The week began with our Mommy and Me gymnastics class. A few new faces in the classes, including two girls. A few didn't return from last week. Circle time appeared far more structured too! Alexa enjoyed following along to the stretching and movement activities. The highlight of the day was giving the harness a try. Alexa watched a few kids use it and finally decided on giving it a go...

Alexa and I ran errands on Tuesday and then had a playdate with Eva. As always the girls had a blast!

Minna visited in the early evening and the to decided to go on a walk...this is what it looked like...

Tuesday was also Uncle Brian's 37th birthday! You can see a video of Alexa wishing him a Happy Birthday on the videos page!

Daddy came home early this week so we thought it would be fun to take him along during Open Gym so he could see Alexa's skills. With Daddy's help, Alexa mastered the balance beam! She was very proud of her accomplishment and so were we!

Thursday we decided to take a hike while the weather remains beautiful. I had a very early dental appointment and was feeling exhausted, but the brisk air did me good. Alexa had a great time. She especially enjoyed jumping over the tree roots!

Later that afternoon, Alexa helped Daddy clean Grandpa's car and then we had Jailee over for a playdate.

Friday morning I had "me" time and actually had my hair cut and colored for the first time in 5 1/2 months! Afterwards, I met Mike and Alexa for some Flatbread! YUMMY! Mike, Alexa and I took a bike ride to the park and metWe had dinner with Minna and Ptah and later that night I finished a new hat Iwas knitting for Alexa! 

Saturday was our annual trip to Stowe for Oktoberfest...but that's another post! It was a very LONG day! Today Alexa and I attended the first birthday of Maddie, our friend Sarah-Jane's daughter. Alexa wore both she and myself out in the ball pit/slide thingy! Little Emma was there as well, showing off her beautiful smaile as always!

Saturday was the annual Harvest Festival and Energy fair at Shelburne Farms. What started out as a rather brisk morning (47 degrees to be exact) turned into a beautiful, sunny early autumn day perfect for playing otdoors, visiting the animals and taking in a scenic hayride!

We were lucky to meet up with several friends throughtout the day, Anna, Charlotte and Jailee were there with their mommies (and Daddy, in Jailee's case!). Denise, Sarah and Emma and Ali and baby Julia came down to the farm. Michelle brought Caleb for their first trip ever to visit the farm. Ashleigh, along with her mommy and daddy, Heather and Matt, enjoyed a hayride and some tree climbing with Alexa and there wasn't even any hair pulling! Minna and Ptah stopped by too! We even saw some old friends, Anthony and Jill whom Alexa hasn't seen since she was just an infant! What a great afternoon it was!

Alexa wanted to give face painting a try. She actually remembers her face painting from her birthday party. So she chose a pumpkin and then picked the color purple. I suggested to the woman that she could paint a flower or a butterfly, but I was quickly corrected by Alexa who exclaimed, "A pumpkin!" So a pumpkin it was! She didn't want to wash it off that night either! Although by evening she referred to it as an apple!

Naturally we could have spent the entire day feeding the horses and so it is no surprise that we ended the day doing just that! These horses are rare. They are the same breed as the horse in the Disney movie Hidalgo. In fact, "Hidalgo" lives in Morrisville on the same farm as these horses! They were beautiful and savored every piece of hay Alexa fed to them!

We are so lucky to have such a beautiful place to visit on a regular basis. It's just another reason why we love Vermont, especially in the fall!

On Sunday, we were up bright and early to make our way to Tunbridge, Vermont for the 138th annual Tunbridge World's Fair. Tunbridge is about an hour and twenty minute drive but worth it. It has an old fashioned feel to it. A little bit of everything. Rides, competitive exhibits of local fruits and vegetables, 4H competitive livestock shows, horseback riding competitions, fair food, pony rides and pig races! We met Jailee, Lisa and Doug and enjoyed the rides and the warm weather.

