The Vollmer Farm

Fall is SO close to being my favorite time of year.  I just love it when the weather starts to get cooler and the leaves change, and all the festivities that come with Fall.  My dad and I took the boys to this super fun Farm in Bunn called Vollmer Farm this past weekend.  We met our good friends, The Williams, there and had such a blast!

Hay Ride to get to all the attractions.

Corn Box (you know, kind of like a sand box, but with corn :)

Owen's friend, Claire.

They had all sorts of baby farm animals. Smelly, but cute!

Gigantic trampoline.  Fun for big and little kids!

 Brent and his friend, Hayden.

There were some other things we did after dark that I wasn't able to get pics of because my camera is busted and the flash isn't working right now.  Brent went on a barrel zip cord.  We all went through an underground slide.  They set up a movie on the lawn where you could lay down on a blanket and watch.  There were some fires burning around to keep us toasty too!  It was so much fun!  I think we will have to make this an annual tradition.

A sick house

As I mentioned in my previous blog, our boys have been sick for a while.  Owen got sick on his birthday (Oct. 6) and Brent got it about a week later.  Things are just now starting to clear up but we aren't quite there yet. 

We had a special delivery come to our house yesterday for the boys from their Nana and Da.  A white delivery van pulled up in our driveway and Brent looked out the window and said, "who is that?".  Then he watched as the man pulled a bunch of balloons out of his van and Brent yelled, "he brought me some balloons!"  Brent and Owen each received a balloon bouquet with a toy and "Get Well" card.  It was very sweet and they really enjoyed it.

When Brandon got home he asked where all the balloons came from and Brent said, "the man in the white van gave them to me."  Alarmed, Brandon said, "Was your mom with you!?"  Haha it was pretty funny.  He told me we needed to change Brent's story because it sounded really bad.

Another quick funny story.  Last night as we were doing nighttime routine, Brent went on a coughing spell.  He coughed so hard for so long that he started gagging.  I picked him up and started carrying him to the kitchen when he threw up.  He threw up all the way to the kitchen.  I yelled for HELP from Brandon and he came behind us to clean up the throw up while I cleaned Brent up.  Brandon was down on his hands and knees scrubbing the floor and Owen was following behind him crawling.  Then out of nowhere Owen throws up right behind Brandon.  We were like WHAT THE HECK!  Neither of them have thrown up the whole time they've been sick but then do it right back-to-back and in the same spot.  Weird!  And kind of funny when you think about it.
Here's hoping we will have a sick free house by the end of the week!

Niagra-On-The-Lake

Every year Brandon's company has a husand and wife retreat where they send all the Marketing Managers and General Managers off somewhere really nice and "wine and dine" us.  This year they sent us to Niagra-On-The-Lake in Canada.  It is this adorable, vintage town about 30 minutes away from Niagra Falls.  We spent 4 days here with about 15 other couples relaxing and taking in the beautiful surroundings.  We toured Niagra Falls, ate at some seriously nice restaurants, spent one evening at a winery, another at a casino (I know, I don't drink or gamble but it was still lots of fun!), and I did a day at the spa.  Best of all-I got to spend 4 days with Brandon in a really romantic town.  It was so nice!

My parents kept the boys and they stayed sick the whole time.  I felt so bad and missed them like crazy!  When we got home I took them to the doctor to discover they both had bad ear infections (along with other things).  So, we are home and trying to get these boys well.

I am posting the album to the right.  I included descriptions under a lot of the pictures to explain where we are and what we are doing. 

A Whale of a Party

We celebrated Owen's 1st Birthday this weekend with family.  It was a whale themed party with a whale cake (decorated by me) and a whale watermelon (carved by Brandon).  It was a lot of fun and as I expected Owen loves cake!!  Enjoy the album from the party! (to the right)

Dear Owen

       Happy Birthday little one! Your birthday really snuck up on me. For some reason I thought you were going to stay a baby forever. Your first year of life has been the happiest time of my life. Watching you grow, explore and learn has brought me so much joy and satisfaction.

        I love you. I love your cuddles. I love how you squeeze my face with your sharp little nails and leave tiny cuts all over my cheeks. I love how you pull my hair and then laugh at me when I yell "ouch!" I love that gigantic smile that you put on your face whenever I cut my eyes at you. I love how calm and easy going you are. I love that you are just so content and easy to please. I love how you love to eat. It is so rewarding to feed you because you eat everything so enthusiastically :) I love your chunky cheeks and fat feet that I have a difficult time fitting into shoes. I love how you enjoy anything musical. You are such a spiritual giant already, and I love this about you. Whenever we read scriptures, say prayers, or listen to church music you sit so peacefully and listen so intently. I. Love. You. and don't you ever forget it!

Happy Birthday Owen!!