Apple Festival 2012

Last Saturday we visited Terhune Orchard for their annual Apple Festival.  Besides apple picking, pumpkin picking (a little too soon for us) and an adorable market with fresh produce and yummy jams and jellies, they had other fall festivities that we got to partake in while welcoming in fall!

By the Big Red Barn in the Great Green Field... Lindsay Girl and her Daddy

They had a hay bale maze, and Lindsay had fun going through. I was proud she didn't hop over any of the bales and cheat to get to the finish line like some of the other kids.

Running towards the exit! Success!

They also had pony rides, and Lindsay got to ride a beautiful white pony named "Sweetie". I was a little nervous because this was her first time on a horse, and they had no safety straps to hold the kids on there... thank goodness Daddy stayed with her during her ride. About halfway through the pasture, she told Daddy she was ready to get down...lol.

Horses always make me think about my Grandpa. He was a great horseman, and one of my fondest memories was sitting on his lap listening to him read to me a book about horses. He was even by my side at my very first pony ride at the fair when I was about Lindsay's age. I can picture him looking down from heaven with a big smile watching his great-grand on that pony!

Lindsay had fun riding push-peddle tractors. She couldn't figure out the peddling part, so Jarrett gave her some help.

"Tractor Jam"... tee hee hee.

We saved the apple picking for last, mainly because we didn't want to have to carry around apples all morning. They had Empire, Red Delicious and Winston Stayman and we got a few of each. This week we have apple pie, pork chops with cinnamon apples and an autumn salad on the menu to eat up all our apples. Yum!

I think she had more fun using the bag as purse than picking.

Precious girl had to get in on the apple picking action...

Apples are one of Madison favorite food!

Apple picking is serious business...LOL

My sweet girls and me..

The orchards were so beautiful, and I was dying to get some pictures of the two of them. This is the closest I got. How do those photographers do it? Seriously. I think it is impossible.

Madison Grace... check out her sweet fluffy hair! Love it!

The weather was beautiful, 70 ish with a breeze. The sky is so blue in NJ.

 

 

Come on' Fall weather!! Let's bust out the sweaters and pumpkin spice coffee!

Go Tigers!

 

Jarrett has been busy this week with the start of school, and I wanted to highlight some of the super cool things he/we have had the opportunity to see in the first month at Princeton. This summer has literally been the longest we have had, with Pepperdine breaking for summer in late April, and Princeton starting school after Labor Day in September. So far, Jarrett likes his job, and all the new people he works with, and he is so excited to meet the phenomenal students.  

 

The house above was the place Jarrett stayed while he started work.  It is right across the street from the university, and me and the girls were so lucky to join him for a weekend before we moved into our townhouse. It is three stories of spooky, but had lots of cool architectural details. It was so fun getting to stroll around downtown Princeton and window shop.

One of the courtyards... the archway to the left is where the a capella clubs each year have a sing-off because of the great acoustics.

The chapel. Sigh. I have a slight obsession with Gothic architecture and stain glass windows. Jarrett's boss got married there... how romantic! One of the buildings Jarrett oversees is where they filmed the show House M.D.  Never too far from LA :)

One of the classrooms. I bet you feel smarter sitting in one of those chairs facing the ages old wood paneling. Jarrett got to see Einstein's office, (no picture) and there are so many cool places on campus where history was made, or famous people have studied like Jimmy Stewart, Woodrow Wilson, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Brooke Shields, Donald Rumsfeld, Steve Forbes, Ralph Nader, Meg Whitman and Michelle Obama just to name a few!

 

Yesterday were the opening exercises, and all the Freshmen parade through the front gates and listened to a speech by the president in the chapel. The banners above are each of the colleges within Princeton. Talk about regalia! One of the local folklore is that if anytime a student walks OUT of the gates before they actually graduate (when they walk out), it is bad luck. It is funny to see kids going out the side gates rather than the main one.

Jarrett video'd the Alma Matter, "Old Nassau". Go Tigers!!

The Fishers go to White Castle

 

Last weekend, we ate for the very first time at White Castle.  Being from the West Coast, the closest we had ever gone to eating at the famous burger place was in the frozen food aisle, where they sell their itty bitty burgers. When we were in college we saw the ridiculous movie, "Harold and Kumar go to White Castle", and we seriously wondered what all the fuss was about these so-called amazing burgers. When I think of amazing burgers, I think of In-and-Out... anywho, we gave it a try.

Lindsay was disappointed when we drove up, she really thought she was going to a castle with real "princesses". The food was super cheap which was great, and the burgers were indeed, tiny. Lindsay got excited when she saw one and said, "Look Mommy, my size hamaburger!". However, she took a couple bites and didn't eat anymore. I was with her... ick. Daddy on the other hand, liked them.(?) He could have ours. The onion rings were good, and the cheese fries were ok. We went for the experience, and to say we did it, rather than the food. Next time we go I will probably choose something else on the menu, besides the burgers... or talk J into going to Chick-fil-a!



2 1/2

Here's an update on my sweet eldest daughter...

