wordless wednesday

swine, pumpkins, ponies, and a cute little cupcake

A couple of weeks ago Anna Kate came down with a cold. Just your run of the mill cold, little bit of a runny nose and a bothersome cough from drainage. No fever, so I was not overly concerned. On Wednesday of that week, she started throwing up. We had been around some friends right before they came down with a stomach virus, so I thought she was having really bad luck. A cold and a stomach virus. Poor baby, but still NO fever. The next day she was puny, but not anything more than what would be expected from a stomach virus. By Friday, I thought she had an ear infection. After blowing her little nose, she grabbed he ear and stated crying. So I took her to the doctor, and the nurse out of the blue does a flu test. The doctor (not our regular doc) comes in, says she has a sinus infection, writes a prescription, and is ready to send us home. I mentioned to him that I presumed the flu test was negative since he did not say anything about it. Turns out he had no clue a flu test was done but lets me know that he highly doubts that is what it is. He goes to check the results and comes back in shaking his head. To all of our surprise, little AK tested positive for h1n1. We started Tamiflu that day and in 24 hours she was acting like herself again. I am assuming she had a very mild case, but nonetheless I am glad it is over.

This was taken on the very "tail end" of being sick. I just wanted to have a picture of when she had the "swine flu" to show her when she is older.*Oh... quick funny story. I did not realise how ironically funny this was until the other day. When Chris got home the day we found out she had the flu, I went to Target to get her a few things to quietly entertain her. I came home with stickers, coloring books, and a couple of new movies. Her favorite movie that I got was Charlotte's Web. She started calling it the little pig movie. Well now after having SWINE flu, she is really into pigs. :)

Once she was totally better and "cleared" to be out we took trip #2 to Mayfield Farms. This time with all her buddies.

Reed and AK swinging on the fence. This was right before she went through the gap in the fence (on the right) and stated walking toward the donkeys saying "here donkeys!" Yeah... she loves animals.

The girls and I made the kiddos Halloween shirts to wear on our outing.

Cute little Jackson in the "corn box." An awesome alternative to a sand box.

Reed climbing "tire mountain."

On the cow train. Anna Kate found a cow named Bella!

Ada and Anna Kate. We get asked ALL the time if they are twins.

This picture would have been perfect, if any of the kids would have smiled! I promise they were having fun, but none of them knew what to think about sitting there without their mommies. This was actually the best out of about ten pictures.

Reed: "ewww. I have to sit by a girl?" Ada: "Help me Anna Kate, I am busting out of here." AK: Why do Ada and Jackson have their hands on my knees?" Jackson: "Why is Molly laying on me?" Molly: "hmmmm. Look at this hay guys!"

She really like to sit on pumpkins. Strange, I know.

In the pumpkin patch.

Pretend cows that the kids could "milk." So cute!

I would really like to hurt whoever taught her to "smile" at the camera.

Taking the pumpkins to the car.

Our little cupcake at a church festival Wednesday night.

Reed came too!

And the smallest cupcake. Miss Molly.

On Friday night we went to Granna's school's fall festival. AK discovered smarties this week.

Much to my surprise, she rode a pony! I could not believe she was not scared! She really does love animals! She is a lot like her mommy.

First pony ride.

Granddaddy stayed by her for the ride.

Pony ride. Check. Next on the list... petting zoo!

First trick-or-treating. At Granddaddy and Granna's house. She was so excited!

Then after a couple neighbor's homes, we went to Granddad YaYa's.

Goodbye October!

pumpkins!

Pumpkin time is here! Last week AK and I spent a rainy day carving a pumpkin. She had fun scraping the pumpkin "guts" out with me, although she was terrified of them when I first pulled the top of the pumpkin off. :) I did not get to take many pictures, as my hand were covered in the before mentioned "guts."Saturday we went to Mayfield farms in Athens, TN. They have a great farm, corn maze, and pumpkin patch! We definitely plan to visit again with all her little friends! We knew a cold front was coming through this weekend, but did not know it was going to be quite so chilly! Good thing I made the last minute decision to bring Anna Kate's heavier jacket. It did not get out of the 40's! Crazy for Chattanooga area in October!

I thought this giant corn was so cute! It is made from Mayfield's famous yellow milk jugs!

Looking at cows with Ya Ya, Granddad, and Daddy.

little pigs! They were freezing!

she loved this little white "pun-keen"

feeding the donkey... I was amazed at the sunflowers in the background!

it was strange to see them all so vibrant in cold weather!

silly goats!

a freezing hay ride!

picking the perfect pumpkin with daddy

she kept telling us she wanted a baby pumpkin
she found one and was so excited!

beginings of fall fun!

