A Morning with Nothing to Do?

So I was having some contractions on Friday that were a bit more painful than they should be... they went away, but scared us enough to get moving on the 'prepared for baby' front. I packed my hospital bag (90% done) and decided that I'd stop going to the gym. They're really sweet there-- offered to suspend my membership for a few months-- and I always enjoy going on mornings when I have no plans scheduled (usually twice a week). Trenton enjoys hanging out with his friends in the child-care room, and I can watch the Today show on the treadmill or bike for an hour. But, I do work through a contraction pretty much the whole time I'm doing cardio. So I decided not to push it...

Anyway, that left us with nothing on our calendar for Monday morning! I asked T what he wanted to do and he requested we go to the farm. OK! Haven't been here in awhile (Atlantic Farms, in Manasquan). The animals were just being fed and it was neat to watch them eat like... well.. animals! We got some corn and threw it to the birds and foul-- he liked that. Two piggies were out and sloshing about... and the cow actually mooed at us!

Weather is still gorgeous today-- we went to the beach and park with Melissa. But it is turning cooler... I bet by this weekend, we'll be pulling out the fleece jackets.

Pumpkin and Apple Picking!

On Sunday, the skies cleared, and we were able to go pumpkin picking with Grandma and PopPop! We traveled to Eastmont Orchards, in Colts Neck, where they grow the apples and pumpkins right there, and U-Pick'em.

T was so incredibly excited... he's not been to an orchard that he can remember. He wanted to pick up EVERY pumpkin he saw!

We ended up getting one big one and two smaller ones. The idea is to let him "paint" at least one, and carve one for Halloween. I'd love to bake a pie with one, too. We'll see if we can do it before brother gets here...

Everyone enjoyed choosing apples. We got some that are good for baking (plan on making a pie this weekend) and a few Golden Delicious for eating later.

You go, T!

Last Day of Summer, '08

And wasn't it a beauty... We just had to go to Pt. Pleasant and put him on the rides one... last... time.

He likes doing the Crazy Bus first... with Jim. They get a great view of the beach from it and it is the highest kiddie ride there.

His first time EVER on the motorcycle... he was really into hitting the horn button and surprised when the bike went up and down the hill. Listen carefully-- each time he passes me he says "Wooooaaah!"

He tried out the boat ride for the first time ever-- go T! Ringing the bell the entire time... the picture below reminds me of the one of me on the left, taken when I was two in Keansburg.The look of determination is spot-on!

A quarter for Skee Ball? Yes, in the off season, they change the prices!
And who can resist boardwalk pizza? We also tried some fried clams and french fries... very, very good. Trenton is getting so big. He now weighs 32 lbs. and is 35 and a half inches tall!
We welcome fall, as it means that the pregnancy is almost over... but I'll sure miss summer!

Great Grandma Wilson's 85th Birthday Party

This Tuesday is Great Grandma Wilson's 85th birthday. A party in her honor was held at Carolyn's house this weekend. Everyone brought some food to share (most of it Norwegian fare) and we enjoyed watching the Yankees win their second-to-last game at the stadium.

Above, Chrysanne, T, and Kaj. The two older ones kept Trenton entertained all afternoon-- thanks! Below, Trenton poses with Grandma, Aunt Irene (who drove in from Michigan with Kaj for the party and to visit Elise), and Aunt Carolyn.

Above, all the Wilson grandchildren pose together... it was a beautiful day! Below, Jim had memorized how to phonetically sing Happy Birthday in Norwegian! Grandma wasn't familiar with it, but still LOVED it all the same. It gave the rest of us a good laugh. Great job, Jim!

"Fat Cat Sat on a Hat"

Trenton has been experimenting lately with rhyming words... he is fascinated by them and loves to rattle 'em off.

Imagine our excitement when we opened YouTube today, and this was a recommended sketch!

P.S. Are you a Muppet fan? Looks like they're staging a comeback.

SNL Palin/Clinton Sketch

Dude, I dare you to watch this and not laugh... When I first laid eyes on her, I told Jim, "Tina Fey will totally be doing her on SNL!"

Praying Mantises Take Over

Yeppers... we saw these outside and were very surprised.
I don't think we've seen them in our gazebo before...

I can't believe that our CSA shipments are over in October :( The season seemed to have gone by so fast. Above are some gladiolas that were delivered this week. Very pretty! Makes for an awfully large centerpiece... We've also enjoyed honeydew, peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant, and fresh basil the past few weeks. I'm looking forward to making my own baby food next season.

Why do we bother buying toys for this kid? His favorite things now are paper airplanes, ice cubes (he smashes them on the sidewalk), and boxes!

Trenton is almost to the point where he is in underwear full time. So cool! I'm trying to come up with non-food rewards (stickers to earn a bigger prize, etc.). He has good days and bad, but is definitely better at "keeping it in his body". I can't believe I'm only going through maybe two diapers a day. They say that kids who use cloth diapers potty train earlier... perhaps this is the case! There is a neat blog post here about cloth diapering, called Yes, I Use Cloth Diapers. No, I Don't Wear Birkenstocks... Very neat if you are interested in starting or looking for reasons to give others as to why we do it ;) Thanks for the link, Bridget!

Hanna Spoils VA Trip

Poor Jim... we had planned out this weekend so that he could run a race in VA (only a half hour from the Bluesteens) and then a hurricane had to go and spoil it all! So, we spent Friday at the park (notice the sweat-drenched children-- it was in the 90s!) Jim did get to go to a reception (where he still got the race bag and half his entry fee refunded) and met one of the most famous ultra-runners of all time-- Dean Karnazes! He was excited, though still disappointed he'd miss his 50 mile race... Good thing it was cancelled, though, as it rained like the Dickens with lots of wind on Saturday. We took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese and cooked with the EZ Bake oven in the afternoon. By Sunday, it was beautiful again! Pictures at the end include our walk to a nearby stream (overflowing!) and Trenton holding their new cat, Sabina.

Labor Day Picnic with the Lacinas

Ahh, Labor Day! Seeing as we had no plans, I asked my folks if they'd mind hosting a picnic for the family (they graciously accepted). Len and Tiffanie came down from Jersey City and we all had a great time outside. In the shade, it was simply gorgeous weather. Dad put out all the toys for Trenton to play with, we brought our cornhole and boccie ball games, and Tif made this fantastic yogurt/granola/fruit dessert. Jessie and Tyrone (Len & Tif's new dog) got along really well. I think Ty would really like living in suburbia with a big lawn some day ;) The final picture shows Trenton in a go-kart that was given to him by my Uncle Mike-- thanks for the hand-me-down! We'll keep it at Pop-Pop's house and hope that he can control it a bit better as he gets older (he played with it for a bit, but was more interested in the Big Wheel).