Homestead Farm, 2010

On Sunday, we made our annual retreat to Homestead Farms (2007, 2008, 2009) for a day of apple picking, hayrides, pumpkin patches ...
... fun. Both girls enjoy the time spent with our "wine and cheese" friends!
But, first, the kids donned their apple baskets and played their own version of bumper cars.
Then, we set them loose in the apple orchard. (The apples didn't see them coming.)
Aven got the hang of it quickly, and there were plenty of fresh fruit at Aven-level.
Rory, on the other hand, did more eating than picking of them apples.
After we picked Rory's weight in apples (literally), we loaded the kids onto the hayride.
In the pumpkin patch, Aven examined each pumpkin carefully before she found her perfect selection.
Then, she guarded her pumpkin with steely resolve till it was time to board the hayride once again.
But what trip to the farm wouldn't be complete without a visit to the goats!
When we returned home, we kind of got the sense that perhaps Aven was a little tuckered out from the adventure.
Fortunately, she has a big sister to take care of her!

Aven: Visions of the Future

Hi Dog!

"Hi Dog!"... Aven's first two-word phrase. Witness the contrast: As Aven uses the stroller as a way to prop up her dog book, Rory plays with her princess doll.
Ah, but Aven is not always so well behaved. Here, the crayon-on-floor evidence of her misconduct.
Here, Aven admits to having hid in the pantry without her pants on.
And, here, little Aven throws Mommy to the floor and attacks her like the wild dog that she has been reading about!

Rory and Aven Videos

The links below will take you to a few videos of Rory and Aven. The first two were taken during our trip to Massanutten. The second two were taken one night at home.

• Rory and Aven feed the farm animals.
• Rory's fort.
• Rory sings a song from Mary Poppins.
• Rory plays with Daddy.

Massanutten: The Hike

Once again, Rory led the way as we sought to locate the fabled lollipop tree.
Rory was quite proud of the map that would lead us to her treasure.
Aven, on the other hand, could think of many things that she'd rather be doing.
Rory showed us her muscles as she scaled the tallest boulders.
At last, we found the lollipop tree!
And Rory examined the six lollipops that she plucked tenderly from the treetops.
Aven was feeling a little more in the spirit when she was rewarded with a snack trap of her own.
Rory and Mommy savor the moment.
Mommy finds an activity that Aven is a little more excited about.

Massanutten: Jamboree

While on the mountain, we participated in a jamboree, which included a petting zoo.
Both of my girls were particularly interested in the goats.
Here, Aven puts her knees into it!




Rory makes friends with the bunny keeper.



Aven makes friends with the roosters.


That's Aven laughing in delight that the sheep and the goat have both come to say "hi".


Later, we lost Rory to the hula hoop hill. Our little hippy.


There she goes!


"Anything Rory can do, I can do better!"


Rory and her pony tail do the moon bounce.

Massanutten: The Incident

Rory: "Mommy, Aven just put my flip flop in the potty ... while I was sitting on the potty ... and I peed on the flip flop ... can you take it out of the potty?! ...

Massanutten: Random Scenes

For Labor Day Weekend 2010, we ventured to Massanutten, a four-season's resort. There's Aven dancing on the mountain top.
No, we didn't camp outside. Instead, we made a fort inside our condo.
There's my Aven, having found a comfortable spot to read up on our mountain vacation.
Ah, how cute are these ladies with identical tilts in their heads? While we were at Massanutten, we enjoyed the massive, indoor water park. However, we were too distracted to take any photos. Please click here to see the fun!

Aven's Book Nook

Aven does many cute things. Foremost among them is when she finds a cozy spot to sit down and "read" a book.
In fact, her favorite "book nook" is next to her crib, on top of her stuffed animals. (Oh, are we disturbing you?!)


Admittedly, Aven's book nook looks like a fairly comfortable play to read a novel!"


Interupting this Aven post is none other than ... Rory!


Back to Aven ... new night, new pajamas, new book.


Yes, Aven is both naked and cute in this picture. In fact, a few minutes later, she peed on that fuzzy doggy. New rule: must wear a diaper in the book nook!


Rory posed every detail in this photo ... except for Aven's expression, which I think says: Why have you removed me from my book nook big sister?!

Mommy's Thirtysomething Birthday