Stats:
25 lbs
35 inches (2 feet, 11 inches)
Clothes: 2T Shoes: Size 6

*Eating... Lulu's favorite foods are: Chips and Dip, Mashed Potato's and Gravy, guacamole, tacos and ice cream- any flavor. Strange things: She likes to use whatever is on her plate ie. sour cream or ketchup as hand lotion during her meal (?). She hated eggs for the longest time, but last night we turned a corner and she ate a whole egg and cheese burrito!
*Sleeping... She goes to bed around 8pm, and sleeps until 6:30 or 7am *I think she would sleep longer if Sissy didn't wake her up lately*. Takes a 2 hour afternoon nap around 1pm.
*Personality... What a little doll! She is our fire cracker, and has many funny things she says:
"pack pack": Backpack
"banda": Band aid
"puter": Computer
Sayings: "Well maybe", "We a family!", "I love you", "I miss you", "Thanks, Doc" She told me tonight as I had Maddie on my hip and we were getting ready to go down the stairs, "Don't forget your oldest daughter, Mom." LOL. Such a smartie pants. Boy, am I in for it!
*Independent... Lulu is completely potty trained for a few months now (pm included), and can put on her shoes, clothes (with a little help) and wash her hands. She says, "Me do it Mommy!".
*Play... Lindsay loves to play with other kids, and is Miss Social Butterfly. Her favorite things to play lately involve pretending, like using our cell phones, taking pictures, playing baby (she takes them to the beach and the park..lol) and singing made up songs (which crack us up). Last night we heard a serenade about how we all go "Pee Pee and Poo Poo" in the potty. The show she has been into lately is called "Doc McStuffins", and is about a little girl who is a toy doctor. She plays Dr., and will give us "check ups" with her little doctor bag.
*Academic... She can sing the "ABC" song, and surprised me the other day while we were looking through a catalog by recognizing and pointing (correctly) to letters, especially ones in her name. We are working with counting and number recognition, and she has grasped the concept of counting 1 to 1. She knows all her colors, shapes and can name all our family members by name. It is so much fun telling Daddy about our day at the dinner table- it is amazing what she remembers!
*Enviorment... We were worried with all the moving that she was going to take it really hard. She is old enough to understand things are changing, but doesn't have the words to express her feelings, which has led to some frustration and acting out. She has been doing great, and tells me much less frequently, "I want to go to my house." I think she misses her toys mostly (although we have a few out), so it will be like Christmas when we get into our new house and she sees all her treasures.

So proud, put together a 'hard' puzzle!

Beautiful Big Girl

*Love bug... Lindsay is so affectionate, and gives great hugs and kisses. She is very concerned for other people, and notices any ouchies and will offer to kiss them. Lulu is afraid of loud noises, most dogs and being left behind. Her favorite book (lately) is "Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy". She loves to help me cook anything, and has been helping me make Maddie's baby food... although she won't try it..lol.
*She is still blonde, and has green-blue eyes. She is thin for her build, but just as tall as many of her peers.
*Favorite songs... "Jesus Loves Me", which she sings all the time, and makes it hard on me when I send her to time-out and she is belting it at the top of her lungs...lol. Daddy and Lindsay sing a nightly rendition of "Old Mac Donald" and "Deep and Wide" during bathtime.

Lulu, you are growing into such a beautiful girl, on both the inside and the outside. We love you!!

Jersey Girls

We made it!! I am so sorry it has taken me so long to post, but we just got Internet and once you see our living conditions, you will understand the chaos. So far, our new home state is beautiful. I can see why they named it the "Garden State".. it is so lush and green with tons of ponds, streams and lakes. We are living with one car, and on the days I take Jarrett to work, I get to go over a really cute bridge on my way to Princeton.

Gorgeous right?!? Makes the trade from the ocean a little less painful.

Here are a few things we noticed about NJ:
1. East coasters go to the "shore" not the beach
2. You pay for a "Beach Badge" (a fee per person to go to the shore for the day from Memorial Day to Labor Day). Take advantage of all those free Cali beaches!!
3. On the Border is considered "good" Mexican food... yuck!
4. People don't refer to the freeways as "THE one-o-one" or "THE five". It is simply Route 33 or Highway 1.
5. The pools close after Labor Day.
6. Driving on Highway 1, there are no left turns or U turns. They have turn-out things called "Jug Handles" where you veer right, and wait at a light. It involves a lot of back-tracking.
7. Fun accent... they pronounce Jarrett's name like this: Jaaarrrr- rett. He was excited no one called him Jared. Hoping our girls don't pick up on it... too bad at least.
8. Bugs... there are a ton of mosquitoes, and all the other bugs just look bigger. Guess that is what comes with gorgeous plant life.
9. Nice... Most everyone we have come in contact with have been really nice, not what you expect with Philly and NYC so close.
10. Everyone smokes cigarettes.

There are a TON of things to do, and we are looking forward to checking out some of the fun festivals coming up: Italian Heritage, Cranberry, Apple and multiple Harvest and pumpkin festivals! Last weekend we went exploring and went to Lambertsville, 30 minutes west near the PA border.

