Fall is in the Air!

This weekend we went to Brookdale Farm to do some apple picking.

The kids ate more apples than they picked!

They had a blast petting the animals and climbing on the haystacks, too.

At the end of our visit though, everyone was definitely "tuckered out"!

A great "first" weekend of fall!

Labor Day in Francestown

This past weekend we all went out to my parents' home in Francestown for Labor Day and their anniversary. 29 years- phew!

My Dad is the general manager at a Volvo dealership (the same one he has been working at for over 40 years- double phew!) and one perk is that we get to "test drive" some of the very nice cars that Volvo makes. He brought home their hard-top convertiable for the weekend and we took the kids out to Dodge Farmstand in it. (Later that weekend Vinny would proceed to throw his toy truck out the open roof of that car!)

The kids had a blast at Dodge's! There were antique tractors that they could sit on and pretend to drive!

As well as mini-versions to maneuver around the place!

There were lots of animals to pet- the goats were a favorite for my children.

And there was yummy ice cream to be had! When we got back to my parents' house, Isabella wanted to show me all the strides she had made in horseback riding.

She tacked up "Grennie" all by herself.

And then she (and everyone else!) hopped on!

My favorite moment was this:

That night we had a lobster/clam bake- our last hurrah of summer. Where did it go???

The following morning we woke up and headed into town for the 5k and kids run. Isabella did a great job in the kids run!

Bruce, Jen and Dad ran the 5k, Mike and Isabella "jogged" and Mom, Vinny and I walked. It was a great to start the day! Afterwards we headed back to get something to eat but as we had promised to take Isabella to the parade, it was a quick stop. At this point we were all a bit tired but I am soooo glad that we did take her because... she got to be in the parade! Our good friend, Deb Williams, had Isabella help her daughter (and our flower girl!) Ella carry the banner in the parade! They were adorable!

It was such a great family weekend. I love spending Labor Day back home as nothing has really changed over the years. You can't say that about many places. This will defintely be something I miss when we move to Minnesota!

A letter to my daughter

Dear Isabella-

I am writing you this letter knowing that you probably won't read it for years. That's ok.

I need you to know how special you are to me. I am so proud of the little girl that you have become and know that you will be a success in first grade. I know that you will make many wonderful friendships, learn lots of new things and will gain even more confidence in yourself. I look forward to the afternoons, when you get home, and hearing all about your day. I look forward to the smiles on your face each morning as you get ready to catch the bus, full of excitement for the day ahead.

I feel all this happiness but if I were to be completely honest with both you and myself, it is bittersweet. I ache so much for the little baby I held in my arms. I look at pictures of you as a chubby toddler and wonder when you lost your baby fat and grew so tall. I wish that you were still a preschooler and that all you needed to learn could be taught by me. It's so hard to have you gone all day; I find myself often opening the door to your room, sitting down on your bed and hugging "Paulie the Penguin" wishing that it were you.

I think it is realizing that my role as your mom is changing. And it won't stop changing. I wish that I could slow down time and maybe even go back and do things differently. I love you more than I ever thought I could love anyone. You made me a mom and that's a gift that no one else could ever top.

My hope for you is that you will have a beautiful life. I hope you always remember what is important and who you are. I hope you never compromise yourself and your beliefs for anyone else. And I hope that you achieve everything that you set your mind to. I will be there every step of the way to help you get there and to "slay" any "dragons" that stand in your way.

You are only six years old and you are the most beautiful, wisest, loving person I know. I am honored to have you as my daughter.

I am your mother forever and I love you.

xoxo Mommy

Froggies, Fireworks and Family

This weekend we spent some time with family in Peterborough.

The kids and I headed out early so that we could get in some pool time. Mike's cousin, Erin, and her son, Hutton, met us there. The kids had a blast courtesy of the many frogs that were making a home in Grammie and Papa's pool. Vinny was cracking everyone up! He wouldn't take his eyes off them and would swim right up to them. He would even put his finger on them. But as soon as they would move, he would jump right out of his skin. (Along with everyone else!) But then he would be laughing and trying to "catch" them again.




