Pumpkin picking.

We started this chilly day off with Violet's soccer game. Several of her team members were absent so they asked Zoe to step in and help with defense. She had fun and made sure she took it easy on the little kids. The coach also gave her an official team shirt to keep.


After warming up with Starbucks we headed over to the orchard in search of the "Perfect Pumpkin" and play in the hay maze. The girls each picked out a pumpkin and we helped Gavin pick out a baby size one. It turned out that Zoe had the largest and then Violet the second largest etc... Marina still does not get the pumpkin concept. At first she thought that they came out of the sky and then she was thinking that we needed to put candy in them. (haha) I think she will really enjoy this Halloween once she understands how it all works.















We stopped at a local nursery on the way home in my search of the perfect snuffalufagus (sp) tree. No luck this time the only one they had was already sold but the kids had fun with the hay man and the lawn ornaments.

Lukas is Christened!

Lukas was christened the 7th of October. How cute he looked and was so well behaved! The reception was a lot of fun and the fish on the table were cute touch. My kids begged me to set up our smaller tank for some of these guys but I can hardly keep up with the salt water tank and I know that I would be caring for these goldfish too, no matter what they kids say! I hope they all found good homes!

Home Depot fun

We went to home depot in search of some home improvement supplies and ended up stumbling into one of their community project days. We spent a couple of hours making wood fire trucks that hold crayons in the back, getting the kids faces painted, eating snacks and checking out all the emergency vehicles on display. The girls got their very own home depot aprons to bring home with pins and their name on it. They got to see a police surveillance camper type unit and got to try out being a patient in an ambulance. They all had the chance to sit in the front and press the horn and siren (those sure are loud!)
We then got a tour of the fire engine and finally we made it into the store to shop.

Look who's walking at 7 months!

Just kidding, although in this picture he almost looks like he is! My little pumpkin did however reach a new milestone yesterday when he started saying dada or it was more like dadadadada.


While Gavin is growing by leaps and bounds, Marina has reverted and is seen here playing in Gavins walker/playseat.

Zoe's First Book Club Meeting is a Halloween Hit

Book Club this way!
My first book club meeting was a very fun experience! 4 of the members came(that includes me) the other 2 couldn't make it. The book that we are going to read is
Kitten in a Candy Corn by Ben M. Baglio. At the meeting we made up silly halloween names. Mine was Spookle Spookton. My friends names were Candycorn Blackcat,Livingstonnot Nottodienottolive,and Cursekennel Carvington. We had candy corn, ghost cookies and cheese and crackers. We drank hot apple cider, played halloween charades, and decorated halloween bookmarks! We also did a survey about what kind of books we like to read and other things like that. I gave out small goodie bags with small little things in them like pens, pencils, erasers, acorns, and candy. My friends and I all agree that it was a fun first meeting! I can't wait for the next one.


Eating area


Pumpin Patch (right) Eating area (left)

Perfect fall weekend

DJ took the day off on Friday and we had planned to go to the local fair but at the last minute decided we didn't feel like fighting through the crowds with the double stroller. We ended up having a very low key but fun afternoon/evening. It was perfect fall weather and we went to the playgroud for a bit. The first picture is of all the kids sitting in the baby swings. I think (and hope) that will be the last time they attempt that!



Saturday we went to Family day in my home town with some of my family ( Uncle Bob, Aunt Heather, Harrison, CJ, Aunt Kim and Uncle Willy) and met friends there (The Riveras). We had lots of fun and it was all free! They took pony rides played on the three inflatables and especially enjoyed the rat race obstacle course. They ate lots goodies throughout the afternoon.

Apple picking and pie cooking.

Violet made the first score of the game on Saturday. She is an enthusiastic player and is really having a great season this year. We are all going to go watch her next weekend.



It was a great weekend to be outside. Unfortunately we had a lot of things to do around the yard with the closing of the pool and putting away lots of summer toys etc... We went to Bishops's orchard to pick some apples. We ended up with 4 bags of apples! Mommy and the kids made three yummy apple pies. We cooked one and froze 2. We now have 2 blueberry pies we froze from the 10lbs of wild Maine blueberries we brought back from our trip to Maine. We added two peach pies from the August fresh peach season and now two more apple pies. We can't wait to share them during the holiday season to come!