Last year the pony ride did not go over that well! But after our trip to NJ a few weeks ago, it was evident Alexa was going to enjoy herself this year. Alexa and Jailee waited patiently in line for a ride and once around was simply not enough! Minna also learned that Alexa did not require the help of an adult...she is, afterall, an experienced rider at this point! We rounded out the day with a visit to the Children's Barnyard and one more ride down the BIG slide, Alexa's favorite ride! We all enjoyed a hot apple crisp just before we got back in the car for the ride home! We had a great time and look forward to the fair next year!

Last year, Alexa said "moo" for the first time while we were at the fair! I remember it like it was yesterday! I can't believe how time flies and how much changes!

Alexa went to her first denstist visit on Wednesday. Unfortunately, she had gone to bed late the night before and we were unexpectedly awakened at an early hour on Wednesday morning. This made for a tired little girl. Did I say tired? I meant exhausted! We arrived for our 11:30 a.m. appointment and Alexa enjoyed some time in the waiting area exploring the toys. It was no surprise that she was less than thrilled to leave when her name was called by the dental assistant. She gathered a few of the blocks she had been playing with and reluctantly follwed Becky into a room with several little sinks. I had been "prepping" Alexa for this visit for several days. We would talk about what was going to happen at the appointment. I would ask Alexa, "Where are we going tomorrow?" She would answer, "Dentist to brush teeth." I had heard from other parents that the first visit was little more than education for the parents and counting of the child's teeth. I was so glad she was actually going to brush her teeth since that had become the only real understanding she had of the dentist. Unfortunately Alexa did not brush her teeth, she did not brush the GIANT teeth with the GIANT toothbrush, she did not want the new toothbrush she was given or the crayola floss. She simply wanted out of that room with the little sinks! So we moved on to the next portion of the appointment...

Alexa and I were escorted into the exam room and Alexa appeared to be more excited. Again, we had talked about the big chair she would sit in well in advance of the appointment. Alexa asked me to sit with her and as it turns out that is exactly how the dentist, Dr. Shon, asked that we sit during the exam. Dr. Shon counted Alexa's fingers, her ears and then asked Alexa to show him where her teeth were. She was happy to oblige and Dr. Shon counted her teeth and talked to me about ways to promote healthy teeth and gums through both hygeine and nutrition. The highlight of the appointment...the bracelet Alexa got to pick out of the toy bin!! We return in 6 months for another exam.

Alexa started gymnastics today. To say it went well would be an understatement! She had a BLAST!!! The class is made up of 6 kids; Alexa is the oldest. And the ONLY girl! We began class with 15 minutes of free time, followed by circle time, including some stretching and movement activities with ribbons, and then an obstacle course around the gym floor (balance beams, mats, etc.). Alexa seemed to enjoy the large trampoline most, however she was the only student not to try the swing (a belt that wraps around the child's waist and hoists them up over the trampoline to do flips and what not). Alexa was certainly not shy. She interacted with most of the little boys, quite a change from our usual outings with all girls! The mommies were very nice too! I didn't snap too many pictures as I was busy running around responding to Alexa's every beck and call! As a member of the gymnastics center, Alexa and I can use the gym during open gym hours (1 hour each week day) in addition to our once per week class. What a great way to spend time indoors as the days grow cooler!

This weekend Alexa, Mike, Minna and I stopped by the Civil War reenactment near Shelburne Farms, hoping to get an up close look at the horses. Instead we arrived just in time for the "battle!" Lots of gunfire and fallen soldiers!! Wasn't exactly what I wanted Alexa to witness, but we managed to distract her with a visit to the campsites and eventually made our way to the horses who were cooling off after working so hard on the field! Just as we were about to leave, Minna spotted Jailee and her family across the field and Alexa was off and running to greet her buddy! 

This was the second time in two days that Alexa and Jailee "ran into" one another. They literally ran into one another on Friday at Shelburne Farms, resulting in Alexa on top of Jailee in the grass!

Here is a shot of Mike and Alexa at last year's reenactment. The weather was quite different this weekend. If I recall the rain and wind made last year's event feel as though it were taking place in Novemeber, not mid September!

