Clark and Russ find the tree... I mean Lee and Jake!

This past Saturday we took a ride out to Copenhagen NY in search of the Christmas tree! It was 6 years ago that we met a wonderful family while cutting down our tree, the Charltons, and this year we made the effort to go together to find our trees! Jacob picked the perfect tree, we had a horse drawn sleigh ride and topped it off with hot chocolate afterwards! It was a great way to start the season! Be Merry!

November...is it really over?

A quick recap...we love our fireplace and this year decided to get wood, just enough to get us through winter, or maybe 2 winters! I snuck away for an amazing trip with my forever battle buddy, what an awesome time we had! We played outside, raked more leaves, travelled to Nana's for turkey and while we were there played with cousins and made a gingerbread house! We stuffed a turkey, ate yummy food, and raced back home to get a tree and start the Christmas season! And to think, November is almost over! Phheeww where did it go?

GOOOAAALLLLL!!!

This past Saturday was Jacob's first official hockey game! I got a little teary eyed when I saw him get on the ice with his team but then the hockey mom kicked in and I was all about cheering! It was so much fun to watch and he had a great time, scored a goal and blocked a few on his turn playing goalie! We are so proud of him and his dedication to something he loves! It definitely requires a lot of time and hard work but we are right behind him ! Go Red Mites! A few pictures of him in action and one with some of his hockey buddies!

Fun for Girls and Boys...and Lee

This past Saturday we went to a super fun Pirate themed birthday party for the Sweet twins. They were celebrating their 4th birthday, however, I think Lee was celebrating his too! He had as much fun as the kids and now I know exactly where he is having his next birthday bash at!!

Halloween x3!

This year the kids got a lot of use out of their costumes. First they wore them to the Halloween festival at Lee's unit, then Boo at the Zoo, Jacob's Halloween parade at school and finally to go Trick or Treating. Thank goodness we have friends that live in a neighborhood! We do have one favorite neighbor that always gives the kids a treat but then we head "downtown" and they had a blast again this year!

Fall Fun!

Every fall we gets millions of leaves in our yard. We rake and rake and rake but we keep all the leaves underneath our big tree so the kids can jump in them and make their famous "scary man"!! This year was no different than the rest! This year was a scary hockey player! go figure

Princess for a Day

Today was Lindsey's Princess and everything Pink, party! We decided to invite her 5 best girlfriends, who all happen to be just about the same age, for a pretty in pink party! It was such a blast to plan it and even better to be part of it! Lindsey was super excited to have all her friends come over, it was like a big play date! I think everyone had a great time, I know Lindsey did. As they all were leaving she was sad, she kept saying, "Don't leave, I want it to be my party still!" Now we are looking forward to life with our 3 year old girl, fasten your seatbelts!

Guts, Goo and Seeds too!

I love to pick out the pumpkins with the kids, but it's Lee job to scoop out the gooey insides and carve them with the kids. This year we let Jacob do his own pumpkin and Lindsey got to help with hers. I get to roast the seeds, yum!!

Lindsey's Big Day

It seems like she has been talking about "October 19" for a long time, and when the day finally arrived she was beyond excited! It was finally her day, her 3rd birthday! We decorated the house the night before and of course, let her have a cupcake for breakfast, isn't that what everyone does? I can remember every moment of October 3rd, three years ago, when Lindsey was making her arrival in to this world. It really does go by with a blink of an eye but I can't say I haven't enjoyed every minute of it! Since the moment she was born, she has added a sparkle of happiness to our lives. She is so chatty (no comment here), loves her babies and dolls, she loves pink and purple and all things girls but don't think for one minute she won't jump in to a dirt pile with Jacob and stomp in a puddle of mud! She is truly one of a kind and I wouldn't change anything about her if I could! We love you to pieces Little Miss Lindsey!

Behlings

Each year we take a trip to Behling's Orchards, this year Aunt Laurie came with us. It can get crowded but we went early in the morning and there was hardly anyone there. The kids had a blast and even got to ride a zip line. I was a little nervous about Lindsey going herself but she held on tight and loved every minute! It was a super fun day!

Beautiful Faces of Fall

These are our beautiful faces of fall!

Road Trip

This past Sunday the kids and I took a road trip to Cazenovia NY. We went to a place called Critz Farms. I saw it advertised on TV and decided to "google" it! We packed up our rain boots and hit the road and we were so glad we did! It was a ton of fun with huge play areas, a cow train, farm animals to feed and pet, haystacks to climb, a real pumpkin patch, cider, apple fritters, and a huge corn maze that took us 40 mins to walk through! We were there for 3 hours, needless to say, Lindsey crashed on the way home! It was a super fun day, we can't wait to go back next year with Lee! I took so many pictures, enjoy!

It's Here!!!

It's here...yep, Fall is back! The cold days, even colder nights, color everywhere, leaves on the ground, and apple cider! WE LOVE FALL!!

How Do You Do It?

All too often I hear the question, "how do you do it?" when Lee is gone away or someone finds out he is in Army or has been deployed 4 times, etc etc. How do I do it....I have the greatest friends in Watertown a girl could ask for!

Open House #2

Last week we went to Jacob's open house. He feels so special being able to show us his classroom and all the rooms in his school; art, music, etc. Plus there was a book fair and we can't resist buying a few great books! We are super excited for this year of 1st grade!

Cider + Donuts = Delisishness!

We have gone to the Cider Mill numerous times since it opened but walking up there as a family when Lee was home was the best trip yet! The kids would walk there every sunny day if we could! It is the best little place this side of the Adirondacks!

Mini Vacation

Lee got to have a mini vacation from work in California last week! We enjoyed every minute of the 4 days he was home! We can't wait to have him home again!

NEMO!!!

I decided to brave a movie with the kiddos alone! This was Lindsey's first movie and we decided, Go Big or Go Home or just Go 3D!!! We saw Finding Nemo in 3D and they both loved and were so well behaved! I can't wait to take them to see the new Tinkerbell movie in October, I think we will wait for Lee this time!