I am a sucker for fall. I love the crispness of the air, fall colors, sweaters and jackets, hot coffee and cider, soups, and fuzzy socks. I also so enjoy fall activities! Pumpkin patches, carnivals, fairs and festivals... all fun! This weekend we checked one annual October tradition off our list. We took advantage of a chilly Sunday afternoon and made a trip to Ellijay, GA. Like any good autumn road trip, it started off with lattes and macchiatos from Starbucks. Anna Kate had fun riding in Granna's car and finding cows and horses on the way. When we got to our favorite orchard, we strolled though the rows of trees. Anna Kate thought it was funny that so many apples "fall down" on the grass.

posing on the tractor with grandaddychoosing the perfect apple

ready to go for a walk with uncle brian and daddy!

in line for petting farm tickets

a baby "pun-keen"

anna kate: "I find the mommy pun-keens, mommy!"

in the orchard

feeding a goat an apple

our favorite~ a precious, snuggly, tiny baby goat!

"anna kate hold it"

a pig!

petting the mommy bunny

snuggling the baby bunnyshe was amazed at the "pig tail"
I was terrified she would touch it! eewww.
thankfully she did not.

playing with the goats.

I could not get enough of this sweet little guy!

she was a little timid with the sheep

turkeys, chickens, and roosters!

granna loved the little goat, too!

I love this tradition! What a fun day with family!

a birthday girl...

The celebration of Anna Kate's second birthday started a week early on August 29th. Since so many of our friends and family were planning to be out of town for Labor Day weekend (as were we), we had Anna Kate's party early. This little girl looked forward to her "A-B-C-D birthday party" for at least a month ahead of time. When we arrived at the party she excitedly screamed "Yay! Anna Kate's birthday!"
I was busy running around taking care of things for the party, so I did not take many pictures. Shocker I know. Don't worry though, this area was well taken care of by my talented friend, Brittany. Her pictures of the party should be ready some time in the next week. I will be sure to post some and write more about her party.
For now... these few will have to do. :)During her "birthday week", we tried to doing something small everyday that was special for Anna Kate. Monday we surprised her with new bath toys at bath time. Tuesday we took her to Chuck E. Cheese (a nightmare for mom and dad). Wednesday during a family photo shoot with Brittany, we let Anna Kate get an ice cream cone. Thursday she made cookies with mommy during the day, and went with daddy that evening to feed some ducks. Friday we were in the car on the way to FL, so that was not much fun, but she did get to watch Blue's Clues on the way... I am sure she saw that as special because we never watch TV in the car unless we are on trips.On Saturday, her actual birthday, we went to a brand new restaurant in Pensacola with my grandparents. Then my grandmother gave her a Sesame Street birthday party. She was very excited to have a "more" birthday party and to see Elmo and the gang on the plates, cake, etc.
In addition to singing "Happy Birthday" to Anna Kate, she wanted the whole family to sing to her baby, Lily and her duck, Ming Ming. It was super cute. Anna Kate really likes to sing and stated really liking the birthday song. I put her down for a nap before this party and when I went to check on her she was -ever so sweetly- singing "appy birtday to yous, appy birtday to yous, appy birtday a Anna Kate..." It made her mommy melt!
We finished off her birthday by feeding some ducks at a pond near my grandparent's house. This is one of Anna Kate's favorite pastimes. She was extra excited because in addition to the duck in this pond, there were also turtles!
Hope to be able to share more (and much better I am sure) pictures from her party soon! Stay tuned!

summer vacation... day by day

disclaimer: this is going to be LONG

Wednesday

We started our summer vacation on Wednesday the 12th when we headed to Nashville for the night before our early flight the next morning. Before we got to our hotel, we happened to pass a Chuck E. Cheese, and decided to take Anna Kate for her first time there. She LOVED it. Her favorite part was watching "the monkey" (really Chuck E. Cheese) dance and sing.

When we got to our hotel, we decided to go for a quick swim before bed.

Thursday
After waking up at 4 a.m. to catch our flight I was in a bit of a daze, but excited about seeing friends and going to a concert later that night. While putting Anna Kate's car seat in the plane, I happened to glance at the guy sitting behind her seat. I did a double take and was a bit star-struck. I was 95% sure that the guy occupying the seat behind my daughter's was one of the lead singers for Lady Antebellum, one of the groups we were going to see in concert later that night. Chris tried to persuade me to ask, but I was too nervous that I would look like a freak if it was not him. We settled into the flight and I settled into a magazine. About halfway through the magazine there was an article about the Charles Kelly, the guy I thought to be behind me. After getting off the plane for a layover in Baltimore, we found our next gate and my suspicion was confirmed. Two rows away from me sat Charles, Hillary, and Dave from Lady Antebellum with their entire band. I was SO excited. Since I was in a rush to change AK's diaper, go to the bathroom, and get some breakfast, I did not talk to them before we all boarded our next flight to Hartford. I hoped the whole way, that I would have a chance to speak to them once this flight was over. Charles again sat close to us, and once we landed Chris tapped him on the shoulder and told him that I was looking forward to his concert that night. He smiled and replied, "Oh cool! Thanks." Once we got to baggage claim the whole crew ended up right next to us. Hillary came over and started talking about how cute Anna Kate, Isabelle, and Emma were. That broke the ice and we started talking to them a bit, and asked if we could get our picture made with them. This is the result! They are an awesome band, very down to earth people, and were great in concert that night!

Court and I about to leave for the concert. Yes... jackets for an outdoor concert in August. Only in CT. The HIGH was 70 that day, so it got pretty chilly at night!