Feeling a lot like fall

It is still summer but it is starting to feel like fall. The weather is perfect for playing at the playground. Violet got afternoon kindergarten and at first I was disappointed because my preferrence was mornings. So far though I am finding that it is working out well for us because now Marina has someone to play with in the mornings and mommy get a "little bit" of quiet time in the afternoon when Gavin and Marina are napping/resting.

Playdate with AJ

Millie and AJ came over for lunch and to play today. What happened to our little babies. This was the two of them just two short years ago!

Last Swims of the season

Gavin is finally big enough to fit in the pool float but unfortunatly our pool days are numbered. It has been holding around 80 degrees but with the forcast of colder nights coming up I don't expect that to last long. Gavin went for his 6 month appointment and is 26" and 16lbs even.

Latisha and Ed's Wedding

Annual Block Party

We had a great time at the block party this weekend. The weather could not have been better and it was fun to spend time with neighborhood friends!

Barbie Girl

Marina's favorite song by Aqua.

Another milestone

We started Gavin on solid foods for the first time this week. He was not overly impressed with the soupy mix of breastmilk and rice cereal. He does seem more interested in our food but he will have to master the baby food first.

Back to School

Violet is starting kindergarten and Zoe is heading to middle school on Thursday. I am going to miss the freedom we have to spend the day here and there but welcome getting back into a routine. I am looking forward to getting back to the gym more and putting more time into my online store, The Nautical Shop. When the baby came I cut way back on my marketing campaign but lately sales from organic web searches have picked up and it has inspired me to get back in the game with SEO (search engine optimization). I am planning to launch two new blogs one about nautical and beach wedding planning and one on New Enland sea life. I am also in a "spring/fall" cleaning mode and trying to organize my house and stuff. It is so liberating to get rid of things I no longer need. I am going room to room and grouping things in four catagories: throw away, e-bay, donate and save. My goal is to have myself and my home organized for the new year.

Weekend Fun

Weather was great this weekend for some end of the summer fun.

Jet Skiing on Lake Zoar


I went jet skiing with my best childhood friend Jody and her husband Tom. We spent the early afternoon jumping wakes, chatting, swimming and checking out the lakeside real estate. Tom teased us about old lady driving because we were often caught drifting and chatting. His mom showed up later in the afternoon for a ride and Tom decided to show us how to ride NO FEAR style. The three of us piled on the three seater and went off looking for some big wakes. All I can say is that it was a fun ride, at least while we were able to stay on the jet ski. Tom and his style of riding put all three of us in the water on two occasions. Luckily we didn't land on top of each other and the water was warm. Thanks for a fun filled day.

Pilot Pen Tournament

While mommy was having a day off, daddy and all the kids went to the Pilot pen tournament. DJ had been given some great seats right near the court and decided that it would be fun to bring the kids. I cautioned him against this due to his inexperience handling the bunch of them out by himself. He did not heed my warning and ventured out anyway. He put Gavin in the front carrier and from what I gather had the two older girls help with Marina. I got little details here and there about the outing but mostly heard about the food and the free stuff they got. DJ also said that they were not able to sit in their seats too long and that he moved back away from the courts because Marina would not stop talking. I guess I am just thankful that they are all back safely and accounted for.

Church Picnic at the Owenego

Sunday our church had a picnic at the Owenego club. It was BBQ style complete with a make your own sundae station. Yum! Luckily it didn't rain but it was still hot and humid and there was hardly any breeze coming off the water. The tide was coming in but still fairly low so Zoe and Violet could touch all the way out to the float. Marina spent her time wading and looking for shells and special rocks in the sand that she could throw! Zoe went off with a friend to play tennis while Violet and Marina played in the clifford bounce house. My camera battery was dead so I didn't get to take pictures today.

New York for the Day

On Saturday, I went to New York for my birthday with my friend Maya,her mom,and my mom. I woke up early and we picked up Maya and her mom and drove to the train station. Then we spent about 2 hours on the train. When we arrived at New York, we walked to American Girl and I bought some stuff and so did Maya. When we got outside we decided to get something to eat and go to the huge Toys R Us. So when we got near Toys R Us we saw a T.G.I. Friday. We went to eat there. The food was yummy. We ate at the 4th floor. Then, we went to Toys R Us. They had a huge Candyland and I bought 4 candys. Then, we walked and saw the Empire State Building. It was HUGE. After that, we walked back to the train station and boarded our train to go home. It was an awesome birthday celebration!