Celebrating Mimi and Poppa!

This past weekend we enjoyed a fabulous weekend at The Homestead celebrating the anniversary of this beautiful couple! The Homestead is amazing and we enjoyed wonderful Fall weather, great food, the spa, hot springs, horseback riding for Ella, making s'mores -- what a weekend!!

They are such an inspiration! We love them very very much!

Driving to The Homestead.

Dapper Little Man.

My munchkins!

Ella and Poppa tearing up the dance floor. Ella has got some moves!

Cheers!

This was pretty much all Ella ate for dinner. And some bread.

Rocking my baby on the front porch of The Homestead. Does it get better?

The highlight of the trip for Ella! Riding a HORSE, not a PONY!

Future equestrian?

In the hot springs. The structure was built 200 years ago.

Can I have your champagne Aunt Farrell?

Snuggles?

I imagine this is the look Ella will give her little brother when she is a teenager.

Still working on getting up on all fours.

Thanks for an amazing weekend Mimi and Poppa!

And So It Begins...

That's right - school has officially begun! Last night, I said at dinner that it was a "school night," and I thought -- wow -- this is the first of many many school nights to come! We have been prepping Ella for this for a while. Her teacher, Ms. Monica, came to the house to meet her last week. And we have been talking about how Mommy and Daddy don't get to go to school, only Ella. Little did we know...they actually invited the parents to stay the first day. I almost didn't want to out of fear that Ella will think we can stay every time!

Super smiley on her first day of school.

The nerves set in and she wanted Mommy to hold her.

I only really got her to smile like this because I was hiding and jumping out from behind the bushes...and she thought it was funny.

Here we are!

Checking out the playground before heading into the classroom.

She was selling me apples. She told me they cost "40 hours."

Making her way up the stairs to her "Ducks" classroom. At this point, she found a tiny bit of courage and told me "bye-bye Mommy, I'm okay," but then promptly changed her mind and asked in the same breath, "Will you stay with me?" Luckily, today, I could :)

Checking out the train table.

Out to lunch with Mommy after the first day of school :)

Last Gasp of Summer

Well, today was Ella's first day of school!! (Pics up next!) So we spent this past weekend helping set up her preschool classrooms and hanging out out the pool to enjoy these last few days of summer...

Making friends at preschool

At the pool

Throwing stones in the lake.

Dancing to the band at the pool.

Check out these veggies from our garden!