On Sunday, we  headed to the McIntyre's to celebrate Charlotte's 3rd birthday! As usual, Alexa had a great time playing with "the girls," Anna, Jailee, Charlotte & Bridget too! Unfortunatetly the weather was not fully cooperating, so the girls could not enjoy the swingset. But there was plenty to keep them busy indoors. Overall, the girls played very nicely with one another, sharing toys and lots of laughter! There was a Hello Kitty karaoke machine that proved to be a big hit! And for us adults, the Barbie gifts offered many opportunities for sarcasm and laughter! (Barbie is quite provocative these days!)

Alexa even took her pants off which appears to be the recurring theme at Charlotte's birthday parties...see following photo!

Despite lots of practicing of the Birthday Song and excitement to sink her teeth into a cupcake, Alexa was less than thrilled when it came time to sing as a group. Here she is practicing and below crying with her head on the table!

But as we all know, cupcakes make everything better...and today was no exception!

Lollipops don't hurt either!

This morning Alexa changed her own diaper. From start to finish! I mean, took off the old one, threw it away, went to her room and got a new one and put it on all by herself! She then walked over to her new Sit n' Spin (remember those?) and told me "Mommy, I need batteries!" I'm not even sure how she knew it needed batteries. We picked it up yesterday at the consignment shop and she's never even seen it work with batteries!

Tonight, as we read books just before bedtime, Alexa took the book, Bunny Kisses, away from me as I finished it and exclaimed, "I read" and then she proceeded to babble imitating my reading of the text. She pointed at each of the animals on the last page, naming them. Especially cute is her recent pronunciation of the letter d for the letter b, i.e. "bunny raddit" or "riddet, riddet" referring to a frog.

Alexa will be going to her first dentist appointment next week. I've been told it is nothing more than counting teeth and educating parents about dental care/needs of a toddler. Additionally it may help reduce anxiety for future visits. It seems unreal that she is old enough to see a dentist, but the scheduling secretary told me that babies as young as 12 months are recommended to see the dentist. I guess we're a little behind schedule!

Alexa and I are beginning a Mommy & Me gymnastics class next Monday! I don't know what to expect but it sounds fun! Lots of busy weekends ahead...pictures to follow!

Below are some photos from today! Alexa and I stopped by Shelburne Farm. We collected eggs from the chicken coops and fed the donkeys! So many photos I just decided to uplaod a whole page! Enjoy!!

We have just returned home from a week of house/Peanut (aka dog) sitting for the Clark's while they enjoyed some family time down the shore, followed by a trip to Nashville, TN to celebrate Karen and Ken's 5th wedding anniversary. Alexa and I arrived on Saturday afternoon after an eventful drive. Alexa has been wearing Pull Ups (the name we all assoiciate with training diapers, kinda like, BandAids or Qtips) for several months now as we potty train. So, as it turns out Pull Ups are Huggies brand, Easy Ups are Pampers. I have consistently used Pampers diapers since Alexa's birth. Any changes have usually resulted in messes that noone wants to deal with. Having run out of Easy Ups, I had to run to the store to buy some, but before I could get to the store, I had to put her in swimmie diapers to get out of the house. (Swimmie diapers are not intended to absorb pee, they simply guard from other stuff getting into the water) Needless to say, we didn't make it to the store without a soaking wet carseat. While I attempted to clean the upholstry on the carseat, I put a spare seat in the car.  Looking to save a few bucks, I used a coupon to purchase Pull Ups. Two nights in a row, Alexa (who still sleeps with me) peed through them all over my bed. I was so exhausted that I piled several towels on the bed, changed Alexa and went back to sleep. By now, I should have learned my lesson...We then leave for NJ and at the first rest stop Alexa announces, "I soaking wet." She had peed through another Pull Up and now the seat was, indeed soaked!!! I had to  put a towel between her and the seat which made the straps no longer fit, "Mommy, you hurted me." I struggled for 15 minutes to adjust the straps on the spare seat since I was not familiar with it. Finally, we were on our way and I put in a call to Mike, who assured me he would have Easy Ups waiting for us in NJ!

Saturday night, we all relaxed and settled in to the Clark's house. Sunday we made a trip to Brooklyn to visit Jamie, Kate and Wyeth. We haven't seen Wyeth in nearly a year. This was the first real playdate Alexa and Wyeth had shared and it went great! We took a walk to the park and then went back home where Alexa and Wyeth played blocks secretly in Jamie and Kate's room for about an hour!

