Enchanted Village

Today I took Connor to the Enchanted Village at Jordan's Furniture. For those who don't know the story, it used to be displayed in Boston at Jordan Marsh. It was eventually sold to City Hall but due to budget restraints, they stopped displaying it. Last year, Jordan's bought the entire village at an auction and it is now on display in their Avon store... just a hop, skip, and a jump from 39 W. Vanston!

The BAD part about the visit was that we had to wait in a line to get our picture taken before being allowed in to the village. Of course, that's how they get some money for their "free" admission. Connor was a little agitated at the line because he couldn't run around. Very traumatic for a two-year-old. However, with a little snack and some cuddles from Mom, he survived. We had our picture taken and headed straight in. This is where it became a nice visit. The village truly is amazing. They did a really nice job with it. Connor's favorite parts were anything that moved, and the snow. Not the puffy snow that was part of the display, but the snow that came down from the sky. Seriously! Jordan's has some type of machine that makes it snow. It's actually a bubble mixture, but the way it's made makes it look like snow. Connor LOVED it (as did every other kid there).

By the time we were done making our way through, Connor was a bit beat. We had planned on going to the playground afterward, and we barely made it out of the parking lot before Connor crashed.

I hope you enjoy the pics! Check out all the pics in the slideshow to the right.

Connor looking up at the snow falling.

Thank a Veteran and Swing a Little

To celebrate Veterans Day, Connor and I went to the Brockton Parade with Jess and her kids. The parade is fairly small, but just the perfect length for antsy two-year-olds! Connor enjoyed a free munchkin courtesey of Jess, which kept him occupied until the parade started. Once it began he was fascinated by all of the bands playing. He loves music, so when the Brockton High band was playing, he was all ears. There were several other small bands that played as well, and all of them kept his attention. He also loved the old cars and their horns. Pretty much anything that made noise he loved. At one point, I looked down and his eyes were closed. Not closed as in asleep, but closed as in he was simply just enjoying the music. It was very cute!

After the parade ended, Jess showed us a cool playground in West Bridgewater. It was a little cool and windy, so we were sure to bundle up, but Connor and Layla had a ton of fun on the swings. Brady and Quincy were soon to join them. They both fit in one swing, getting lots of attention from passers by. In their defense, they ARE cute.

After swinging for what seemed like an hour, a lot of the bigger kids left, so we let Connor and Layla have at the playground. Connor soon discovered he could climb up steps, cross over a bridge, and slide down the slide all by himself! I was there the first time he climbed up, but I was soon forgotten once Connor realized he could do it on his own. He also discovered a tunnel that he could crawl through as well.

It did start to get pretty cool after an hour and a half of fun, and poor Connor's teeth were chattering when all the babies seemed to tell us the same thing - LUNCH! We left the playground and had a much-needed snack on the way home. Connor didn't even make it home without falling asleep, and he took a VERY good nap once we were home. Fresh air and playgrounds make for great naps!

Be sure to thank a veteran today!


YAY! The parade started!

Notice his eyes are closed as the band passes by. He loved the music!

Connor and Layla.

Connor and Layla on the swings together.

Quincy and Brady on ONE swing together.

All four of them swinging. We took up the whole swingset!

Connor going down the slide all by himself!

WEE!

Tunnels are cool.

Nothing like a steering wheel on a playground!

Happy Halloween!

For Connor's first real Halloween as a trick-or-treater, we headed up to Tewksbury to spend the evening with Mimi, Papa, Paige, Mark and Heather. They live right around the corner from a cute little neighborhood where they take Trick-or-Treating very seriously. People have fires burning and they sit outside all night handing out candy. There are very few cars, too, which makes it nice and safe for little kids who are running all over!

When we arrived at Mimi and Papa's we put on Connor's Lion costume that he received from a neighbor last year. It was too big for him then, but fits him now. I laugh every time I see it on him - he just looks too cute. We thought Mimi and Papa would like to see him in it - he was a big hit! If it wasn't SO unseasonably warm, we might have kept him in it, but it was too warm to wear a heavy hooded vest.

The real costume was Batman! We knew he wouldn't be too thrilled to wear the mask with it, but we did try to get some pictures of him with the mask. Even without it he was still a force to be reckoned with. People commented on his outfit and kept asking where Robin was.

Connor didn't really grasp the concept of trick-or-treating, but he DID grasp the concept of eating candy. I didn't load him down with candy, but he did have a few M&Ms and Sweet Tarts as the evening went on. Another family we were trick-or-treating with has a son the same age as Connor, so when they offered to go get their wagon for the boys to ride in, who was I to say no? After all, we know how much Connor loves his wagon! We did do a good amount of walking, so a wagon was good to have.

