Apple Picking with Grandma & Grandpa

 

Sunday while Grandma & Grandpa were here, we had a baby dedication service for Abigail (even though she is almost 2, we have yet to do that for her). I have no good pictures, but it went well! There was also a potluck after church so they could meet some of the wonderful people who are part of our church family here in Vermont.

On Monday before they left, we had a chance to do one more fun thing. It was freezing cold and a little overcast, but we still wanted to give them the Vermont experience of apple picking.  The orchard only had one type of apple left that we could really pick ourselves, but it was still fun to experience it with Grandma & Grandpa. This time Abigail knew exactly what to do.

 

 

Abigail has been very “two” lately and doesn’t want her picture taken unless I’m holding her. So a picture with Grandma & Grandpa was out of the question!

  

 

Afterward we went to a nearby quaint town and explored downtown and a little waterfall they have. We attempted another family photo.

 

Later, as it clouded up and got rainy, we had a tea party with Leah, complete with apple cider from our orchard trip!

The picture at the waterfall was not the best, so we tried some more the next day. As you can see, Abigail literally ran from the idea of a picture!

And then we got it!

 

So happy Mom & Dad could see our new place in Vermont and meet some of our new friends and get to experience some of the things we have come to enjoy. It was nice to have family around for awhile, and I hope they can come again soon!

Carving Pumpkins

While Grandma & Grandpa were here, we decided to carve our jack-o-lanterns. Although we actually grew 2 HUGE pumpkins in our garden, we decided those would be too much trouble to carve. These 3 smaller pumpkins were given to us by a church friend and they were the perfect size for the kids. They chose the ones they liked and even named them from the minute we got them a few weeks ago.

Here is video footage of some of the action, plus the kids telling you their pumpkins’ names.

 

This was Abigail’s first experience touching pumpkin “guts.” At first she wasn’t so sure about it, but it didn’t take her long to get into it and before long she was scooping them out with the best of them!

 

 

   

Here, Leah is demonstrating what type of face she wants carved into her pumpkin:

 

And, the finished products: I’d say they’re cute, but not at all scary or unique!

 

It was very cold outside, but we made the kids pose anyway, without coats. So it was quick but we managed a good shot!

 

Abigail’s 2nd Birthday Party

Even though she’s technically not 2 yet, we wanted to celebrate Abigail’s birthday while Grandma & Grandpa were visiting. Seeing as how she’s the 3rd child, her party was a little small and uneventful, but I know she didn’t mind much and probably won’t really remember anyway. She got cake and presents and got to be with her family—what more does a kid need??

Abigail likes so many different characters right now (Elmo, Dora, Mickey) that I wouldn’t have been able to pick just one. When I asked her what kind of cake she wanted, she said “poopy” because that’s her favorite word right now. So, she got a flower cake. Because it was simple.

She was a little uncertain at first, and sat with her fingers in her mouth throughout the Happy Birthday song. She didn’t, however, get as anxious as Leah did when she turned two. She didn’t really understand she was supposed to blow out the candles, either. But she certainly knew what to do with the cupcake once she got it on her plate.

 

 

 

For the first present, she was still a little unsure of what to do or why everyone was giving her so much attention. But once the 2nd present came out—wrapped in Elmo paper, nonetheless, she started to get excited. She had to have a little help from her big brother and sister (well, she probably didn’t NEED their help, but she didn’t mind) to rip the paper, but once she saw that there were cool things inside for her, she was ready to keep going and going.

We got her sunglasses because she’s constantly stealing (and breaking) Andrew’s. She’s a bit of a diva.

 

Her favorite gift, by far, was a baby doll from Grandma & Grandpa. It’s a little bigger than her other dolls and has a change of clothes, a washcloth, a stuffed bear, and—it’s own crib! She has carried that baby everywhere since she opened it! She is constantly looking for and taking care of “my baby,” as she calls it. She gives it kisses, insists that I change it’s clothes when she gets her clothes changed, puts it in its bed, carries the bed around the house, etc. She has always loved babies, but now she’s taken it to a new level with this doll. And just like that, there were no other presents that really mattered!

   

She definitely showed that she was almost 2, because she really didn’t want me to take her picture at all. She barely stopped moving all night, and even if I could get her to say “cheese,” she wouldn’t look at the camera. She’s a feisty little munchkin that loves to play and laugh and keeps us all on our toes. I’ll write more about her on her actual birthday, but for now, these pictures show her true personality!

 

Grandma & Grandpa Visit Vermont: Day 1: Shelburne Museum

We are so blessed that my mom & dad got to come see us in Vermont all the way from NC! It was a little cold but the fall leaves were at their peak color and we had a couple pretty days. The first full day they were here, we went to a museum that we’ve been wanting to go to for awhile now. It’s really more of a group of historic buildings, rather than just a museum. Many of the buildings were from the 1700’s and gave us a little taste of American (and Vermont) history.

Before we got there, we stopped by one of our favorite Vermont stores: Dakin Farms. They have samples of cheeses & sausages, local dips, seasonings & honeys. Of course we got some tasty treats to take home.

Back to the museum:

The first building had displays of old wagons & stagecoaches to show how people traveled. Of course Leah loved the “princess carriages.”

Then there was an old-fashioned carousel. The kids all loved this. Well, Abigail wasn’t so sure the first time, so I sat with her on a bench that didn’t go up & down. When we went back later, she wanted to get back on again.

 

We also walked through a building displaying old circus pieces and a really really long ceramic-model “parade” with figures of all kinds behind a glass partition, marching along like a parade. It’s hard to explain but it was really neat because it went on and on around the entire building. At the end was a huge wooden display of an old-fashioned circus, which used to be a huge form of entertainment that everyone would take off work to go see. Thousands of hand-carved wooden figures were watching the circus. So neat to look at!

Then we got to see an old train yard. Of course, Daddy wanted to be silly and pretend to run from the “moving” train".

One of our favorite parts was the huge ship—the Ticonderoga—which used to transport people across Lake Champlain from Vermont to New York. It is set up as it would have been in the early 1900’s with a huge dining room, small bunks, a steam room in the bottom where the ship was controlled, and the captain’s deck. We had fun exploring all 3 floors. Well, by this time Abigail was a little fussy, but after we got some lunch in her, she was a little happier.

 

Although the trees weren’t really part of the museum, we loved the fall colors—some colors I’ve never even seen before!

 

After lunch we saw the old jailhouse, which had 2 really tiny little cells in a building with only one window. I put my family right where they belong!

 

Andrew would have gladly stayed all day to watch this electric train go around and around the display—you can’t even touch it or play with it, but somehow he loved watching it!

 

Leah loved the displays of old fashioned doll houses and dolls. Some were quite creepy, but all were a part of the collection of ONE person. The girls even had a little pretend tea party.

 

We checked out an old fashioned church and also a schoolhouse, heated only by one small wood burner in the middle of the room.

 

Everyone also loved the covered bridge and Leah and Andrew ran up and down the whole length of it.

 

We attempted some family pictures, and even got a couple good ones, in spite of Abigail’s 2-year-old attitude!

  

What a fun first day we spent with Grandma & Grandpa! We will definately go back to this museum again. We didn’t even get to see many of the art buildings and other things the kids wouldn’t have been as interested in. It is more than a day’s worth of activities!