We were pleased when Jamie and Kate told us that this was one of Wyeth's most successful playdates, that he was very engaged and interactive with Alexa. She seemed to really enjoy getting to tell Wyeth what to do as well!

On Monday, Alexa and I spent the afternoon at Van Saun Park in Paramus with Gramma and Aunt Eileen. Alexa had her first pony ride and despite her very serious expression, she really seemed pleased about the experience!

On Tuesday, Alexa and I met up with an old friend of mine, Mahnaz, at Imagination Station in Roxbury. Alexa was having a blast on the slide directing me to "catch" her and eventually telling me to back up so she could do it by herself. She was feeling so confident until some rotten little kids decided to run up the slide while she was coming down. There were tears and lots of mulch to be removed from her hair, but in a short while Alexa was back to monkeying around. She finished out the afternoon by showing off her bike riding skills on the bike path.

On Wednesday, I was terribly ill and thankfully the Clark's had returned from LBI to tend to Alexa's every need!!! Alexa played with Casey all afternoon, on the swing set and in the pool. Mike and Alexa went to dinner with Grandpa Stolarz and I stayed home with some white rice and steamed chicken, hoping for a better night than the last!

Thursday, although I was still not 100%, Mike, Alexa and Aunt Chrissy returned to Van Saun Park for some more pony rides and a visit to the zoo.

We also had a train ride, took a spin on the carousel and played for quite a while in the very large playground.

There was a great attraction at the zoo that allowed us to interact with parakeets. We took sticks of bird seed and walked among hundreds of these beautiful little birds as they landed on  our arms and hands to eat.

We couldn't leave without one last pony ride. By the third time, Alexa was an old pro! I still didn't feel great and the odor of horse manure wasn't helping!

On Friday, Mike, Alexa and I went to Pt. Pleasant for the day. We intended to spend some time on the beach and then ride some rides on the boardwalk, one of Alexa's new favorite things! We played in the sand as the water was off limits due to strong rip currents. Mike dug a giant "pool" for Alexa just along the shore line. It would fill up when a large wave rolled in and Alexa would get a thrill from jumping into the water! I sunbathed a bit and enjoyed a delicious Italian Ice from the boardwalk!

After lunch, we took to the rides. The usual carousel, train ride and the "Crazy Bus." Then we returned to the beach for some kite flying!

The Crazy Bus has become one of Alexa's favorite rides, despite how sickening it makes me feel! This thing goes surprisingly high. She's a real dare devil these days! As a side note, Alexa has begun referring to all school buses as crazy buses, and sometimes she even points out crazy cars! Mike says this time Alexa was so excited once the ride got started, with a big smile on her face the entire time!

We rounded out Friday evening with dinner with Melissa, Ty and Brodie.

On Saturday, we headed to the Land of Make Believe in Hope, NJ with Gramma and Aunt Eileen. We were all pleasantly surprised by the expanded waterpark area. Mike, Alexa and I did a few loops around the lazy river which really helped to cool us off! We went on more rides and ate too much junk food, but we all had lots of fun! I had never been to this park so I didn't know what to expect. I think it was well worth the trip!

At this point in the trip my camera battery had died and I wasn't able to find the charger! A bummer actually, since we met Melissa and the boys for a few hours Sunday at Seaside. After a few rides accompanied by Ty, Alexa actually rode on her first ride alone...the baby swings. She was THRILLED! She even went on a second time! We did capture a few cute shots on Mike's iPhone but I'll have to try to upload them on my laptop at some point.

On Monday morning we stopped by for a brief visit with Keith and Dana and then spent some time at the Morristown Arboretum. Alexa made a friend and was happy to share her tricycle with her. We relaxed in the evening with Karen, Ken, Matt and Casey and it was off to bed early to be rested for the drive home on Tuesday.

I was REALLY sick yesterday, didn't get off the couch, couldn't eat, couldn't sleep. It was dreadful. So I turned to the internet and had some fun. Here is the final result!