Friday
We left CT Friday morning and headed to MA to Bobby's family cottage by the ocean. So beautiful and relaxing! We were most thrilled with the 72 degree weather!
Anna Kate feeling that salty sea air in her hair!

Our home for a few days.

We brought the girls a little pool to play in. They LOVED it!

Sweet Emma.

Chris getting ready to go fishing.

Don't think I would ever get used to the "norm" of not having air conditioning like in the North. Anna Kate was so very hot during her naps!

Later that evening after dinner, the boys wanted to go clamming (or quahogging as it is called there), so we gals watched them from the beautiful rocky shore. The girls had fun collecting rocks in plastic cups and trying to spot their daddies when they emerged from snorkeling.

Chris waving while taking a break from diving for quahogs.The guys a small little specks in the right side of the picture. You might be able to see them if you click on the picture to enlarge itTheir catch that night. They ended up going every night but one and caught so many!

Carrying their "treasure" back to the cottage.

Saturday

We loaded up the Suburban and took about an hour trip to Boston. This was my first time to visit this very old city. If it had not been so stinking hot there, we would have LOVED to stay longer! We started the day off at a playground on Boston Commons (one of the oldest parks in the US, dating back to 1634!). Anna Kate of course loved the slide the best!

A new froggie buddy at the "frog pond" by the playground. The Frog Pond is an enormous wading pool that doubles as a skating rink in the winter.

"Paul Revere is probably the most famous name heard around the Boston area. We were able to see his home and his grave. Really neat! Other famous men buried in this cemetery were John Hancock and Samuel Adams.

"Sometimes you want to go... Where everybody knows your name... duh. duh. duh. duh. And they're always glad you came! duh. duh. duh. duh." Anyone recognize this bar? Lunch at Cheers was fun! And yummy, too!

Tea anyone? The boys and kiddos at Boston Harbor (or "Haaabaa" as a true Bostonian would say it). Dang. Their accents are so super annoying.

The highlight of the girl's trip was definitely this fountain by the harbor! I am sorry about the abundance of pictures from this! This is actually narrowed down! I just got so many cute ones! Anna Kate was cracking everyone up by sticking her head straight down into the water! She LOVED it!

Sharing a cannoli with mommy from the famous Mike's Pastry. They were amazing!

Sunday

Sunday was a restful day. It was a day to just kick back, hang out on the beach, and take it easy. Courtney and I even got to sneak away at nap time and leave the daddies with the kids!
Breakfast on the sun porch at the cottage.

She actually WANTED to wear her hat. This was a first! Maybe there is some hope for keeping hats on her this winter!

Emma found a rock! Oh wait... that is not a shocker for beaches up North. They are brutal on bare feet!

Isabelle's sand castle!

AK was not the biggest fan of the rocky sand, so she elected to stay in the chair most of the time. Still had fun though!

Tired girls in the "Blues Clues zone" before nap time.

Three cuties who were keeping a look out for their daddies who were out on the boat.

Water hose time! They took turns chasing each other.

Granna called to say hello before bedtime.

We put the kids down to bed a little early Sunday night, so that we adults could enjoy a scrumtious dinner by ourselves! How can you beat a dinner consisting of homemade clam chowder (from clams caught by your husbands), baked cod, crab legs, and lobster that was moving around in your fridge 30 mins. before? YUM.

My first time eating lobster. It was good, although I still prefer snow crab legs!

Monday

After a 45 minute drive, a 10 min. bus ride, and a 45 min. ferry ride, we set foot on Martha's Vineyard! It was fun because it was a first for all in our group except Bobby.

B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L place. I can see why so many rich and famous people choose to have residence there. We saw the properties of Dianna Ross, Jackie Kennedy (now owned by Caroline), Charles Lindbergh, Ted Danson (this is where Chelsea Clinton's "secret wedding" is rumored to take place this weekend!), James Taylor, and so many more! We missed the Obama's big arrival by 3 days (they were scheduled to arrive today), but the island was buzzing with talk of their coming. Even t-shirt in every shop stating "I vacationed with the Obamas." Funny. We were told that Caroline Kennedy was there with special house guest Oprah. Seems like a fun place for celeb watching!

The "big boat" as Anna Kate called it. A rather large steamship!

Getting windblown while "watching the water".

What a view.

Of course Lily wanted to "watch the water" too!

Fun to ride the oldest carousel in America!

Another georgeous view.

My favorite part of the island, the Gay Head Cliffs. Pictures do not even come close to doing them justice. A must see if you are ever there.

Playing in a field waiting for our bus.

All the girls.

Leaving Cape Cod. :(

Tuesday
Goodbyes are never easy. I was so sad to part ways with my friend! Tuesday morning was brutal. To catch a 6:30 a.m. flight in Providence, our alarm went off at 3:00. Ouch. Anna Kate somehow did AMAZING. This was right before we borded the plane. She fell sound asleep shortly after take off and slept the majority of the way home.

cutie in a carseat

Just some random cute shots.

A girl has to be pretty tired to fall asleep mid-way through an ice cream cone!Anna Kate and her "buddies."