Hot Chocolate

Hot chocolate just seemed to be in the air over the last couple of ultra chilly/windy days. The only dilemma of course, is how to serve hot chocolate in a healthy enough manner that my husband is on board with it?  Cue the drumroll now... Silk Almond Milk (Kyle & Piper's first choice when they reach for a glass of milk) now makes a Dark Chocolate version!  Unlike dairy it has no cholesterol, no saturated fat, and packs 50% more calcium.  And, it is delicious.  This is coming from me.  The home grown dairy milk drinker from Minnesota.  I slipped some in my coffee this afternoon for a quick mocha pick me up.  You can see the girl's reaction to their first cup of hot chocolate goodness below... 

Now if only we could find a healthier version of the marshmallow.

Swimming in October

The girls were thrilled to have Auntie Kim, Uncle Scott, and Brooke in town for a visit this weekend! Paige nicely shared them with us, and even invited us to join Jared (Paige's big brother) and Kris at their hotel to swim.  Hadley and Alden (Jared's oldest son, who is also 3) hit if off quickly, even though Alden was rumored to be disappointed that girls were coming to play with him :).  Both of their boys (Logan just turned 1) were darling and perfect little gentlemen.  Too bad we don't live close enough for playdates!  Alden, Kyle, and Hadley below...

Piper and Brooke

Auntie Kim and Hadley

Hadley and Paige

78

We were honored with a special visit from my grandparents, Hadley & Piper's great-grandparents (affectionately called 'Oma & Opa'), yesterday!  They drove all the way from MN just to spend a few hours with the girls, and was it ever a blast.  You'll have to pardon my abundance of pictures, I just cannot get over how amazing it is to look at the beauty of an aged face next to a shiny new one, and how joy looks the same in both.

The weather was very cooperative, and we were able to spend some time in the backyard.

While inside we did a little Halloween project together, read books, snuggled, and Piper even managed to fall into the big toliet for the first time with Oma & Opa as an audience!

But, if you ask Hadley, she'd tell you that the very best part about their visit was celebrating Oma's birthday (She will need 78 candles in her cake come Thursday, and isn't she just beautiful! Next fall they will celebrate their 60th anniversary)! You can see them singing to her below...

And giving just a little help blowing out those candles!  It was such a blessing to have them here.  Thank you SO much for coming, we love you!

Mothers and Daughters

Mothers and daughters.  What could be more special or more sacred.  While Kyle was off to AZ this weekend for a seminar, my cousin Katie and her darling little one year old daughter, Audrey, came for a visit.  Hadley and Piper could not have been more delighted (and neither could I)! It was a weekend filled with pink, silliness, coffee, games, animals, fudge, dolls, and a lot of laughter. 

Hadley went into instant mothering mode when Audrey arrived, and kept up her loving attitude most of the time she was here :)  Audrey affectionately referred to both of the girls as 'Babies' in her sweet  and tiny little voice.  Hadley was okay with that, but Piper kept correcting her, "I am a big girl."


We mixed up the weekend with some sandbox, swingset, bathtime, Farmer's Market, park, and even costume fun.

Katie and I have always had a unique bond, and in a lot of ways almost sister-like.  Neither of us has a sister, and instead we both have a lot of lovely younger brothers (she has FOUR!).  Now that we are both lucky mothers of daughters our bond seems even more special, if that is possible. 

Eye Sore

Apparently the hard frost we had around here last weekend, was NOT enough to kill off the mosquitos... (she's explaining to me that her eye feels, "Just like every day of life, Mom.") 

Don't worry, this expression has nothing to do with her eye, and everything to do with having to eat another night of my terribly bland but ultra healthy harvest bean soup.  (You try and cook for a 'healthy till it hurts' chiropractor!)

I forwarded a swollen eye picture to my little brother, the new optometrist in our family, thinking it was funny...but forgetting to explain Hadley's history of sensitivity to bug bites.  He was very concerned to say the least!  Hadley and I had a good laugh about this, and did tell him how sorry we were.


She got the bug bite on Thursday, but has not once complained of any pain.  Four days later she is a lot less swollen, but much more purple.  I think people at church today were probably wondering if she was beaten???  Nope, just biten. 

Fall Parks

With this incredible fall weather, we got out to a couple of our favorite parks this week. One of which we affectionately call, Bridge Park, even though it has an official name. And yes, there is a bridge, and if you are lucky enough a train will even go screeching by at the end of it!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

We also revisited 'Fairyland Park', another fake name for a real park, and thoroughly enjoyed the spectacular fall colors. We were even joined by a mama duck while we had a picnic lunch.  She wasn't very interested in our peas and carrots, but she was pretty keen on our organic cheetos!



Double Nickles

We were somehow lucky enough to sing to my dad in person yesterday (He was  turning 55 or double nickels!). The girls could not have been more thrilled to see Grandpa on his birthday, and I think the feeling was mutual.

2nd Annual

We had our '2nd Annual first-weekend in October' gathering with Nathan & Heidi this weekend.  It wasn't planned that way, but we did get together over the very same weekend last fall when we visited them out in Boston!  This time we had them our direction, and the girls just adored having them here. The weekend was filled with laughter, good stories, games, dance contests, and hilarious baby name ideas.  The girls also got lots of Uncle Nathan love (isn't he going to make a great Dad, come January!)...

And some Auntie Heidi love too (she is the most darling little pregnant Mama)!
 

We braved the chilly breeze and cool temperatures (reminiscent of Boston last fall!) to check out the Farmer's Market and a Pumpkin Patch where we drove out into the field and got to choose our own pumpkins right off the vine!