Kicking off the Season

We've made it our tradition to kick-off the holiday season with a carriage ride in Central Park. Madeline really liked this horse named Beauty. The driver was really nice and let her feed Beauty some carrots. (We had a lot of time to pet her because daddy had to run to an ATM.)

Then a few days later we went to the Big Apple Circus at Lincoln Center...suffice it say Madeline hated it at first. (Read: buried face in daddy's chest and howled.) But she did have fun playing around the fountain before we went in. Who likes clowns, anyway?
A few days hence, we stopped at 30 Rock to get a peek at the big tree while they were still getting it ready. We can't wait to go back and see it in all it's glory.

We walked around the corner to Radio City Music Hall to watch the Rockettes perform.

Here's the lobby. As you can see we were not alone at this matinee. We almost lost daddy as he was out buying...

...popcorn and getting our 3D glasses. Part of the show has a 3D movie section before they start with all those legs kicking.

And kick they did! Lots of sequins, lots of legs, lots of fanfare, and nice long nap for daddy. Madeline and I liked it, though. Oh, alright, she was scared and cried for the first few minutes and then realized that we were NOT back at the circus.

Stay tuned for our Thanksgiving post coming soon...ahem...as soon as I get around to it.

How do you like them apples?

Fall is enhanced by my favorite fruit...the apple. So, the Grandmoore's came and picked up Madeline and I for a quick trip North of Manhattan to Masker's Farm.

We heard that the pickins' were slim. There were more apples on the ground than on the trees. I wasn't above picking them off the ground. They still looked scrumptious.

We did find trees deep in the orchard that still had apples. Madeline caught the spirit of it all. Twist and pull.

G-Pop and Madeline were a great team. If the branches were too high they were brought lower.

There was a little too much leaning on the shovel (as my dad would say) but apple inspection had to be done.

Apple inspection passed with flying colors.

G-Pop HAD to have this apple. It was perfect. The problem was...we had no ladder. (I can't properly explain how much angst and passion went in to getting this apple.)
Human ladder assembled. Mission accomplished. (This posting makes it look so simple. I have a lot of photos of these two climbing all over each other to get this apple. It was hilarious!)

We got two huge full bags of fresh apples. We ate apples for the next several weeks right out of the bag and still had plenty to share with friends. Vive le APPLE!

All Hallows' Eve

It actually snowed on the day of our ward's Halloween party. Madeline and her little friend Jacob are looking out the window at the flurries.

But we persevered through the storm because Little Bo Peep had to find her sheep.

Little Bo Peep also won the prize for cutest costume. Here she is picking up her candy apple award. Boy, was it delicious! Er, um...not that I ate my daughter's prize...I mean, who would do that?

Little Bo Peep also found some...elephants! We decided to stop by the Natural History Museum for some trick or treating. It was a blast!

But Madeline was more excited to see Jupiter than she was the candy tables. Her and daddy have a weird bond over the planets.

Little Bo Peep FOUND her sheep. It was a coincidence that when we got out of the taxi at the Natural History Museum there were three adorable sheep just waiting there. We just had to get a shot of them together. As did some Japanese tourists.

Pumpkins

This Halloween season has been a blast. We kicked it off with a trip to the Bronx to the the New York Botanical Gardens with the Blairs. There were HUGE pumpkins there!

There were also cool displays made of pumpkins and squash.

A Sadie Hawkins date in matching pumpkin shirts.

The pumpkin behind these two toddler pumpkins was more than 1,000 pounds.
The trip was just the inspiration we needed to carve a pumpkin of our own. (Which molded and deteriorated in 2 days) It actually scared Madeline but isn't that the point of a Jack-0-lantern?

Bethany Beach

We had loads of fun at Bethany Beach in Delaware this summer. We went a couple of different times and rented a beach house.

Charles and his parents are major beach people. I'm learning how it all works.

First you get up early to stake a sweet spot close to the waves.

Then daddy builds a wall that keeps the waves from washing over the beach towels...and when the tide gets higher it makes a nice little wading pool.

It's best if you can bring as much family as possible. Even the busy Reverend Granny Mae enjoyed some beach time.

In the evenings there are rides to be enjoyed for the little ones. You can see how happy Madeline is here with all of the....

...little cars, boats, and airplanes to ride.

We won't talk about the Ferris Wheel that mommy got claustrophobic on and had to get off....like...immediately!

(Cheryl looks like she is a swimsuit model. I hate her.)

But, mostly, to be a beach person you just have to enjoy listening to the waves crash and roar. (It doesn't hurt to have a little eye candy to look at like my Mr. Handsome.) Madeline loved going in the ocean.

Which is why it's hard to explain why she was afraid....

...of getting into the swimming pool. ( After much coaxing we finally made her comfortable.)

Farewell summer and Bethany Beach, we had a blast!!

Adventure Aquarium

Sometimes when Charles leaves town for trips to the West coast, Madeline and I pack to go visit the Grandmoore's. This time we took a trip with Grandmum to the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey. This is a photo of Philadelphia from outside the aquarium.

We were all wowed by the wonders of the underwater world.

I wonder if these fish were on their way to "school". Do you think their parents ever say to them, "When I was your age, I had to swim uphill both ways to get to school"?

This little guy's tuxedo was too tight because he sure was waddling. This African penguin inspired our next activity which was....

...face painting, of course. If only Madeline would hold this still while I did her hair.

Surfer girls!

Jaws! Yikes! We're gonna need a bigger boat!

A few years ago I went to a conference where I heard a scientist say that we know more about outer space than we do the ocean. He said that the species in the ocean change about every 250 miles. So, there is a lot more to discover!

Just maybe a curious child will grow up to discover more of those things.

Sesame Place

We've been having a blast this Summer. Last month we took a trip to Sesame Place in Pennsylvania. Madeline had the chance to hug all of her favorite characters.

She had a good time chatting with Cookie Monster during breakfast.

And of course, seeing Elmo was definitely a highlight for her.

Oscar the Grouch....well...I think her expressions says it all. After all, he is kinda grouchy.

But the character who received the most love, to our surprise, was Bert. Madeline hugged and clung to him like he had just come home from the war. We had to break them apart.

There were fun cupcakes to enjoy!

Water sprinklers to run through.

Fabulous rides to go on. The swings that lifted off the ground was one of her favorites.

She won a prize with daddy by throwing a ball into a bucket.

We had a fun time making some family memories.