Later that day, we (Mike, Myself, Isabella, Vinny, Erin, Hutton, Reli, Lauren and Jake) all headed over to the Jaffrey fireworks. We were very happy to see "Auntie Heidi" and were able to meet her soon-to-be stepchildren, Hadley and Carter. They played some games and Isabella won a toy horn- thanks again for that Heids! ; )
After a stop to Kimballs for ice cream we headed back to get ready for the fireworks. Vinny's favorite part was looking up into the sky for skydivers. His favorite one was "Butch". We spent a good amount of the evening looking in the sky for Butch.



Isabella spent a good amout of time driving everyone nuts...

Luckily the fireworks did finally begin and they were incrediable!

Everyone had a great time!

Until the over two hours it took to leave the fireworks... though that could be a blog post in itself!

Story Land and Our First Family Camping Trip

This past weekend, we went up to the White Mountains for some fun!

We took the kids with my parents to Story Land. It was a gorgeous day and we had a really good time! Vinny is kind of at a tough age for these types of outings but he tried to hold it together as best as he could!




Isabella had so much fun on the rides, especially the Polar Coaster and the Bamboo Chutes.

And of course, she loved getting to meet Cinderella!

Afterwards we went up north a little further and spent the night at a campground in Sturbridge, NH. Sam, Michelle and "Dozer" joined all of us and we had a really nice time just hanging out around the campfire. This was the kids' (and Mike's!!!) first time camping so it was really neat experiencing that with them! We got to "break" in our tent and all got a great night's sleep!

On the way home we stopped in Tilton to do an outlet run. It is Back-to-School and fall shopping season!

This weekend we are going to take the kids to the Atlas Firework Show in Jaffrey and hopefully get in some pool time. We are getting towards the end of summer and it feels like it just began! Crazy!

Wedding, Weekend and Weeping

Another weekend flies by...

This Saturday, Mike's cousin Kyle got married to her highschool sweetheart, Pete. The wedding was in Springfield, MA and we left the kids back home. Isabella requested to stay at my parents so that she could spend some time with Grennie, her pony. She has only been riding for a couple of months and already is a "posting" pro and is able to ride around the fields off the leadline. She truly enjoys it and it is something nice that she and my mother can share. Vinny was staying at Bruce's house with Bruce, Jen and Nick. We dropped them off around 3pm and drove down with Mike's parents.

Following the ceremony (which was beautiful!) we called to check in on Vinny. Evidently he fell asleep shortly after we left the house. (As it would turn out, he would sleep the entire time we were gone! When I was little and just couldn't "cope" with something, I would pass out until it was over. Vinny must adapt the same way! Anyways, he was well cared for and was happy to see us when we came to pick him up!)

I felt like an idiot during the wedding though because for whatever reason (hormones, too many cape cods, whatever...) I couldn't keep from crying throughout the evening. I think most of it was just that while wedding symbolize love and bright futures, they also make you realize how fast life goes by. Watching Kyle and her father dance, It hit me that before we know it, that will be Mike and Isabella. I look forward to watching my children grow up but I can't lie- it is bittersweet.

Congratulations, Kyle and Pete!! Thank you, God for another gorgeous summer weekend! And Isabella and Vinny- slow down with this "growing up thing", will ya? : )

A moment only a mommy could love...

Yesterday at Target, we bought a potty for Vinny. While I have no real expectations about potty training, I decided that I at least wanted to introduce him to the potty. He will be 18 months in August and that was the same time that I began potty training with Isabella.






So this morning when he got up, I put him on the potty. I do have it in the living room so that he isn't alone in the bathroom (that could lead to a disaster!) and he was just watching Mickey Mouse. At one point he started to clap his hands which I didn't think too much of as he often does that randomly throughout the day. After about 15 minutes, he stood up and proceeded to pee all over the floor. Great.






So I got some paper towels and started to clean that up when I saw something else...

(Disclaimer: Do not scroll down if you can't appreciate a baby's BM!)

Yay!!! He was obviously clapping his hands because of this and I missed it! So proud of my little weasel! : )