Nonna & Grandpa's Visit

Nonna and Grandpa came to visit the last week of October, and we had a blast taking them to the Jersey Shore, Philadelphia and Hershey Park. We had lots of fun and made some sweet memories!  

Love the playground on the sand... so much fun!

As our west coast family arrived, so did our cooler weather! We had some beautiful days, and took a short drive to the shore to play on the beach and eat some yummy pizza for lunch. 

Jarrett gave Jerry a behind-the-scenes tour of Princeton, where he enjoyed architecture, Einsteins classroom and his favorite, the Chapel... gorgeous stained glass windows.

Loving their new Tutu's that Nonna got them

While Grandpa and Daddy toured Princeton, we had ourselves a girls day and took the kids to Chuck E Cheese and went shopping.   

Girls in front of Independence Hall

We ventured into Philly to see the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and eat an original cheese-steak from Pat's.

YUM!!

Before the rain came we had the opportunity to drive out to see Lancaster, PA and eat at an Amish Smorgasbord. On the way out we visited Valley Forge and Jerry and Carol got to see Amish folks driving their buggies in the road and the giant silos and green rolling hills of PA. Hershey Park was only a short drive further, so we said, "Why Not?" Who doesn't love chocolate?!

The girls in front of Hershey World.. a world of chocolate? Yes please!!

Inside we got to make our own candy bars...

Nonna, Jarrett and the girls getting ready to make their bars. 

Channeling the lunch lady: happy for quality control, sad for fashion. 

You were able to choose what things you wanted inside your candy bar: Crushed pretzels, rice crispies, butterscotch, chocolate chips, toffee etc... or you could choose everything like Madison. LOL.

To top off our experience, we made custom labels... I put my name on so no one would eat it. At least no one who could read, that is.

Thank you Nonna and Grandpa for visiting!! We had a blast hanging out, snuggling and sight-seeing. We love you so much, and can't wait to get together again...xoxox

Papa's Visit

Papa came for a visit at the end of September and we had a blast going to the park, pumpkin patch and Italian Festival! Here are a few photos and highlights of our visit...

 Pumpkin Patch at Terhune... We got a homemade apple-walnut pie to bring home with us...YUM!

We took Papa to one of our favorite places, Rosedale Park! It is gorgeous, and has a lake which has a fun dock where they watched the geese flying over the water.

 We took Papa to the annual Mercer County Italian American Festival! The girls had a blast riding the rides, and we had fun browsing through all things Italian. It was super hot that day, so instead of standing in line and searching for a spot to sit at the festival, we opted to eat at our favorite Italian restaurant, Mama Rosa's.

Since the shore is only 45 minutes away, (much further than we used to be, but still not too bad of a drive) we drove there for the afternoon and had fun playing in the sand and had fish n' chips for dinner. 

I loved chatting with Dad over a cup of coffee in the afternoons while the girls slept. Of course Dad and Jarrett found a home project to do while he was here...changing the faucet in the powder room. LOL. The girls enjoyed waking up every morning and running to the guest room where Papa was sleeping for morning snuggles and stories. Forget about personal space... these girls smothered Papa in hugs, kisses and snuggles to last him until the next time we see him! Love you Papa!!

Apple Picking & Pony Rides

Madison 2.5 yrs and Lindsay 4.5 yrs

On Saturday we visited Terhune Orchards for their annual Apple Festival. We went to our first one only a couple weeks after we moved to NJ in 2012...

Look at my precious Maddie Grace... just 8 months old!

It was a very memorable visit a couple years back, because it was Lindsay's very first pony ride. This year it was Madison's turn to ride the pony, and oh was she excited!! She is into anything cowgirl/pony right now, and couldn't wait to put on her pink boots and get to the farm.

Not sure why Lindsay decided to put Madison in a choke-hold, but it looks like she doesn't mind. LOL

The sweet lady who ran the horse operations asked the girls, "Who wants to ride first?" and not surprisingly, Madison volunteered. She told us the pretty pony's name was "Sugar", or as Madison fondly refers to her, "My pony Sug-ah!".