Jersey Girls by location, California Girls at heart :) Nerd Alert: That's the Delaware River behind us, near where George Washington crossed during the Revolutionary War!!

We visited New Hope, where they had an adorable train that gives rides. We are totally coming back at Christmas for the Polar Express story time!

We are beginning the process of finding a home church, and my bible study starts up on Sept. 12th, which will help in making friends. We are super excited to be in the crazy, stressful process of buying a home, and can't wait to post pictures! Hopefully it will close around mid-October, and we will get to move in, out of our itty bitty townhouse.

Lulu in front of our rental. It's an end unit and has lots of light (when not blocked by boxes).

I have refused to put up an decorations. They did leave some cute cornice boxes, though.

Welcome to our storage closet... no wait, our dining room. LOL

I was thrilled withe the kitchen... granite and a DISHWASHER!! Whoo Hoo!

Master bedroom and Lulu's room. If anyone needs to cook up some pretend food at midnight, there is a play kitchen available.

Lulu's bed is surrounded by boxes.

Yep. Madison's crib is in the other room (yep only 2 rooms) and she is quite cozy.

We are really grateful for our rental, because our realtor helped us find a great deal and they are allowing us to rent month-to-month, which is really hard (and expensive) to find around here. Here is a sneak peak of our new place, which makes the waiting SO worth it...

11 Royal Oak, Lawrence NJ.... Our new home!!!

Jarrett has taken some really amazing pictures of Princeton, and I promised him I would do a posting. I was so jealous when he texted me one day that he was in Einstein's laboratory, and he ate lunch in Woodrow Wilson's house. The chapel is breath-taking, and there is a kids story time every Friday at the library on campus. We are officially Princetonians!

6 Months

Madison Grace, 6 Months

"Hey Mama! I didn't see you were there!"

Splish Splash... little ladies in the bath!

mmmmm... Peas!

Sweet Happy Girl

 

Wow!! Six months already?!? Our sweet baby girl has been growing, eating and her personality has been exploding! Here are her stats:

Weight: 14 lbs, 10 oz

Height: 25.5 inches

 

*Eating... We have begun giving Madison solids, introducing them in a veggie-fruit-veggie order. The first food we tried was green peas, and she loved them! Next we gave her pears, and she liked them pretty well with her oatmeal. Last week we did carrots, and she seemed to get a bit of a diaper rash (although heat cannot be ruled out since we were in Bakersfield). This week I introduced butternut squash (breaking with the fruit pattern..lol) and she seems to enjoy it, and no rashes yet ;)

*Sleeping... She sleeps in her crib in our room, but sleeping arrangements are pretty crazy right now because of our "cozy" townhouse... more on that later. Maddie got into the habit of sleeping with me while we were in transition, and loved the easy access to the milk buffet. Now that we are settled (sort of) I can forsee problems when we are nighttime weaning, because we are all in the same room and crying it out isn't going to be a great option. She has been taking 2 hour naps in the morning and the afternoon, and going to sleep around 7pm.

*Busy Bee... Madison enjoys watching everything around her, exploring things by grabbing or reaching and putting things into her mouth. She is very curious and coordinated, and will pass objects back and forth in her hands. Maddie gets frustrated by her lack of mobility, and wants to be entertained pretty much the entire time she is awake... I think sissy provides lots of that.

*Sitting... Maddie is offically an independent sitter, and is very proud! She loves to grab her feet, and pushes up while on her tummy. She rolls from tummy-to-back and tries so hard to scoot.

*Personality... Our youngest likes to make you work hard for a smile, and will critically look at you before making a judgement on whether or not she will be a fan. She hasn't reached the "stranger" phase yet, and likes to be tickled, bounced and silly faces. However, she does know Mama, and watches closely wherever she goes. She loves water and bathtime!

*Dada's Girl... Since reuniting with Jarrett, Maddie's been looking at him and saying, "DaDaDaDa". I think she tries to say "NaNaNaNa" for Mama... *wishful thinking*. Both of our girls love their Daddy!

*Appearence... Her light brown hair has been growing in, and is feathery. She has dark green eyes, and more of an olive skin tone, and we noticed a few dimples! Our baby girl has been fussy and drooling, and we think teeth are on the horizon, although none have surfaced.

Happy Half-Year Birthday to my Sweet Girl!! Love you Madison Grace!

Loaded Up....

 Last Wednesday evening we said goodbye to Malibu... here is our moving truck loaded down with all our earthly possessions and Jarrett's car. It was a huge relief to see it on the truck, moving towards our new future!

 Daddy and our little Malibu Girl... we sure are going to miss that view! I tried to get a family picture before we left, but just couldn't find the time.

This is what happened while I was packing boxes... she got a little artistic with the markers. Thank goodness it was washable :)
The girls and I have been homeless for the past seven days, living temporarily in Bakersfield with my family and getting stocked up on all the hugs and kisses the grandparents can squeeze in. We are going to miss you so much! We are looking forward to being reunited with Daddy on Saturday in our new home state!!