More from October

Although Aaron was painting the house over Columbus Day weekend we still managed to squeeze in some time at the Topsfield Fair.
 

We keep trying to force Meg to love carosels...she played along for 20 seconds the off into Mommy's arms.  Tessa though, is a regular cowgirl!

This is ride Tessa hesitated to do last year (grown-ups aren't allowed to ride) and then when she got up the nerve she missed her chance by 30 seconds because it started raining.  I don't know if she remembers that, but this time she just climbed aboard and had a great time.

This picture embodies one of the sweetest things about Tessa.  I can't even explain it, but look at that shy yet completely thrilled little wave she's doing.  Kill me now it is so cute.

Meg and Momma rode the CRAZY BUS together (it goes up and down...oooooooo) She was very eager to go on a ride to, after watching Tessa  do a few. 

But when it came down to it, she didn't quite get what the thrill was.

Unrelated to the fair is this cake.  The candy corn just make it a Fall cake, instead of a "Mommy wants sugar, what do we have in the house" cake.

Pumpkin parade.

The squirrel that was living in our floorboards...Aaron dropped it off at a local park with a bag of nuts to replace the ones he'd been storing at our house all winter.  Good deed done.  Then when he got home our neighbor informed Aaron that squirrels mate for life...so now the pressure is on to catch the 2nd squirrel and re-unite them before squirrel #1 decides to shack up with a park floozy. 

The one thing we were unable to do at the Fair was ride the Ferris Wheel, even though that is the main thing Tessa requested.  Luckily for her there is a carnival that comes to Salem during Halloween (probably the same group from the Fair) so she and Daddy took a special trip downtown just so she could ride the Ferris Wheel.  She loved it.  Aaron isn't much for heights so his stomach started to get a bit woozy, but Tessa was unafraid.  Love her!

** (Ahhh....I might pass out, I just figured out how to add a whole bunch of photos at once in blogger AND move them around so much easier - maybe, just maybe I'll post more often)

The Halloween post posted on Halloween!!

We've gone trick or treating three times in the past 9 days, each with varying costume combinations based on my preparedness or the kids cooperation.

Our first ToT-ing was at Pickering Wharf in Salem...

(They are bears by the way)


This is from tonight...I made better bear ears for the girls (barretts) but mine look like mouse ears, oh well. It has that homemade "je ne sais quoi"

(And yes I posted this pic even though Meg's face is hidden because it makes my hair look great)

I'm pretty sure this is supposed to be a "bear face" that is coming across as a grumpy face, or maybe I'm just delusional. Oh, and Tessa did her own make up...not necessarily according to my plan...

Julaugber

"Doh!"

Summertime has been fun and fun and fun around here.

No time for blogging, obviously.

But on occaision I did take pictures so here are July, August and September for your viewing pleasure.

(Winter was the season of grumpy photo faces - Summer is the season of silly photo faces)

Our solution to a small house. Take that housing market!

Family Day during Salem's Heritage Days.

Family Fun Day featured 5 bounce houses - Tessa was a big fan.

Taken on a weekend morning - the one day I got to sleep in because Daddy cornered the girlies on their room with fruit loops to distract them.

Boston greenway merry-go-round. Meg lasted abou 30 seconds before she needed to dismount, Tessa, though, is a regular ol' cowgirl.

I had a fantasy that I'd take some pictures near the waterfront and enter them into a contest for a local organization. No one cooperated, this was my best shot. :P

Wake up Daddy!

An 85 degree day in the 3rd week of September meant we were the only people on the beach.

We had fun, though.

Three days later we brought daddy along when we hit one of the "nice" beaches that generally has a high parking fee.

Meg was ready.

This picture is for those of our friends in the west who are going on bear hunts. Aaron "caught" this bear and Meg posed with it.

Tessa is channeling her inner mother warrior.

Sleepover on the bedroom floor.

Are you sick of the beach photos?

I'm pretty sure the "summer" weather is over...

But you never know.

Topsfield Fair Rides

Does this make you dizzy? (Or bizzy, as Tessa says.)

Lunchtime.

