 Alexa and the birthday boy, Wyeth We drove into Brooklyn on Saturday, October 24th to celebrate Wyeth's 2nd birthday with Jamie, Kate and friends. Despite the (very) long drive, Alexa had no trouble diving right into the fun of decorating pumpkins with the kids. It was great to see everyone and especially fun to watch Wyeth and Alexa interact once again.
 Decorating a pumpkin at Wyeth's party Now that we are back at home, Alexa is slowly getting back into her routine. We were happy to get back to gymnastics class Monday morning and play in the leaves afterwards. Tammy (our favorite neighbor), uncovered these mushrooms with her leaf blower! Alexa thought they were pretty neat! The leaves are a beautiful, bright yellow, but falling quickly. Alexa seems to like them better on the ground!  Some things never change! Alexa has spent so much time inside this little cabinet. For as long as I can remember she has squeezed her little body into this small space, closing the door behind her! Whether she is playing with one of her many figurines or enjoying a snack, Alexa has always found comfort in this cabinet. Believe it or not, there was a wooden bottom (see photo below) when I first purchased it. If I recall correctly, Eva managed to fit into the cabinet sometime last year and the bottom gave out. Lucky for Alexa because now she can continue to sneak into her favorite space without the inconvenience of the bottom!
 March 4, 2009  Today, Alexa began daycare...again! Feeling guilty that I couldn't possibly provide her with as much fun as others her own age, I enrolled Alexa in a small, home daycare where she can spend two mornings with some other toddlers. She never noticed me sneak out after kissing her goodbye this morning and when I returned to pick her up, she was all smiles. Her new provider is another Tammy and there is even a little girl there named, of all things, Mina!
 Eva Just like last year, the kids are enjoying jumping in the leaf piles. Today, we covered the kids up and watched as they popped out of the pile. Will, Eva and Isabel entertained Alexa by running and leaping into the pile. It's crazy how quickly a year passes! I remember last year watching the kids run across the yard and into the leaves while Alexa laughed a great big belly laugh as she gleefully watched!
 Alexa  Oct. 10, 2008  After a long trip, Alexa's toys always end up in disarray. She chooses several toys to bring along with us, all of which wind up all over the car and once they are back in the house I begin the task of organizing! Blocks back with other blocks, Chloe reunited with her horse buddies, Thomas train back on the train table, etc., etc. Tonight while I was straightening up, Alexa did a little organizing of her own, lining up all her farm animals in a row. When I asked what they were in line for, she replied, "to take a picture." I got my camera and Alexa posed for me with her farm animals! She was so pleased with the arrangement, she even added Daddy and sister (see below).
P.S. I posted some old video clips on the Videos page. Wow...I can't believe how many memories flood back when I watch even the smallest clip of Alexa's early months!
 On Wednesday, October 14, 2009, we boarded a plane for Tampa. This would be flight # 5 for Alexa. Coincidentally, Jamie had a flight to Rochester at the same time as ours and so we had a quick get together in the Continental terminal before leaving Newark. Alexa was so well behaved on the airplane. She sat with Daddy to check out the sights below and put a smile on several faces! We arrived on time, Carrie and Tim greeting us with iced coffees from Starbucks! The heat was overwhelming. Little did we know it would not last long.
 now this is the way to travel!  Our first stop…Baby Jillian’s house! Jillian is 3 weeks old and I knew Alexa would be so excited to get her hands on her. Jillian is beautiful and so peaceful. We just loved her! We visited with Jenny and Jillian for a bit, went out to lunch at Hooters (yup, Hooters!) and then set out for Carrie’s house in Lake Wales.
 Alexa & Jillian  Mike & Jillian  At Hooters! Don't ask!!!  Carrie & Tim's house in Lake Wales  coincidental Hang Ten pose! On Thursday, we picked up Joseph after school. Excited doesn't begin to describe how Alexa felt when she saw Joseph! Joseph was equally excited but less willing to demonstrate it on camera! We all went to Wet ‘n Wild in Orlando, minus, of course, Jenny and Jillian.
Paragraph. After watching Joseph on the waterslides, Alexa grew curious and decided she would give it a try. I was apprehensive, but I knew Joseph would hang on to Alexa tight so, we watched as the two came sliding down with grins from ear to ear!  On the kiddie water slide!  in the wave pool  Joseph took a break to meditate  We even took Joseph on a BIG waterslide and he seemed to really enjoy it! We took a float around the lazy river which was more work than it should have been considering it was a “lazy” river! Unfortunately, thunderstorms rolled in and our day came to an end.
On Friday, we visited Tina at work and she made this for Alexa…  Joseph embellished it and Alexa was kind enough to wear it briefly to oblige Joseph!
 Leanna, Joseph & Alexa Friday evening, we packed into the car and drove to Tampa for Zoo Boo at the Lowry Park Zoo. Carrie’s stepsister, Amber, and her daughter, Leanna joined us. We went last year to this annual Halloween event. The kids rode the rollercoaster and Joseph and Leanna jumped around in a big house filled with foam. As usual, Alexa loved the pony ride and this time she was unaccompanied as we were not permitted to walk with her. Wow…she really is a big girl now!
