5 on Friday

3 posts in one week?  Crazy!

But you know I love a good list, so here are 5 things going on around here.

O     N     E

Gil is officially weaned!  I last nursed him on Wednesday morning.

I weaned him the same way I weaned Jack.  Around 11 1/2 months, I started switching out one feeding a day for a bottle of whole milk.  I did this for a week, and then the next week I switched out another feeding.  For the past two weeks, I have only been nursing Gil in the morning.  I haven't dropped it yet because he's been waking up at 5, nursing, then going back to sleep until 6:30 or 7.  But two days ago, we did a little cry it out and dropped that nursing session.  So we are done!

I am a little sad, but mostly glad.  Nursing is tough!  Plus, I needed him to be completely weaned because...

T     W     O

I am going to Texas next weekend!  I haven't traveled without kids since having kids, and I have yet to spend a night away from Gil.  And both of those things desperately need to happen.  

I found a super cheap ticket from Boston to Dallas (and was able to use miles to pay for it!).  I am headed to Texas for 4 days next week to visit my little sister at Baylor.  And it just so happens to be Baylor's homecoming.

We have lots of plans:  the homecoming game, Pig Skin, Chuy's happy hour, Common Grounds, maybe some Mary Kate and Ashley movie watching...

And honestly, I am so excited about spending 6 total hours in a plane BY MYSELF that I could just burst!

T     H     R     E     E

I am actually writing this post on Thursday, because currently, we are taking a little leaf peeping drive through Vermont.

You know, because this is what it currently looks like outside...

I didn't take this picture.  But it was taken in Vermont.  And it does look like this.  

I've got a free drink at Starbucks calling my name (yay for my Gold membership), so we will grab some coffee and hit the road bright and early.  We are going to drive up to Cambridge, Vermont, and then down through Smuggler's Notch.  We will pass right by Waterbury, Vermont, on the way home, so we probably need to stop at Ben & Jerry's for the factory tour, right?

F     O     U     R

Our friends, Rob, Ashley, and Theo, were in town last weekend so we showed them around Burlington some.  And no trip to Burlington is complete without going to Church Street.

Church Street is this four or 5 block section of bricked pedestrians only road with shops and restaurants, as well as food carts and street entertainers.  Gil loved this one singer who had a banjo.  He danced and clapped the whole time we listened to him.

Gil is really hilarious and fun.  He's also super clingy and shy, so most people don't get to see that side of him.  But around us, he is a total ham.

F     I     V     E

The new Andrew Peterson cd is out!

I think it's been three years since a new Andrew Peterson cd came out.  I would say, right now, Andrew is my favorite musician.  He is such a storyteller (actually, he writes fiction too, so he really is a storyteller) and his songs are so meaningful to me.

I've been listening to this cd a bunch this week and it's really, really good!  

Well, that's 5 things, so I'm done.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Bella's Visit

My mom just spent a little over a week here in Vermont visiting us.  One of the great things about Bella visiting is that she takes LOTS of photos.  So I actually have documentation!  I am so bad about taking pictures, especially of fun little day trips.  But I sent all of her phone pics to me, so I actually have pictures for this post.

This is one of the best visits we've ever had.  Both my mom and I usually have little tasks we are planning, like sew Jack's bed skirt or make pillows.  But this trip, the only task was to have fun and enjoy fall and the boys.  Accomplished!  Here's what we did:  played at some of our favorite parks, went shopping, walked down Church Street, got drinks at El Gato and Citizen Cider (my mom is cider fan now!), had day trips to Middlebury and Montreal, went to the Harvest Festival at Sam Mazzas, and went apple picking at Shelburne Orchards.  She got to visit our new church and see Jack's school.

It's a running joke in our family how much Bella loves a covered bridge.  I found a bridge that was just a couple of minutes out of our way down to Middlebury.

Bella with two of her favorites--covered bridges and Jack.

Jack loved looking at Otter Creek.

About four years ago, we came to Middlebury with Bech's parents and his little brother.  We ate at this cute little cafe, Storm Cafe, right by Otter Creek.  I looked it up and it's still there, so we went to lunch there.  It is really good!

Another shot of Otter Creek.

This little boy is such a wild man!

Jack got a new treat while Bella was here.  We haven't taken off the training wheels yet, but he loves his new bike!

The Saturday that my mom was here, we got in the car bright and early to head to Montreal.  Counting time at the border, it takes little less than 2 hours to get to Montreal from Burlington.  We headed first to Old Montreal and walked the streets, looking in shops and stopping for a tour of the Notre Dame Basilica.

It warmed up, but the morning was chilly!

I can't remember the name of the building behind us.  But I think it was important?

We went to a Portuguese rotisserie restaurant for lunch (on the recommendation of a friend).  It was yummy!  While there, a man told us about the Marche Jean-Talon, so we headed there next.  It's a huge indoor/outdoor market with all sorts of vendors.  There were beautiful fresh fruits and vegetables, local honey, mushrooms, macaroons, meat, cheeses, flowers...everything!  My mom wanted a picture with the mums to send to her parents (who are avid gardeners).

It looks so funny now that Gil is walking around.  He is really tiny, so people stop and ask his age a lot.  This outfit is a 12 month sweater onesie from Gap.  Look how big it is on him!

Our last stop was Mont Royal, a mountain in the middle of the city with incredible views.

Look at that!

Our ride home took an extra hour.  There was a teacher union strike at the foot of the Mont Royal so we hit traffic there.  Then the Pont Champlain (Champlain Bridge) was closed for some reason.  But we finally made it home, tired but happy.

My mom wanted some pictures of her with the boys with a pretty view in the background.  I drove down by Lake Champlain and found a new (to us) park, Battlefront.  The park itself is good, but not amazing, but it's the view that is incredible!  Jack enjoyed the playground though.

This little munchkin thinks he is a big guy, just like his brother.  He loves to climb (supervised, of course!) up play sets and slide down the slides.  I have trouble on my hands...

I think the shot turned out pretty cute, don't you?  And that pose of Jack's?  All his own idea!

We had a great trip with Bella and are already missing her!

Harvest Festival and Pumpkin Patch

Y'all know I love fall.  And fall in New England?  Perfection!  My mom was just here for a week, so we took her to one of my favorite fall events--the Harvest Festival at Sam Mazza's.

I love this event because you can take a hayride to get a pumpkin, they have fun kid activities, and they have wood fired pizza!  It was the perfect day, too.  A little chill in the air but warm enough to not wear jackets for most of it.

Jack LOVED playing with the bubbles.  And I love this year's pumpkin shirt (yay for smockadot's cheap instagram deals!).

I love this little boy.

There are a few things that Vermonters just LOVE, and near the top of that list is wood fired pizza.  And I am a-okay with that.  This was an apple, cheddar, bacon pizza.  Ohmylanta, it was SO good!

My two boys on the hayride. 

Wait, what is this?  An actual cute pose?

Oh, just kidding.

Also, Jack loves the green pumpkins.  But we did end up taking home an orange pumpkin.

Gil was trying to roll this pumpkin.  He thinks he's a big kid.

I love this picture because I have one of Bech holding Jack and making this exact same face.

And here we go.  Notice the size disparity.  Jack is almost 5 months in this picture and bigger than his almost 13 month shrimp of a brother in the first picture.

This picture makes me so happy!  My family, lots of bright colors, fall and pumpkins and FLANNEL!

Goodness, I love fall!