Sunday Snapshot: Long Overdue

WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This post is photo heavy. Why? Because it is LONG OVERDUE!

I have finally gotten around to editing all those remaining photos from our trip to Connecticut a month ago. Yikes, a month ago. Time just doesn't stand still, now does it?

Anyway, since I have so many photos to share, I will be breaking this post into two. To recap, we traveled to Connecticut for our niece, Lydia's, 5th birthday, which she celebrated at the Beardsley Zoo.

We spent one day picking apples at Lyman Orchard. We all enjoyed ourselves immensely.

The kids enjoyed watching the mallards swim after lunch at the orchard.

I love this last photo, and it's not because of the parking lot behind the kids. Madeline's eyes are not closed. Rather, she is truly enjoying the hug she is giving her brother. Be still my heart.

We also had a lot of fun, just hanging out in the backyard. One of Lydia's birthday presents was a talking toy phone. The girls had a blast playing with it.

While the girls played with the phone and baby dolls, Caleb did a lot of this.

The kids had the chance to blow bubbles, although Madeline was quite the bubble hog.

Madeline fell in love with Lydia's princess shoes while we were there. As soon as she would wake up in the morning, she would run to the shoes and ask me if it was okay to put them on. Naturally I would say yes. But those plastic shoes were loud on the wood floors. She wore them constantly.

We also had the chance to enjoy munching on all those delicious apples the kiddos picked.

Phew, that's a lot of photos. And there is still more to come. Next up, I will share some photos I took on our trip to the Statue of the Liberty. Stay tuned.

And if you'd like to see more Sunday Snapshots, head on over to Stefanie's blog.

Way to go Madeline!

This past Saturday was Madeline's first tee ball game. And to say that she was simply precious out on the field would be an understatement. She's clearly the youngest and the smallest player out there(and pretty cute, too.)

She did a great job fielding the only ball hit to her, picking it up and running it all the way to first herself (from the pitcher's mound.) Too cute.

Playing second base


She also had some great offensive plays, hitting the ball during all three at bats.

She made it safely to first base on all three plate appearances....if you don't count the last one when she ran after her own hit, picked up the ball, and ran with it to first. lol. She kinda threw herself out. It was soooooo stinkin' cute! And the pitcher on the other team clearly didn't know what to make of the whole situation.

Overall, I think she did pretty awesome. I'm so proud of how well she listened to her coaches, the upbeat attitude she had, and the fact that she played the entire game. If she learns how to throw, catch, and hit a ball, even better.

Madeline Bei,
Mommy, Daddy, and Caleb are so proud of you! Go River Bandits!

Connecticut in the fall

Simply special. That's what it's like to be in Connecticut in the fall. Two weeks ago, we packed our bags and took the most turbulent flight of our lives to visit Patrick's side of the family. The occassion? A special little lady (our niece, Lydia) was turning five.

The first order of business upon our arrival, besides lots of silliness and giggles, was a trip to Lyman Orchard for some apple picking.

The ground was a little wet/muddy from the previous day's rain, but the kids didn't mind. They had a blast searching for the perfect apple and a few pears. We had a delicious lunch at their store/deli. Then later that night, we had a lovely dinner with Bammy down at the Great River golf course.

The next day was Lydia's big birthday celebration, which was held at the Beardsley Zoo in the carousel room. In the center of the room was, you guessed it, a big carousel. The kids had so much fun riding the carousel. They also got to "meet" a few critters that reside at the zoo, a Russian turtle and a rabbit. Afterwards, we strolled through the zoo. The weather was perfect. We had such a lovely time.

The kids mouths are blue from enjoying their ring pops, which you can spot in Caleb's and Madeline's hands

We spent a great deal of time in the backyard of Michele (Patrick's sister)and John's house, enjoying their new deck, while the kids played on the swingset and hit plastic balls with bats. Lydia and Madeline spent a great deal of time playing with their babies and thoroughly enjoyed each others company.

One day Michele and John prepared a fabulous bar-b-que and had lots of the extended family over: John's parents, Bammy, and a few cousins, Rick and his girlfriend Ann Marie, and Karen and Ron. John's friend, Ricky, also came over. He gave Caleb some great batting practice, which left him with a huge smile the rest of the day. Another round of Happy Birthday was sung, and a great time was had by all.

On our final day of the trip, Patrick decided that he wanted us to head in to New York City to see the Statue of Liberty. Believe it or not, this mommy and daddy had never seen it. So it was a real treat for the whole family.

Grand Central Station

Well, I still have a bunch of photos I want to share from our trip. But this was about all I could get around to editing during, yet, another busy week. I have two costumes that need to be sewn before our church's Trunk or Treat in two weeks, and I haven't even started! These kids are going to be so stinkin' cute together. I can't wait to share the finished products.

This weekend will be a busy one, no surprise. Madeline actually has her first tee ball game (since we were away for the first and the second got rained out.) I can't wait to capture some sweet shots of her on the ball field. On Sunday, Madeline and I will be walking in a Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure event with my sister's dear friend, Gina, who has breast cancer, and the rest of "Team Gina". We're super excited to be there. Have a great weekend everyone!

Checking in

Briefly.

We have been BUSY, and that's an understatement. In town. Out of town. You name it. It's hard to keep up. I will be back with a low down on all the latest happenings later this week. Promise. And photos, too? Hopefully a few.