Baking & Memories

 

 

Today was a special day that brought back a lot of memories.  Today Acadia made pizzelles with me for the first time.  Not only did she make them with me, but she made them using the same pizzelle maker and standing on the same stool that I used when I was little.

 

 

I even did the little song and dance that Grandma and I used to do while we were waiting for the cookies to cook.  Acadia seemed to like it.

Rylan was super cranky this morning so I had to hold him the entire time we baked (I don't remember Grandma having to do this!)  He wasn't crazy about the baking, but enjoyed the finished product!

 

 

Normally when I bake, I convert the recipe to gluten free.  I couldn't do it with this one.  I had to make it just like Grandma and I used to.  They turned out great...which was good and bad.  Good because they turned out.  Bad because I then proceeded to eat way too many of them!

 

 

I'm hoping to do some more baking this week but I don't think I'll enjoy it as much as this.

Two peas

Rylan just loves Acadia. Like wants to do everything she's doing. From brushing their teeth to him keeping her company during a time out. It's pretty cute...unless they're getting into trouble!

Here's a few pics of them together...

Halloween

 

This was a fun Halloween.  It was the first year that both Acadia and Rylan could participate and it was so much fun to watch!

 



 

The weekend before, we dressed the kids up and headed downtown Salem.  Acadia wanted to "fly" downtown, but Rylan stayed comfy in the Ergo.  We had to check out all the crazies (and there were a lot!) and Acadia wanted to go to the park.

 

 

Her favorite part was playing in the leaves...

About a month or so from Halloween, we began asking Acadia what she wanted to be and what she wanted Scott and me to be.  She decided on a butterfly and although she originally wanted to be a pink butterfly, we ended up being able to dress her up as a monarch butterfly.  As for Scott and me,  she somewhere thought of me being a lobster and Scott being a frog.  She never wavered.  We had to do something...

Rylan was a trooper.  He wasn't crazy about having something on his head, but he kept his hat on.  We were out for over an hour and he walked the whole time.  He went from house to house, walked up all the stairs, and held up his bucket.  While he obviously couldn't say "trick or treat", he tried to say something when the door was opened.  The funniest part was that after he got a piece of candy we had to take it out of his bucket. For some reason he had to keep it empty for the next house.

We kept trying to carry Rylan or put him in the stroller, but he wanted no part of it.  Poor guy fell fast asleep about 5 minutes after we got home.

Happy Halloween!

Little cuties

Don't they just make you smile?

Friends

Acadia's been loving school and even making some new friends. Lately all she talks about is this little boy named Evan. Today she came home with pictures of her and Evan. We're going to be in trouble if this is starting already!

End of summer wrap up

Wow! How is it mid September already?  Where did summer go?

We've spent the past two weeks trying to do as much as we can before Acadia started pre-school.  Yep, you heard right, pre-school.  I can't even believe it myself.  Technically we could have waited awhile longer to send her, but, in case you hadn't noticed, she's busy.  She needs to get out and do things.  She needs to meet other kids.  And let's face it, I can only do so much.  Sure, we color, and do our ABCs and 123s and all that, but she just needs more.  So three days a week from 8 until 12 she's at school. 

Here she is on her first day.

 

 

 

Before that we were busy going to the park and the farm, and just having fun.

 



This past weekend we even took a bike ride to the beach.

It's sad to think that summer's over, but I'm excited for the fall.  Apple picking, Halloween and lots of family hikes.

Happy Birthday Big Girl!

Dear Acadia,

Happy third Birthday! It seems like overnight you went from our little girl to our big girl and you like to prove that you are almost every day!

You're an energetic little girl who loves to be outside. If you're cranky or bored or I just don't know what to do with you when you go outside that all changes. You love to go to the park and run and swing and ride the slide "all by myself".



 

You love food and will eat almost anything! Recently you had lobster for the first time and after one bite said, "Mmmmmm, I like lobster". You also love when we go out and get treats. Chocolate covered marshmallows seem to be a favorite.

 

 

Not only do you love to eat, but you love to help mama cook. Every Sunday you're right next to me with your wisk and measuring spoons helping me make pancakes.



You love animals.  A couple of months ago you were scared of everything, but not anymore.  If you see a doggie you immediately want to go up and say hi and pet it.  But you love all animals.  Recently we went to a petting zoo and you pet everything from deer to goats to bunnies.  You even made sure to say good-bye to them all before we left.

 

 



You're also turning into our little fashionista.  Gone our the days where Mommy or Daddy could dress you.  You want to pick out your own clothes and even accesorize.  You're still a tomboy, wearing Cars undewear under your dresses, but these days you pick dresses over jeans and pink over blue.




It's amazing to see you grow and see you do new things almost everyday.  You melt our hearts (and give us more gray hairs) daily and we can't wait to see what you get into next.  No matter what though, you'll always be our special little girl.

XO,
Mommy and Daddy



How could I forget....

The best part of the trip...

Bob and Mary rented a stand up paddle board for Scott and me. We had so much fun riding around the lake, but for Scott it was a little more so. He had his little surfer girl with him a few times and his heart just melted. I see a lot more beach vacations in our future!

North Woods 2012

A couple of weeks ago Scott, the kids, and I took a little vacation to Northern Wisconsin. It was a full week of leisure at Scott's parents lake home. It was great!

Bob and Mary surprised Acadia with her first bike. To say she liked it is a bit of an understatement. All she wanted to do was ride it. When it rained we even brought it into the basement to keep her busy.

We also hit up Jim Peck's Wild Wood park. It's a cross between a petting zoo and a regular zoo. There's bears, lions, and tigers that you can't pet. Almost everything else is out roaming. I think Acadia pet everything she could and surprised us all when she did. From deer to goats to a pot bellied pig, she touched it. She even went into this bird house and fed the birds and let them sit on her (sorry Dana). For the girl who has been scared of little dogs, this was amazing.

Rylan was there too, but he stayed in the backpack most of the time. He liked the animals and even pet the deer. His excitement turned to tears though when the deer went from licking his fingers to biting them!

Bob was excited to take Acadia on the train...

And Acadia loved spending time with her grandparents...

Poor Rylan though had a rough go on this trip. He seemed to have a reaction to one of his vaccines that he got about a week before we left. The second day of our trip he broke out in a terrible rash and had about a 105 degree fever. Basically he had the measles.

He did a lot of hanging out indoors, without much clothes to keep him cooler.

But once he started feeling better he made up for what he missed!

Thanks Mary and Bob for a great trip! Can't wait for the next one!

Fun Fourth

We didn't have any plans for this 4th of July but our day ended up being busy and fun!

We started out running in the YMCA's firecracker 4. It was a four mile run around a neighborhood not too far from ours. We loaded the kids in the double stroller and hoped it wouldn't rain. I haven't ran in forever and it was tough. Thankfully Scott pushed the stroller and with Acadia cheering "Go Mama!" I was able to finish. I might have even gotten bit by the running bug again! Scott and I both forgot our phones so we don't have any pictures, but the kids really seemed to like being in the stroller together.

In the afternoon we went out on a friends boat for a cruise around the harbor. We all loved it and it was so much fun seeing the kids faces. Thankfully we did get some cute
pics.

A day at the beach

Yesterday was hot and sunny so we decided to take the kids to the beach. While Acadia could have stayed there all day Rylan wasn't the biggest fan. The water was cold and sand was blowing everywhere. We did get a few cute pictures though.

Eclectic

That's how I can best describe Acadia's wardrobe. Most days I let her pick out her own outfit is I can avoid an argument. I guess this is what you get!