Fall has Offically Arrived...

So we made it to the Apple Orchard last Sunday, which I was very excited about. I turned to Charlie as we were driving home and said "fall is officially here, we went to Honey Pot" (our apple orchard). He laughed of course, but I think it is true. Something about driving out west with the leaves changing and going to the apple orchard means it is fall to me. I of course decided we should go on the Sunday of a long weekend we get Columbus Day off out here, love it), on the best day of the weekend, so the line to get in was ridiculous and parking was worse. But it was fun none the less. We didn't actually go apple picking at the apple orchard, maybe someday when the kids are older. For now we just go and look at the animals, get hot cidar donuts (Charlie's favorite part), apple cidar (my favorite part) and pumpkins. Audrey really enjoyed feeding the goats this year and Chase, well he was just happy to be there. Happy fall everyone, I have to say I am glad it is here. And hopefully it sticks around for a little bit before winter decides to roll in....

My little pumpkin...

My 2 year old with 16 year old attitude...

The best picture of my attempt to get a picture of the kids on the tractor, you don't want to see the other pictures...

What the stroller is supposed to be used for...

What Audrey thought the stroller should be used for, impressive right?

Five Months...

So this blog has turned into a monthly update about Chase. I not only don't have time to post like I would like, but never take pictures to even post... Oh well. So Chase is 5 months today... It seems like he has done a ton in the last month. He started solid foods this month, though I haven't gotten past the rice cereal. I bought the other stuff, just haven't gotten around to giving it to him... Probably the biggest thing is that he has really started moving. He finally figured out how to roll from his tummy to his back which has made him happy as being on his tummy frustrates him (though he is getting better with that too). I put him on the floor now and leave to go in the other room and come back and he is no where close to where I put him. I wasn't really ready for this quite yet I have to tell you. He also seems to be close to sitting by himself, which we found out by accident, letting go of him one day on the playmat. He can sit unsupported for a good bit before he topples over. Which is good, because he barely fits in the Bumbo anymore... The best part is we are pretty sure he is teething. We have had some rough nights, lots of drooling, lots of chewing and he just go a cold which Audrey seemed to do everything she teethed. The constant quest to figure out what is wrong with your child, too much fun... The poor thing also got a rash a week or so ago on his face (as you can see in the pix) and the doctor today she thinks it is eczema which I'm not thrilled with but what are you going to do. I'm hoping it is mild but time will tell... He is still the sweetest baby and his smile melts my heart. Audrey amazes me at how good she is with him. She won't let him cry for more then a couple seconds before she comes running to get someone. We got out the johny jump thing that you hang from the door way and she loves to bounce and push him in that, and he LOVES it... And he loves her, you should see his face when she comes near him, it just lights up. I can't wait for them to be able to play together, for better and for worse...

5 years...

Charlie and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary this past Friday... I can't believe that it has been 5 years already, though a lot has changed in that time (buying a house and having 2 kids to start). We were lucky enough to be able to get away for a night this past weekend to celebrate. My mom is in town and she insisted we do something alone to celebrate while she was here. And I'm glad she did. We ended up booking us a room at the Wayside Inn down on the Cape (in Chatham, which is where we got engaged) and it was perfect. We got 24 hours of being "Charlie & Kristin" and not "Mommy & Daddy" which in itself was priceless. We had perfect weather, great food and drinks and got to sleep in until 9 am, could it get any better? We are hoping to go on vacation in January to really celebrate this milestone anniversary. We have had to scale it back a bit and move it til January due to the craziness of the past year, but that is fine. As long as we end up on a beach somewhere with a drink in our hands I'm all set... Here's to many many more years of being happily married to my wonderful husband! I'm sure the best is yet to come...

Like Father Like Son...

Rice Cereal, Yumm...

I've been holding off on starting Chase on solid food, not because he can't have it yet, but because I am lazy and don't want to add that feeding to our already hectic evenings. That being said, he has seemed really interested in food lately, like staring at it when we are eating, so I thought it might be time to quite depriving him. I expected him to dive right into the rice cereal but I was largely mistaken. He really didn't seem interested at all, which was kind of funny to watch. When we fed Audrey for the 1st time she was like a bird with her mouth wide open going for the spoon. I kind of had to force it with Chase. So my conclusion is that he really isn't ready and I can go back to procrastinating starting him on solids for a little longer... In the meantime, a picture is worth a thousand words and here is the proof we tried, and that he hated it...

Aquarium Playdate...

I have been trying to take Audrey to the Aquarium since I went out on maternity leave ages ago and we finally made it last Friday. We headed there for a play date with my friend Nicole and her daughter Maddie (her son Michael also came along for the fun). Audrey and I got to enjoy some quality Mommy and Me time (Chase got to hang out at Nancy's for the morning) which was so nice. The place was empty which was good for the girls (they had a blast running around the entire time) and good for us moms who got some much needed catch up in. The weather was gorgeous so we went to the play ground afterwards where the girls burned off some more energy. It was a perfect day, we can't wait to do it again soon!

Four Months...

Yes, he is 4 months already, can you believe it?? After reading his 3 month update, it seems not a ton has changed. He is becoming increasingly interactive which is so much fun. He loves to laugh and has the cutest belly laugh. He also loves his sister and is very intrigued by her (aren't we all?). He still likes his play mat, but he definitely wants to sit up more then lay down. The exersaucer and Bumbo have come in handy for this. He is really into toys and objects and lights and sounds and loves grabbing at things and putting them in his mouth. He also loves to snuggle when he is falling asleep (which I love) and especially loves his Bunny. This is funny because Audrey has a Bunny too (they are bunnies by the bay - hers is cream and his is a sailor) and it is Audrey's thing she can't live without. Who knew? He still has an 8 pm bed time and is generally sleeping thru the night (his recent cold has thrown him off a bit the poor baby). No complaints other then he is getting older too quickly!

We had his 4 month check up yesterday and he is certainly not disappointing with his growth. He weighed in at 20 lbs 6.2 oz (yes you read that right) which was like 3 lbs OFF the chart and measured 26 1/2 in (90th percentile). Yes, he is a big boy... He is going to be out of his bucket seat here really soon which is a problem if he isn't sitting up on his own yet (how do I take him to the store??). I need to figure that one out. I can barely lift his bucket now...