 Leanna & Joseph in the Foam House  Saturday, the weather turned chilly for Florida standards. We went to a local historical site, Bok Tower, for the first annual “Boktoberfest.” Bok Tower Sanctuary is comprised of beautiful gardens, a butterfly house, live Oak trees covered in Spanish moss and views of Lake Wales and surrounding areas. It was a gorgeous day! Joseph picked out a pumpkin to carve, the kids “caught” butterflies and had their faces painted! Alexa fell asleep and the afternoon was growing colder so we headed back to Carrie’s house for the evening.
 Bok Tower  Jenny and Jillian came to Lake Wales on Sunday morning and we stopped by some flea markets. While Tina watched all four kids (and baked sugar and peanut butter cookies), the adults drove to find the pieces necessary for Joseph’s Halloween costume. Tina helped put together a tail and crown to complete Max from “Where the Wild Things Are.” I can’t wait to see pictures. Later that afternoon, we said goodbye to Joseph, Jillian, and Jenny. We are going to miss seeing them so much!
 Alexa with Gary a.k.a. Paw-Paw It was a really cold night and when we woke up on Monday, everybody was feeling a little under the weather. We couldn’t decide whether to go to Disney or not, but we finally made the decision to go. Carrie stayed behind to rest.
This was Alexa’s second visit to the Magic Kingdom. She was just over 1 year old the first time we came back in April 2008.  April 2008  We headed for Fantasyland to ride It’s a Small World, Cinderella’s Golden Carousel and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Then it was on to see Mickey and Minnie’s houses and a ride along the Walt Disney World Railroad. Alexa drove a race car at Tomorrowland Speedway and we visited Monstropolis. Or final ride was the Magic Carpets of Aladdin.
Here is Alexa on “It’s A Small World” in April 2008 and on October 19, 2009…  First pair of Minnie ears!  they are even personalized!  future race car driver! So here we are, on our plane home. As I type, we can see NJ below…  NYC  Giants Stadium (new and old) Alexa did great on the plane. She kept busy with her blocks and occasionally tickled the young man (an NYU film student) sitting next to her. He didn’t seem to mind!! Some random updates: Alexa pronounces “l” as “h” and I think it’s the cutest thing. For example, “like” is “hike” and “lollipop” is “hollipop.” Another one of those things that will soon be just a memory. She also adds the letter y to many words lately, for example, “blocky” or “coldy.” So many quirky little Alexa-isms!!
 Gramma Carole turned 60 years old on Friday, October 9th! On Saturday, we arranged for a party to celebrate this milestone. We invited friends and family to the Mountainside Inn for dinner and dancing. It was a surprise for Gramma and she was so pleased to see everyone as she entered the room…Alexa on the other hand, must have found it overwhelming as she began to cry as soon as she was greeted with a loud, “SURPRISE!” It was a matter of seconds before she discovered the great big dance floor and caught a glimpse of her “cousins”, Brian Anthony, Gianna, Alexa Rose and Mya. Now the party had begun for Alexa!
 Alexa, Tim & Aunt Chrissy  Carole, 'Queen of the 60 Year Olds' We danced and ate and danced some more. Alexa seemed like she would never quit. It was really fun to see all the kids play and really get to spend some time together.  Alexa & Mya (8 mos.)  Alexa and Alexa (front) Gina, Brian and Gianna We added some special touches to the party including photographs of Carole when she was a child. And thanks to Luanne, Jeremy and Mya, Carole got many products that a 60 year old should never be without!  Eventually sleep caught up with her and Alexa was out cold! We were all tired by the end of the evening and left with many memories of a special celebration!
I knew September and October would be busy months. Most weekends offer festivals and family events that we just can't resist. On October 4th, we met up with some of our favorite (Or "fabrit") friends, Charlotte, Anna and Jailee to pick pumpkins at Sam Mazza's Harvest Festival in Colchester, VT. Despite overcast skies and dampness in the air, the girls appeared to enjoy themselves, riding ponies, jumping in the bouncy house and taking a hay ride to the pumpkin patch.  All smiles in the bounce house!  Jailee, Alexa, Charlotte & Anna  Once in the pumpkin patch the girls picked the perfect pumpkins while the mom's did their best papparazzi imitations trying to get the perfect shot, hoping the girls might end up in the newspaper again!
 Anna & Alexa and their pumpkins  this one went to the paper (minus the random kids in the background!)  Sara, Rachel, Me & Lisa We even managed to get a photo of all of us moms!
The day ended with a hay ride back to the festival and some cider donuts from the farm store. Alexa took one final pony ride and another turn in the bounce house. I took a quick look for some friends I was hoping might have come while Mike stayed with Alexa. I returned to the bounce house to see Alexa crying. I was told that she did not want to come out on her own and that Mike had to crawl in to try to retrieve her. What a sight that must have been!