Crazy times on the crazy bus.

The all time winner, "pink horses".

Brewster Beach

Day two of our annual Cape trip (2008, 2007)we decided to check out the beach on the inside of the Cape. We've always gone to the National Seashore which has great waves that crash into the beach. Its fun, but not exactly kid-friendly.


Truth be told, Tessa doesn't like the beach. It might be the waves, Daddy swimming in the waves, the hard-to-walk-on sand, or the bright sun. I say that because this none of those things were at this beach and she had a blast. At low tide the wet, firm sand stretched out as far as the eye could see, which wasn't far with the cloud cover.

Second truth be told, people as white as we are shouldn't be seen in full sunlight. Go ahead and agree, we aren't offended. (Unless the fear of seeing one of us in a bikini is the real reason our friends all decided not to join us on our camping weekend...hum?)

(Its a good thing I have Aaron around to do the really tough things, like ask the locals tending their oyster beds to take our picture - locals love that)

The video below makes me laugh so much. But you really may have needed to be there. Daddy and Momma had great plans for the architectural wonder they were going to construct. Tessa had a great time smashing any attempt (just like a little planning and zoning board). Aaron challenged me to stack the small bucket on top of the large bucket. At 0:10 seconds notice my attempt to distract Godzilla/Tessa.

The U**s breath some country air

A few weeks ago I gathered random stuff from the fridge to make a wrap.

Wheat tortilla, hummus, turkey, mozzarella, mustard and pesto. Something in the wrap just did not mix well. It may have been the hummus and mustard, or the pesto and hummus, or just the wheat tortilla, but whatever it was prompted me to txt Aaron to say that my lunch tasted like the horse shed at the fair smells.

Then one night in August when I was at my parents house I realized - that is also what Idaho smells like. {grin}

While in Idaho we took an opportunity to go on a very small hike, with some very small hikers.



Then we headed to dinner at Aaron's aunt and uncle's house is Ririe. Trust me, It dudn't git much mo cun'ry then that*. And Aaron proved to be the definition of "city kid" when he "stepped in it."


Tessa once again cast off the "timid" label by eagerly feeding year old cookies to the goats.And by running full speed back and forth on the trampoline. Next year - summer camp at Uncle John's house!

*Thanks to Heather for correcting my grammar and suggesting this vernacular spelling.

Poaching

If I were to blog right now (which I'm not, so don't get your hopes up) I would do so by uploading photos taken by my sister...

AND ---

Since she already posted them on her blog, I'm just going to send you right on over to Laura's Blog.

Independence Day/Dependence Night

We were so thrilled to go to a big barbecue (complete with tiki-torches) on the Fourth of July. I was nervous about how Tessa would do - sometimes she does wonderfully in groups and sometimes, not so well. Luckily two of her best friends, Melanie and Alyssa where there. They played with her while I was stuffing my face full of delicious shrimp and the dessert buffet and quickly she turned into a standard run around ragamuffin.

Tessa with Melanie and Alyssa at the Lake

After eating everyone headed to the fireworks by the lake. Every year we've been in MA we go to our town's fireworks - which we LOVE - but this year decided to go to the fireworks in the town our friends live (do you love my vague "internet safety speak"?). But I am out-of-shape/lazy and didn't want to walk, so we drove to get a little closer, which in the end, really didn't do us that much good (as you'll soon see).



We had fun waiting for the fireworks. But when the show started poor Tessa hid under the blanket saying "No farkles, no farkles," and eventually fell asleep.


Then we headed back to our car and the 30 minute drive home.

Then the car didn't start.

Then we had to hitch a ride with friends who had come to the barbecue and lived close to us, including calling back a family that had already it the highway. I'll be honest, I was/am so embarrassed, as if our family hasn't needed enough help this year. So much for Independence Day.

Then the next day Super Dusty came to the rescue (as usual - see mishap and related endorsement #4) and our car started.

Then the next week we took the car to the shop where, after 5 diagnostic checks and 50 successful startups, the mechanic couldn't find a thing wrong with it.

Then we renewed our AAA membership.