Mid-October

 October was a fun month filled with fall activities and many afternoons spent lingering outside in the warm sunshine.  As you can see above, Jack is really into football (and soccer, and baseball, and any other activity with a ball).  He loves watching football on TV and exclaims "Whoa, that was really cool" when there is a good catch or a big tackle.  Sasha picked out many pumpkins for our house this year and got very attached to each one, so much that she became tearful in November each time she would discover that another was beginning to turn soft and rotten. 

 We went to McCall's Pumpkin Patch during the week with my mom and dad had a great time in the corn sand box, taking a hay ride, and picking out pumpkins.  Jack loved getting to climb on all the old tractors sitting around the property.

 I have orchestra rehearsal on average 2 times/week so while I'm gone for 3 1/2 hours Phil and the kids find fun things to do at home or out and about.  On this evening Sasha helped Jack by cutting out his doggie for him and he did the gluing, I hear.

 Goofing around in our dressy clothes before our first ever professional family photo shoot.

 The Santa Fe Community Orchestra concert.  I am third from the left in the front.

 Sasha came to the concert for the first half and then went to get ice cream with Phil for the second half.  

"Leaf Jumping Day" at Sasha's school.  Something I took for granted growing up in the Maple City.

October Indiana Trip

 I flew back to Indiana with Sasha and Jack to visit both of my grandmas who are 93 years old.  It coincided with my mom's visit to Goshen so she was able to help out with the kids both in Indiana and Ohio so I could really spend some quality time with Grandma Gingerich and Grandma Yoder.  I respect both of them so much and treasure those conversations and meals we shared.  Phil joined us in Goshen for a long weekend where we got in on a Smucker reunion and had lots of time with the local cousins. 

 Jack, Phil, and I at first Fridays in Goshen.  We enjoyed listening to the Goshen College Jazz Band (good memories for Phil) and got some turtles at the Olympia (my favorite candy in the world).

 A trip to Rise 'n Roll in Middlebury has become a must  with every trip to Goshen.  It's no wonder I always gain 5 pounds whenever we travel back there!

 Jacked loved playing with the multitude of trucks and other vehicles at grandma and grandpa's house. 

Sasha doing one of her favorite activities, Color Wonder, with Mary. 

September 2012

One highlight of September for us here in New Mexico is going to the State Fair down in Albuquerque.  This year Phil took a day off in the middle of the week so we could all go down and enjoy the day without all the crowds on the weekend.  Sasha predictably loved all the kiddie rides and Jack was content to watch.  He really enjoyed getting to feed the animals in the petting zoo area and we all thoroughly enjoyed the fair food.  We've spent so much time outside this fall with nearly perfect weather every day--literally it's been 70 degrees and sunny ever since I can remember.  Both kids like to play frisbee, do obstacle courses in the yard, be chased by mom and dad, play hop scotch, and kick the soccer ball around.  This is Sasha's first year playing on a soccer team and she really enjoyed it.  She is very enthusiastic and runs her little heart out on the field.  Sasha has formed a very close friendship with Katie (above) in her class at school.  She and Katie are equally adventurous and tomboyish and just love spending as much time as possible together inside and outside of school.   Sasha has taken off with reading since this summer.  She can read just about any kids book by herself now--she doesn't always like to--but every now and then she'll go on a reading marathon and just sit down with a stack of books and read them aloud.  It has been an amazing thing as a parent to watch this evolution. 

2-Year-Old Jack

 On September 12, our baby Jack turned 2 years old!  We took cupcakes for snack at Gabriela's house, his little in-home daycare that he goes to 2 days a week and had a special birthday meal at our house that night for supper complete with some of his favorite foods:  spaghetti with meatballs, broccoli, and more cupcakes of course.  He had been singing "Happy Birthday" to himself for several weeks leading up to the actual day so he was thrilled to actually have everyone join in with him this time. 

 As you can see, he was overjoyed with his birthday presents that he opened that night.  He loved that Little People garage with lots of ramps, his Lightning McQueen pillow, and the "race car" T-shirt that Phil designed for him.  It says "Ask Me About Cars".  We also used his birthday as an excuse to buy a bike trailer, something we should have gotten years ago.  We've been taking lots of family bike rides these beautiful fall days.  Sasha usually starts off on her own bike, and when she tires we bungee cord it to the trailer and she hops in with Jack. 

 Since my parents were in Portugal for his actual birthday, we had another larger family celebration the following weekend down at their house.  He was very pleased with his Cars cake.  Unfortunately Sasha came down with a stomach bug hours before the party and did not even feel well enough to come sing Happy Birthday to him. 

Labor Day Weekend at Tamaya

 We originally thought we would drive to Colorado for the holiday weekend to explore a new town there, but the thought of a long trip in the car shortly after returning from Michigan sounded less and less appealing.  So we decided to check out the Tamaya Resort 40 minutes south having heard good things from our neighbors and friends.  It was the perfect end to summer and so relaxing for all of us. 

 The kids spent a lot of time in the splash pool and hot tub.  Neither Jack nor Sasha love swimming or water in general, but they can't get enough of hot tubs.

 Sasha is really into taking pictures these days.  Finally Phil and I can both be in a photo at the same time!

 Each evening they had a Native American story teller tell traditional tales around a campfire with smores afterward. 

 There were all kinds of fun activities scheduled throughout the weekend, one being the 3-legged race that Sasha and I entered.  We came in 3rd which won us a free drink from the snack shop (below).  This may have been the highlight of the weekend for Sasha.

 Every day they also baked loaves of native bread in the outdoor traditional oven and had a bread buffet with all kinds of butters and preserves for the guests to sample.  Yummy!

 We took advantage of the network of trails and free bike and bike trailer usage on the property.  Sasha tore it up on her new bike that we had brought along, even doing a little off-roading at times.  All in all it was a super fun weekend and we will definitely be returning next summer.