ALBUM: 2009-10-31 Halloween

Fall is Fire-Time

One of the nicest things about the fall is the cooler weather that lends itself to the use of the firepit...after all, the last thing you want to do on a warm summer night is sit next to a hot fire. But...when the temperatures approach 45-50 degrees, and you can still go outside in just a light sweatshirt and sit by the fire...well, it doesn't get much better than that!

After what seemed like an especially long day, Keith was looking to relax a bit outdoors, so he figured that lighting up a fire may be a nice way to spend the evening. Austin watched Keith start the fire from the house and then was eager to go outside and sit by the fire. Austin initially sat in his stroller (because Keith liked the idea of him strapped into something near the flames), but eventually he ended up sitting in Daddy's lap singing songs (Itsy Bitsy Spider, Wheels on the Bus, etc). As Austin grew weary of songs, Keith put him in the stroller and ran inside to grab some books...which Austin enjoyed fireside for almost an hour (first with Daddy, then with Mommy after she returned to home from her spinning class)

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In the end, Keith was right...it ended up being a nice way to spend the evening after all!

We're Out Of Videos

Certainly, there will be more in the very near future (especially with Halloween coming up), but right now we got nothin'.

Yesterday was a nice day weather-wise (the rain stayed away and that the sun came out too) so we took advantage:

• Keith mowed the lawn (changing the new lawn-mower's oil midway through the job), changed the oil in snow-blower and prepped it for the upcoming winter season, cleaned the garage, cut his hair and watched some football...when he wasn't falling asleep during it.
• Christine watched Austin play outside while Keith labored and then was busy in the kitchen for the late afternoon and early evening...Chicken Marsala, fresh apple pie with a crumb top, and home-made applesauce! (all of which were very, very good by the way)
  
• While playing outside, Austin met a new friend...the earthworm. He found an earthworm while digging with his Tonka trucks in the garden in the front of the house (to say "garden" is a stretch seeing as we only have shrubs up there, but it helps you understand where he was playing). Initially, when he touched the earthworm out of curiosity, he put it down and said, "Gross." Then, it became his friend. He took it over to show Daddy and proceeded to carry it with him everywhere he went outdoors for the next 30-45 minutes. It even got to ride shotgun in his cozy coupe.

All in all, a pretty mellow day.

10/2009 Video Marathon, Part 8!

Watching a Front-End Loader and Big Dump Truck
at Great-Grandparents House

Our Day Trip To The Finger Lakes

We (Keith and Christine) took the opportunity yesterday to travel to Seneca and Keuka Lakes for sampling of wines, liquors, and beers with Kevin and Peggy. We had a really nice time while Austin stayed at home with Grandma.


View 2009 Fingerlakes Trip in a larger map
The girls really liked wine that they found at White Springs, and then decided that they also wanted to take a small detour to Keuka Lake and go to Keuka Springs too. Basically, the west side of Seneca Lake is for the ladies (wine tasting) and the east side is for the boys (micro-breweries and a distillery). We spent about 6 hours going from place to place and enjoying the beautiful views (including Hector Falls, pictured above).

As a neat little aside, we also had an opportunity to see natural inbreeding at it's finest...no we did NOT go back into Hannibal! Apparently, there is a growing population of white, albino deer on the east side of Seneca Lake in an army depot. As there are not many predators (the depot is completely fenced in on all sides) to kill the white ones (as would happen in a more natural environment) and the dating pool is limited, the white deer continue to propagate within their gated confines.


Big thanks to Kevin and Peggy for asking us along and to Kevin for driving...we had a great time!

ALBUM: 2009-10 Fingerlakes

10/2009 Video Marathon, Continued

When he's not sleeping, he talking

Apple Picking

Every year (with the exception of last year), Keith and Christine travel to Sterling, NY to go apple picking. Sure, where we went last year has more to offer from the perspective of shopping and concessions...but when we want to simply pick apples, there is NO better place to go. There is no one to tell you where you can and can't pick. You are not shoulder-to-shoulder with a bunch of city-dwellers going out for the annual pilgrimage into the country-side. This is just good 'ole fashioned country apple picking...the way it was intended to be. You want apple cider? Go to a store. You want to pick apples until your heart's content in a peaceful place? This where you need to go.


View Ontario Orchards in a larger map

Anyways...last year when we were apple picking, Austin was in a carrier. This year, we got out of the car, and he ran right over to a tree....and picked up an apple from the ground to eat. After quickly being instructed to drop the likely unhealthy apple from the ground and to pick them from the TREES, Austin was on his way.

Austin's First Bite of an Whole Apple
(not peeled)

10/2009 Video Marathon...2 for 1 special

Sorry for the delay...your author was in a continuing education class for 3 days that through schedules off a bit. As repentance, we present 2 videos today...

"Daddy's Helmet"


Austin's "New" Blanket


Now...for those of you at Christine's baby shower, you may be a bit confused. The blanket in the video above is not really new in the sense that it was just recently made or purchased. It was new in the respect that Austin had never seen it before, so it was new to him.

Austin LOVED his old blankets...they were baby-blue, soft and he was always happy to go to bed so that he could have his blanket (the only time we let him use one...the rule is that they stay in the crib unless he is rocking in the chair with Mommy/Daddy in the nursery). The problem was that the nights were getting cooler and he was getting too big for the other blankets, thus, a change needed to be made. So...in an effort to try to transition him from the old blankets to the new, we thought it would be nice for Austin to know that this "new" blanket was from Grandma. Needless to say, it worked like a charm and he has been happily calling the fish blanket his "new" blanket ever since.

10/2009 Video Marthon, Part V

Clasping His Bicycle Helmet

Liz and Emily are visiting!

Okay...so they are really here to visit family in nearby Cicero, NY...but we will say that they are here to visit us exclusively for the purpose of this posting. Emily and Austin have been hanging out all weekend, and really enjoying each others company...as you can tell.


While Keith mowed the lawn on Saturday afternoon (after watching an abysmal 1st half of a Syracuse football game), the ladies took the kids to Critz Farms to go pumpkin picking. Austin found one that was just what he wanted. The pumpkin pictured has now taken up residence on our front step...right in the middle (where everyone would like to walk), because that is where Austin wants it.


Yesterday (while Keith mowed the grass more, Christine, Liz, Austin and Emily went to the Museum of Science & Technology (MoST) in Syracuse. Christine says that Austin had a great time...which would explain how he was able to plow 90 minutes beyond his typical nap time without a single fuss.

10/2009 Video Marathon, Part IV

Rolling Down The Driveway...again

10/2009 Video Marathon, Part III

Rolling Down The Driveway

10/2009 Video Marathon, Part II

First Trip to an Ice Cream Stand (cont)

Our Blogging Return

First Trip to an Ice Cream Stand

ALBUM: 2009-10