 On the ferry Last Friday (Oct. 2), on a whim, Minna, Alexa and I decided to take the ferry to Plattsburgh, NY. This was Alexa's first trip aboard the ferry and despite the chilly weather, we decided to take it in from the observation deck! We were hoping to arrive in time to visit a few museums, but after leaving rather late and hitting up a garage sale on the way, we didn't make it to any of the museums we had set out to see. It wasn't entirely our fault though, these places have some interesting Friday hours!
Instead, we happened upon a beautiful, historic horse farm, accessible to the public. Yo can check it ot here: http://www.whminer.com/heritageexhibit.html Heart's Delight Farm dates back to 1903 and consists of 15,000 acres of land. Today it was empty other than the people actually working there. A total of 25 Morgan horses reside in the old barn and they were some of the friendliest horses we've had the pleasure of meeting! That said, we do still very much adore our Morgans, Oakleigh, Teddy, Pecos and all the others at Meadowsong!!!  The old Store house  This one became one of Minna's buddies!  Despite the 2 dozen plus horses surrounding us, Alexa was quite taken with one of the barn cats and, it was pretty clear, the barn cat was taken with Alexa!
 Well, really it was a toss up between the barn cat and the dandelions!
 Minna's 'fabrit' Before we left, we walked to another pasture and Minna found, and fell in love with, this mare. She appeared quite content to simply stand there and have Minna stroke her silky coat! Alexa continued to entertain the cat, or the other way around, and I found the plaques explaining the expansion of the property to be very interesting, especially the photos of the various structures that once stood in the now open acres of pasture.
 Mt. Mansfield covered in 3 inches of fresh SNOW! Alexa continues to build her language skills and with each new development, I find myself amazed and often laughing! Some of the new things she says are..."That's my fabrit" These days several things are her favorite, but she usually uses this phrase when she has received a certain food, such as Vanilla mini scones from Starbucks (I have a bit of an addiction to Starbucks). Alexa call Starbucks, the coffeehouse! Additionally, last week I sneezed and from down the hall, I heard her little voice call "Bless You, Mommy!" She also has begun recognizing the need to apologize for some of her behaviors, saying "I'm sorry" when, for example, she has excitedly thrown a block at my face!
Today Alexa jumped on the scale and she weighs a whopping 26.6 lbs. I'm pretty sure she hadn't had her diaper changed yet! So, she's still very much "Minna's Fabrit Peanut!"
At the end of the week, we pack p the car for another trip to NJ to wish Gramma a Happy Birthday, then vacation to visit Aunt Carrie, Tim, Jenny, Joseph, James and new baby Jillian in Florida and then back to NJ to celebrate Wyeth's 2nd birthday in Brooklyn. Look for posts along the way!
On Saturday, September 26, Mike, Alexa and I took our annual drive to the Stowe Oktoberfest. We've been going to the event for the past 7 years and it has become a great way to meet up with our friends, Jessica and Scott. This year was even more special as Unity attended her first Oktoberfest! For the first time, we actually arrived in time to see the parade! According to Mike, Jessica and Scott may have been making bets as to whether we would show up. We did and it was exciting to see Alexa's eyes as she watched the various parade participants pass us by on Main Street. She was especially taken by the official horse of Oktoberfest, Black Jack.
This was Alexa's 3rd Oktoberfest. It's hard to believe how fast she is growing up. In 2007, Alexa sat for her first time unassisted beneath the old tree by the one room school house. This year she sat in the tree!  2007 (6 mos. old)  2009 (2 1/2 years old)  Unity (5 1/2 mos. old) We all had so much fun taking Unity's first pictures beneath that big, old tree and she was more than happy to entertain us! She even showed off her two new teeth!
 One of these things is not like the others! Apparently leaves are pretty tasty because both Alexa (in 2007) and Unity seemed to make every effort to get some in their mouths! Well, Unity is afterall, a vegetarian! Obviously a big part of the day is the food, beer and Oompah bands! Alexa danced for quite some time with a friend she made named Maddie. As the day grew to a close, both Unity and Alexa were worn out. That's what all that dancing will do to a girl!  Scott setting a good example for kids all over the world!  Alexa and Maddie with the Burgermeister Here are some other pics of the day...
 I was finally able to upload the pics of Alexa, Ty and Brodie from Seaside to my computer and I wanted to add them here! Alexa rode her first ride without Mike or myself when Ty offered to be her companion on, all all things, the Nascar ride. Alexa engaged Ty in quite a converstaion during the ride and Ty wasn't always certain how to reply but he was more than happy to go along with her!
 After some rides with Ty, Mike and I, Alexa was ready to take on the swings all by herself! She happily strapped herself in and smiled with each rotation! Mike was kinda nervous because he was certain she would try to undue herself from the seat mid-ride, but she was having to much fun to think about getting out! This is by no means a great picture, but it was from a phone afterall!
 This was, by far, the best ride of the night for Alexa! We rode several times and if you could see this photo close up, you would catch a glimpse of the smile from ear to ear that Alexa displayed each and everytime we slid down that great big slide!!
 Ty and Alexa  Melissa, Brodie and Ty  Us!
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