Hee Haw!! 

She was a little unsure at first, mainly because Mommy and Daddy couldn't walk with her. But as she rounded the corner, she looked up and we could tell she was in hog heaven. When she got off she told me, "That Sug-ah Pony is a bumpy ride!" LOL.

Next up was Lindsay's turn, and she was ready to ride! She talked the lady's ear off, and had lots of questions like, "What's this thing (saddle)? Can I hold the reins instead?" LOL

We took turns feeding the goats dried corn kernels...

 and Daddy and the girls checked out the hens and a white peacock...

 ran through a hay bale maze...

 and took some silly pictures!!

 Lindsay climbed into this tractor for a ride,

 while Madison preferred the slide!

After playtime, it was time to pick some apples! We went into the orchards with a big brown bag and filled it with Empire, Stamen-Wilson and Pink Lady's.

 Daddy and his Little Ladies...

There was a field where you could pick wildflowers, and Lindsay, our resident flower-picking-expert couldn't resist running and smelling the flowers.

Mama and Maddie in front of the old farm house

They also had pumpkins to pick, but we decided to save that activity for next month! We took a wagon ride around the property and saw a really cool corn maze, but opted to not go through it because it was really crowded.

Daddy and his little Cowgirl

We left the farm right before the rain came, and the girls and I made a fresh apple pie in the afternoon. We topped our pie with Halo Farms Bourbon Vanilla Ice Cream and were cozy in our warm house as we watched the rain... the perfect end to a trip to the orchards!! Welcome Autumn!!

Preschool Girl

On the night before preschool we picked out her outfit for the day...

 Painted her finger and toenails with sparkle nail polish...

And put one EXCITED girl to bed! She woke up around 6:45am, and burst into our room, "Today it's PRESCHOOL Day, finally!!" 

Her breakfast of choice: Biscuits and gravy with eggs! Breakfast of champions! LOL. We opened the special card Auntie Annie sent her for her first day, it had stickers!! 

 She couldn't wait to get dressed and was adamant that I curl her hair for the special day. When she saw herself in the mirror, she exclaimed, "Mama! I look just like Goldilocks!" Modeling her backpack with her special butterfly patch she picked out...

 Outside for pictures...

Lindsay Diane, 1st Day of Preschool (4.5 years)

Today was a little chilly, and it definitely felt like FALL! The tree in our front yard is already loosing its leaves, which made it feel really like a classic 'back-to-school'. We're from Cali, and it was still in the 90's for all of our 1st days of school. On the ride there, Madison sweetly told her, "I going to miss you Sissy!" Sniff Sniff. She wasn't the only one!

She walked in and shook the teacher's hand, and Mrs. Juliano said, "Welcome to Preschool Lindsay!" I had to turn my head quickly, because at that moment I almost lost it. I busied myself with helping her hang her backpack in the cubby, hoping she wouldn't see my teary eyes...LOL. Thank goodness Jarrett was there to give his baby girl a good send-off!

Inside her classroom she has a large, locker-like cubby with her name on it and two hooks, one for her backpack and one for her coat. I am pretty sure my locker in high school was smaller..LOL.

At 12 noon on the dot, the church bells rang and I was waiting outside the building to pick her up with the other Mamas. The teacher called out each child's name and I saw her face when she ran down the steps... "Mama!! Where's Daddy?" and "I'm hungry!" LOL. When we got home she couldn't wait to call Daddy and tell him all about her day!

I missed you Sissy!!!

I keep telling myself "It's only preschool", 3 hours for 3 days a week. It's a new season for our family, and I am thrilled for Lindsay, but it seems like yesterday I was rocking her in the chair and kissing her tiny baby feet. What a short, short time we have with our precious daughters. Fourteen years are going to fly past! Love you my sweet Lindsay Loo! xo