We kept ourselves busy this Fall and things will have officially begun to slow down a bit in the last week. Besides Preschool, which is going very well, Alexa participated in a gymnastics class. Despite the not so positive experience we had last winter in a ballet class at the Burlington Y, it was time to try another class on her own. Thankfully the staff at CS Gymnastics seemed both experienced and caring and paid close attention to Alexa's unique personality! With a different circuit each week, Alexa learned several gymnastics positions and had lots of fun on the tumbling shapes, low beams, trampoline, spring boards and low bars. I am so proud of her independence and her courage. She tries new things with excitement and anticipation! We met two mommies and two friends, Jess and Logan. We hope to keep in touch with them and arrange playdates this winter.

Additionally, we participated in a 5 week Mommy & Me class at the Turtleback Zoo in West Orange, NJ. Each week we learned about a different group of animals, colored pictures, made a craft and then had an opportunity to meet some of those animals up close! We learned about birds, farm animals, reptiles, and amphibians. We spent some time in the zoo afterwards. It was so beautiful as the leaves were changing. We even took the last train ride of the season and enjoyed views of the foliage at peak on the reservoir. It was a great experience and if the curriculum is different next fall we will likely attend again.

Lastly, there was our Music Together classes in Randolph. We had a wonderful time singing and playing instruments with a great group of kids, moms and nannies. Alexa adored our teacher, Miss Gen. We even made a friend, Lucas, who was excited each week when he arrived and saw Alexa! We hope to spend some time with Lucas and his mom outside of music class. 


So now we have to explore some new activities to get us through the cold winter months. In the meantime, Alexa and I have been keeping busy making crafts for the holidays and just relaxing a bit!

It was sort of a no brainer this year when it came to a costume idea! For those who haven't noticed, Alexa has a thing for horses! I thought it might be fun to do something a bit more creative than a horse costume. So naturally I turned to Google and discovered a few really cool equestrian costumes.

We left pumpkin picking until practically the last moment, but luckily the weather in New Jersey stays comfortable for a little longer than Vermont and we made to a local farm to pick a couple of beauties! Alexa enjoyed face painting (she chose a unicorn!), choosing a pumpkin and the hayride to and from the pumpkin patch, but it was the hay maze that really made her day! She ran around, climbed over bales of hay and giggled for the longest time!

Alexa and I carved our pumpkins just a few days before Halloween. Tootsie watched us. We began with spoons but it didn't take long for us to dig our hands into the "gooey" pumpkins! Alexa thought it was fun to shape the "guts" of the pumpkins into a pie! While she squished her fingers through the seeds, I searched the internet for a horse design. I found one and began the tedious work of cutting it out. Alexa was so excited and supported me until we got our finished product. She would pat me on the shoulder and say "Great job Mom. That looks beautiful!"

On Friday, October 29th, Alexa's school celebrated Halloween early with a parade and trick or treating in the parking lot. It was drizzling and chilly, but for the few minutes that the kids came out to show off their costumes, none of that mattered. Alexa followed her classmates from trunk to trunk and collected her treats! She didn't carry her stick horse as planned but that didn't seem to bother her.

Finally the big day had arrived! We drove to Vermont to celebrate Halloween with friends and family. We were happy to hear that our former town was having a parade and that Jerry and Mary Jane's horses would be making an appearance. In addition, we learned that Eva would be on a float and that we would have a chance to see the entire Colquhoun Family! Alexa had a great time playing with Minna and we even had a play date with "the girls," Charlotte, Bridget and Anna! As for Halloween and Trick or Treating, well that was sort of a bust due to...SNOW!!! Snow on Halloween! It was bitter cold and nobody seemed very tolerant. So we called it an early night. There's always next year!

We also made a brief visit to the ECHO center, one of Alexa's favorite places. She calls it the fishy store! We dug for whale bones and Alexa, Minna and Daddy played at the Watershed Way exhibit. Alexa even learned how wind energy is generated into electricity! Pretty exciting stuff!

It's Autumn again and although it feels a little different than Vermont, I have been trying to get into the mood of Fall. We won't be decorating our front steps or windows with Halloween decor this year (Something I really enjoyed doing last year when Alexa had begun to understand the themes of the holidays). We haven't yet picked pumpkins (except for a few in Minna's garden at the end of the Summer) and we haven't gone apple picking, but we have been outdoors enjoying the crisp, cool air. We've found a few festivals and Oktoberfest celebrations to check out in the area too. Alexa is excited to dress up for Halloween (I ordered her costume yesterday!) and she had collected so many acorns that we finally made some crafts with them yesterday!

We spent Sunday afternoon at a local playground. It is brand spanking new and seems to be a local hot spot! Melissa and Ty joined us and we all got a workout in an exciting game of tag. Alexa adores Ty. She enjoys any and all attention from him. Ty, on the other hand, is hot and cold when it comes to Alexa. At times, he is attentive, cooperative (he pretends to look hard when playing hide and seek even when he knows exactly where Alexa is hiding!)t and engaging and then there are moments when he is not as welcoming of Alexa's attempts to hold hands or share a hug. But when I catch a glimpse of the two when they think no one is looking, I catch sweet exchanges of friendship that make me smile and grateful for my friends and the wonderful children they are raising!

Earlier that day, we went to see animals presented by the Staten Island Zoo in a traveling exhibition that brought us to State Line Lookout Park in Alpine, NJ. We enjoyed views of the Hudson River and New York from the cliffs. Alexa found some additions to her acorn collection and expelled a lot of energy running around as a horse!

Last weekend, we went to the Annual Chester Oktoberfest in Chubb Park. It had been a tradition that Mike and I would attend the Stowe Oktoberfest every year accompanied by Scott and Jessica MacNeill. For 8 years, we drove into Stowe to drink beer and eat bratwurst with sauerkraut and potato salad, listen to oompah bands and stroll the historic streets of Stowe for photo ops among the beautifully changing autumn leaves! This year we could not be there and so we attempted to replicate the fun at a local venue! It wasn't quite the same!!! Despite the less than authentic feel, we had fun watching the kids (Alexa and Ty) enjoy the bounce houses and we (Mike, Melissa and I) still ate good food and drank decent beer! And as it turns out, we met a celebrity! It was a good afternoon! But I would be lying if I said I didn't miss Stowe this year!