projected storm doesn't cause a mess of the holiday
like it did last year.

Today we went to Shane's house for some pumpkin carving.
After mild interest in the beginning,
the kids all bee lined down to his basement while the moms took care of business.
Sarah takes the award for most creative carver, just look at this Darth Vader!

Apple and Pumpkin Picking

We continued our tradition of apple picking at Silverman's 

with Tyler and Shane earlier in the fall.

This year, the gang grew as Avery joined us, along with all the little sisters. 

The kids ate as many apples as they picked,

ran through the fields, 

appeased their moms by taking a few photos,

and enjoyed the country air. 

After seeing the first hint of pumpkins, 

Lexi made us promise to come back as a family.

We had grand plans of doing so during a recent weekend open house.

Then, the rain started.

So we hit up Finding Nemo instead.

We enjoyed some movie popcorn, 

tried out the 3D movie glasses,

and when the show ended, the rain had stopped.

So we decided to give pumpkin picking a go.

As we pulled up to the parking lot, 

back up came Lexi's movie popcorn - ugg. 

Thinking it just hadn't agreed with her stomach,

and listening to her pleas from the back seat that, 

"I'm fine, I feel all better, can we please please please still get our pumpkins",

we did what any logically thinking parents would do,

we came and conquered the pumpkin patch in about 15 minutes flat. 

There were smiles all around, a great selection for our front steps,

we got one for free as Vic guessed the correct weight,

and then we went home and dealt with what was increasingly obvious....our daughter's stomach bug.

Oh, and my car got detailed first thing Monday morning!

10 Months

Hello there time...mind slowing down, please?

(That's a 10 behind you, though not a very good one)

With our first daughter, I was always excited for what was coming next.
When will she crawl, stand, take her first steps?
When will she start feeding herself, holding her spoon, stop throwing food onto the floor?
When will she babble, say her first word and clap her hands?
What should she be doing now...according to the baby books, my friends,
babies in our baby classes, babies on other blogs?
With my second daughter, I have learned to live in the moment, to enjoy the here and now.
And so, I find myself wondering how on Earth our baby is 10 months old!

At 10 months, Ryleigh:
-LOVES to eat. And baby food just won't cut it.
Girlfriend loves chicken, sweet potatoes, peas and rice mum mums,
mac 'n cheese, and just about anything that's on her big sister's plate.
I'm much more laid back this time around. Not so worried about following the rules.
So she's also tried graham crackers and cheese, sherbet and pieces of a bagel, to name a few.
So far the only thing we can find that she doesn't shovel into those sweet cheeks is avocado.

-She also loves to dance. She smiles so big and starts bopping away
at the first hint of music. Girl's got rhythm!

-She is a super fast crawler these days.
Crawling on all fours has been perfected,
and she's like a little animal as she scurries from spot to spot.

When Vic gets home from work, she races over to greet him,
always with the biggest smile on her face.
-She's also busy cruising and pulling up any chance she can get.
Just this week she started walking behind a push toy.
-She is starting to wave
-She responds right away to her name
and also knows exactly who mom, dad and big sister are.

-She loves going on walks in the double stroller.
It's a sure-fire way to beat the witching hour and get some fresh air.
-She is getting her first tooth as I type.
That, combined with a cold, made last week pretty miserable as far as sleeping goes.
Hearing her whimper mamamama at 2 am certainly didn't help.
-She loves bath time and can't contain her excitement when she watches me turn the water on.
-She bops and bounces, taps her foot on the floor and attempts to crawl up and over the side.
Pretty darn cute.

-Like all babies, Ryleigh finds the remote, the phone, cords, wires, coffee tables, 

cabinets (and their contents) much more interesting than any toy

-She is also interested in everything Lexi does -
she tries to steal the iPad if Lexi is watching a show/movie on it,
she tries to steal her food, she bursts into giggles when Lexi tries to make her laugh,
and she is instantly comforted if Lexi walks over when she's crying.
She thinks her big sister is the coolest thing ever.
Watching this sister relationship develop gets sweeter each month.
-Though Ryleigh has learned to escape quickly
if she happens to mess up big sister's imaginary picnic
-She is busy, busy, busy
Changing her diaper and dressing her is nearly impossible without some type of distraction
(or slight use of force to hold her down)
-That said, she is still super cuddly at bedtime, and I live for those moments
At 10 months, Ryleigh is quite simply, the apple of our eye(s)

And, on this special day, I wish a Very Happy #8 to my handsome groom!

Similarities

Why is it that whenever someone has a child,

friends and family immediately try and determine who the baby looks like?

She has her mom's eyes, she has her dad's nose, she has the LaRose coloring...

My mother loves this game.

Any time she meets a new friend of mine or sees a photo of a new munchkin,

she starts to analyze the features.

I guess I subconsciously do the very same thing.

When a picture goes up on Facebook or Instagram,

I find myself wondering if the baby/child favors its mother or father. 

The funny thing is, 

I had a hard time determining who my own daughter looked like in her early days and months. 

The older she gets though, the more I think Lexi looks a lot like me as a child.

 Lexi at almost 4 above, me at 4 below

And it was pretty apparent, pretty early on, that Ryleigh has a lot of her daddy in her. 

What do you think?!

TGIF

Every Friday, on the way to school, Lexi and I sing a little Katy Perry.
TGIF, TGIF.
And it seems like she had a pretty good one today.
The sun finally returned, so they got playground time again.
They created and mailed cards to their moms and dads today,
when the mailman arrived.
She came running out of her classroom with this special note from her teachers.

And, she apparently has her first crush.
She keeps insisting that Maxwell be invited to her ballet-themed birthday party,
even though I remind her that we might just invite the girls to this year's celebration.
"Well, Maxwell can dress up in monster clothes for ballet, mom," she suggests.
"Or, we can meet Maxwell for a frozen yogurt party after the ballet party."
I can't really blame her, not only is he super cute, but he is also quite sweet.

(center, second row)

He and another boy pretend to be Spiderman at "recess"
and chase Lexi and several of her girlfriends around the playground.
And so it begins ;)

Happy Birthday...to me :)

Hello 34!
It's very nice to meet you.
As the years go by, I realize more and more
that it doesn't really take much to make me happy.

These three, together with my friends and family, are all I truly need.
(Though a grown up dinner party/game night is always a fun way to celebrate...
as evidenced by the photos.)
Thank goodness pregnant Beth drove everyone home.
And Elizabeth, your party hats were a hit!