SS took his first plane trip ever in October, to go meet his aunt, uncle, and cousins in Washington state. And GG got to come! J and I had free passenger tickets we could use, so all four of us (plus lap-baby SS) flew for the price of two!
Here we all are on SS's first airplane. J is putting the DSLR to good use.
BB excitedly spotted airplane after airplane, both in the sky and on the ground, and a pilot even gave BB and SS wings. This was the first plane trip that BB's really been tuned into and excited about everything and I loved watching his face light up over it all.
And then we got to my sister's house, where cousins and doggies and attention and secret sugary snacks abound. BB spent much of our time at the house like this:
He loved rolling on the floor with Lulu (and occasionally Simon, although he definitely preferred the bigger pup).
We got to go to A's soccer game on Saturday - she's 11 now and we could really see how much skill she has gained since we saw her play last, two year ago. It was supposed to rain, and instead it was beautiful outside.
BB showing us a leaf he found - the leaves were unreal the whole trip. Bright red, orange, yellow and green.
BB loved sliding down this grass hill. "BB slidin'!"
After the game
Proud aunt and uncle
That night was M's Homecoming dance, and I got to help do her hair. SO FUN!
Sweet 16
One of our favorite parts about the trip was visiting Lattin's, a farm my sister has mentioned for years, which had a pumpkin patch and other Fall-ish things. My sister and I had both been looking forward to taking BB here - actually, my sister had been thinking about how fun it would be to take him here in the Fall when he was 2 since he was born, so we were so happy we made it happen.
The fam, checking out this guy
And we didn't make it too far into Lattin's before we saw this:
They had pony rides!
BB watched a while while J and Uncle Aaron went to find tickets. By the time they returned, BB was beyond ready to mount up for his very first pony ride!
His auntie Jen spotted him
Joyfully petting the pony
Look how peaceful he looks here.
And then just plain happy.
I love the colors here.
I didn't edit any of these (as the sheer volume of the trip photos was overwhelming) but this one came out perfectly.
Happy boy.
Letting out his excitement and joy, post-pony ride.
Family shot (with SS in the Ergo) in front of BB's first pony ride corral
My mom and sister outside the corral
Bird-watching
Then we got to go into the petting zoo!
The combined sense of peace and excitement on BB's face when they first put the bunny on his lap was priceless
This duckling had J and I singing "The phone, the phone is ringing..."
Beautiful A in the petting zoo
The light was beautiful by the cow pasture
moooooo
The big attraction for the men was an apple slingshot, aiming for a target across a field off in the distance.
The light was so pretty across this field. The target is that red dot on the left.
J actually hit the target! He was only the second person so far this season to hit the target, and he won $25!
Even Aubrey tried!
See the red sign off in the distance? That's the target J hit!
GG trying out the Ergo carrier
Uncle Aaron and BB - Aaron and Jen treated BB to an iced cider
Loving his iced cider
Enjoying fresh, still-warm apple fritters paid for with Justin's slingshot victory winnings
BB was done with pictures
And that was the end of our Lattin's visit.
M and A were both super-cousins and were all about playing with the boys - they even helped with diaper changes!
On Halloween day we played at a park in my sister's neighborhood.
We saw these Mario-Brothers-mushrooms in the neighborhood.
BB loved having Daddy help him "walk" up this tree
Later that day, BB helped Auntie Jen and A make candy corn rice crispy treats for Halloween
Beautiful boy on Halloween night, right before he rolled over for the first time
BB playing with Uncle Aaron's childhood blocks
And finally, the cutest thing we've ever seen. M and BB sleeping cuddled in her bed. She had BB-proofed her whole room in preparation for BB's visit.
Stay tuned for pumpkin carving and trick-or-treat details.....
They had pony rides!
BB watched a while while J and Uncle Aaron went to find tickets. By the time they returned, BB was beyond ready to mount up for his very first pony ride!
His auntie Jen spotted him
Joyfully petting the pony
Look how peaceful he looks here.
And then just plain happy.
I love the colors here.
I didn't edit any of these (as the sheer volume of the trip photos was overwhelming) but this one came out perfectly.
Happy boy.
Letting out his excitement and joy, post-pony ride.
Family shot (with SS in the Ergo) in front of BB's first pony ride corral
My mom and sister outside the corral
Bird-watching
Then we got to go into the petting zoo!
The combined sense of peace and excitement on BB's face when they first put the bunny on his lap was priceless
This duckling had J and I singing "The phone, the phone is ringing..."
Beautiful A in the petting zoo
The light was beautiful by the cow pasture
moooooo
The big attraction for the men was an apple slingshot, aiming for a target across a field off in the distance.
The light was so pretty across this field. The target is that red dot on the left.
J actually hit the target! He was only the second person so far this season to hit the target, and he won $25!
Even Aubrey tried!
See the red sign off in the distance? That's the target J hit!
GG trying out the Ergo carrier
Uncle Aaron and BB - Aaron and Jen treated BB to an iced cider
Loving his iced cider
Enjoying fresh, still-warm apple fritters paid for with Justin's slingshot victory winnings
BB was done with pictures
And that was the end of our Lattin's visit.
M and A were both super-cousins and were all about playing with the boys - they even helped with diaper changes!
On Halloween day we played at a park in my sister's neighborhood.
We saw these Mario-Brothers-mushrooms in the neighborhood.
BB loved having Daddy help him "walk" up this tree
Later that day, BB helped Auntie Jen and A make candy corn rice crispy treats for Halloween
Beautiful boy on Halloween night, right before he rolled over for the first time
BB playing with Uncle Aaron's childhood blocks
And finally, the cutest thing we've ever seen. M and BB sleeping cuddled in her bed. She had BB-proofed her whole room in preparation for BB's visit.
Stay tuned for pumpkin carving and trick-or-treat details.....
