Picking Pumpkins

Last week we went on a couple of different Fall/pumpkin picking outings. For our first trip we met up with some friends at Stoney Ridge Farm for a great day of feeding animals, eating yummy cider doughnuts, and of course, picking apples and pumpkins :)

Hannah and Mommy looking silly

We managed to get ALL of the kids sitting and looking in relatively the same direction for a group picture!!

Attempting to get a shot of Hannah and Michael together was a feat. . . . I didn't really succeed. . . .

Checking out the giant pumpkin

Picking apples

Picking pumpkins and gourds

She let me take her picture!!!!!!!

He, on the other hand, was much too interested in the corn and pumpkins to look at Mommy!

The kids led us through the corn maze - and we didn't get lost! :)

We only picked up a couple of small, pocket sized gourds at Stoney Ridge, so the next day I took the kids to the Birch Bay Farmer's Market to check out the Country Store.  The lady running it was SO sweet and helped Hannah put her pumpkins in a wagon.  She also gave us a sweetie pie pumpkin to make a pie out of (and gave me some easy directions on how to use it - I've only ever used canned pumpkins).  Hannah and Michael both had fun playing with the stacks of pumkins and hay bales :)

Michael finally smiled for the camera!

Twice!

 

Hannah looked long and hard before carefully picking the very best pumpkins.

Both kids loved the gourds and we brought several more home to decorate the house with :)

 

Happy Fall, everyone!!!

MN Part 3 - The Wedding

Our last few days in MN was a whirlwind wedding weekend :)  On Friday after the rehearsal, Mel and Ryan had all of us over for a BBQ at their house.  Michael slept through most of it, but Hannah was the life of the party!  She hung on to Uncle Ryan's pants and grinned up at him when she wanted something, she snuggled up to Uncle John during dinner and managed to melt his heart, and she lived up to her corn-loving reputation by eating he weight in corn on the cob (this really amused Ryan's dad, who called her the "corn kid" for the rest of the weekend).  As we were packing up to leave for the night, Hannah grabbed a bag of Tostitos for the road :)  On Saturday our good friend Alisson picked up both kids to keep overnight.  She and her husband Jeff had fun with the kids at a park and at their house with their puppy Maisy (Hannah was concerned - she thought Maisy was just the mouse from her books!).  The next morning they went to church and Hannah and Michael showed them how well kids can behave in church when it's part of their routine :) The kids had a great time with Auntie Alisson and Uncle Jeff and were sad to leave them!  Meanwhile, back at the wedding, we had fun taking pictures and hanging out before the service.  The ceremony was beautiful and the reception was so much FUN!  Sunday, after picking up the kids, the family met back at Pam's house for the gift opening and tos ee the happy couple one last time before their honeymoon.  The weekend was a great end to a great trip!  Now, for some pictures:

Mel and Ryan

 

Mel with her Bridesmaids

The Cousins

The Wedding Party

Matt and Tiff

Here Comes The Bride

Ready to Party!

The First Dance

YMCA!

Opening gifts

Minnesota Part 2

Our second week in MN started off with a bang, at least for Mommy :)  Matt dropped me off at Anne's house for my cousin Mel's Bachelorette party (her fall wedding was the reason we went) and then took the kids to hang out with Grandpa Mark for the evening.  Being a full-time nursing mommy means that I don't get many nights away from Michael, and have to plan in advance when I take a night off, but it was more than worth it for this party!  We had a great time!!  The majority of these pictures can be found on facebook for anyone who wants to see our wild night, but here are a few cute group shots :)

The whole group - after games and gifts, but before we went out on the town.

Me with my mom and sister

 

The bride with her girls - me, Mel, Anne, and Danielle

Hannah couldn't get enough of Grandpa Mark!  She spent time "working" with him in the office, building towers out of blocks and knocking them down again, picking berries and tomatoes with him in the garden, and wheeling produce around in the wheelbarrow.  

 

 

 

Michael thought that working looked like fun, so he joined in on the action a few times too.

Grandpa didn't just like playing WITH  Hannah and Michael, he thought some of their toys looked like fun :)  Here he is with one of Hannah's ponies. . . . . .

Auntie Manda brought cousin Andrew over to play with the kids - what a circus!!  :) Andrew believed it was his job to feed Michael and carry him around the house (we let him feed him, but the carrying part was discouraged).  All three kids had fun playing on the floor AND the furniture!

 

 

 

When it was bedtime for the younger kids, Andrew made himself comfortable with Hannah's blankie and her favorite stories - her Maisy books :)

Hannah spent the nights on this trip sleeping in "big big beds" and was very proud of herself (they were standard size beds rather than her very low to the ground bed).  She had no problems getting in and out of them, and stayed snug in the middle without ever falling out :)  There was one night when she had some trouble (we think it was a nightmare) and came out to snuggle with Mommy for a bit before heading back to bed.  She thought "Dancing with the Stars" was a pretty neat show, though, and wasn't sure she wanted to leave!

Matt's sister, Auntie Kari, was able to come for a visit and the kids had a blast playing with her.  

 

 

Auntie Kari also read stories with Hannah before rest time :)

 

Our week in Winsted was fun and relaxing!  As it came to a close, it was time for use to pack up, but not for home!  We packed up an overnight bag for the kids and one for ourselves as we got ready for Mel and Ryan's wedding. . . . . but I think that's going to be another post :)

Minnesota Part 1

We spent the last 2 weeks of September in Minnesota visiting family and friends. The first week was spent with the Sower family and Hannah and Michael couldn't wait to see Grandpa Gehry and Grandma Jan again :)
The kids spent a couple of morning visiting with Great-Grandma Fran, who recently moved into a nursing home.  On our fist visit Hannah got to pet a visiting Alpaca.  She loved it until it turned around to sniff her hands, then, not so much. . . . . .  Michael went for a ride with Grandma Fran down the hall :)

We spent one day at the Dome enjoying a a Twins game.  Grandpa Gehry, Auntie Manda, and Cousin Andrew joined us for a fun afternoon and a great game (they won!).  It was the first game that either Michael or Andrew had been to and we were excited to share such a special day with them :)

Walking to the Dome, Andrew and Hannah strolled down the sidewalk together.  He made sure that she stopped and looked for cars at every corner, and made sure to say "thank you, officer" to the police who were patrolling outside the dome.

 

 

 

One the way back to the car, Hannah and Andrew both got rides on Matt's back, and Gehry surprised Andrew by doing the "wheel barrel" down the sidewalk with him!

 

Back at the house, Hannah had fun with play-do and cookie cutters with Grandma Jan, and later even got Auntie Carol and Auntie Cory in on the act!

 

Michael got to eat his first cob of corn on this trip and, much like his big sister, he LOVED it!

 

On our last evening there we had a party with lots of family stopping by to visit.  We were able to get a "4 generation" picture with Great-Grandpa Blake, Grandpa Gehry, Daddy Matt, and Baby Michael.

Hannah picked Uncle Tom and Uncle Dave to pick on for the evening and did her best to keep them all to herself.  At one point she dragged Uncle Dave by the arm ("come here, come here") and into another room to read her stack of Maisy books :)

It was a great week and we were blessed to be able to see so many people while we were in town! When our week with the Sower's was finished it was time to head to Winsted to see Grandma Cindy and Grandpa Mark.