Just as the night was winding down, it began to sprinkle, so that was our cue to leave. Connor was tired and we still had a 45 minute drive back home. We had a great time and a wonderful Halloween!

Connor the Lion


I'm BATMAN!


An attempt at getting Connor, I mean Batman, with his mask on.


Ready to save the day!

Connor and Logan

A little ride in the wagon for tired feet.

Trick-or-Treating with Paige.

Paige's feet were a little blistered, so she had a go in the wagon, too.

Daddy and Connor.

Random Pics

Since I haven't updated the blog since Connor's birthday, and Halloween is still a week away, I figured I'd "borrow" some pics that my dad took during Connor's birthday weekend and post them. We did have a nice time with Grammy and Grampy, so it's only fitting we post some of those pictures.


Mommy and Connor having a little quality coloring time.


Grammy is addicted to Word Pops on Mommy's Phone and Connor LOVES it, too!


Daddy went fishing... and he caught a 23-pound CONNOR!


Reading "Guess How Much I Love You?"

Swim lessons - Connor LOVES it!

Doing the "choo choo" down the side of the pool.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

On October 4th, our little guy turned 2 whole years old. The time is just flying, and I still can't believe he's two. He's such a fun little guy, and we enjoy every minute with him (ok, maybe not the minutes when he's screaming...but you get the idea).

We had Connor's party on the 3rd, and we prayed and prayed for nice weather, but someone up there was playing a nice joke on us, because it rained all day. So, into our little house we crammed 15 adults, 2 sets of twins, a 4-month-old, 3 2-year-olds, and a 6-year-old. It was cramped, but we still had a nice time. Connor had a grand ole time coloring and watching his show. He was really disinterested in opening presents, but he definintely loved them after the fact. Coloring books were among his favorites! He also got a nice new "big boy" table from Mimi and Papa, which he loves. He can sit in the chairs all by himself, and it's the perfect place to color.

He also got a set of tents and tunnels from Grammy and Grampy. He had loads of fun with these, especially when Grammy got in the tunnel herself. He thinks it's pretty funny when we put the tunnel over his head as he's standing up. Hopefully this will provide hours of entertainment. Keep your fingers crossed!

We'd like to thank everyone who came to Connor's party. Everyone was so generous with their gifts for Connor - he really does love them! Thank-you!


Connor playing with Grammy in the tunnel.


I love this picture. Notice the massive amount of babies behind Connor!

The twins finally meet!

Connor was actually screaming because we were singing.

Notice the "2" on his shirt. Thanks to Megan for the tip!

A birthday party can really wear a guy out!

Connor's new table and chairs!

Pumpkins and Pals

Today Connor met his very good friend Mairead at the apple orchard. The Honey Pot Hill Orchard in Stow, MA was about halfway between for both Connor and Mairead, so they decided to meet there. They spent the morning looking at the farm animals, pumpkins, and eating a cider donut. Or three.

The first stop was the animals. Connor loved the bunnies, and tried to stick his fingers in the cage. The bunnies didn't seem to mind, though, which is good for little fingers that could be mistaken for food. Mairead, too, loved the bunnies and kept exclaiming "BUNNIES" all around the farm. It was very funny! Connor also REALLY loved the goat.... water. Yes, Connor's big thrill was figuring out that he could fit his little arm through the hole and put his hand in the goat's drinking water. GROSS. Needless to say we had handy-wipes ready before eating the donuts!

The donuts, I have to say, were the best part. They were delicious. My favorite was the cinnamon, Connor's was the plain. He did gobble them up, too (that's what happens when you refuse to eat your eggs at breakfast). He was mighty hungry and worn out from all the exploring of the farm.

After donuts, Connor and Mairead decided they wanted to pick out a pumpkin. Mairead thought it was her duty to put each pumpkin in a line, and Connor thought it was his to take them out. I think Connor had more fun reading the sign than picking out pumpkins - letters are pretty cool.

All in all, I'd say we had a very nice morning with our friends!


Connor trying to lift a pumpkin that's way too big for him.

Mairead organizing the pumpkins.

Running is fun.

Connor and the goat water. So gross!

BUNNIES!

Just call me Art

Even though the weather was beautiful today, it was a bit on the cool side, so we decided to let Connor paint for the very first time. We covered the playroom floor in newspaper and put his washable paints on his easel. Luckily, he has a little Home Depot apron from his tool bench, so I put that on him to help with the mess.

At first, Connor wasn't sure what to do, but after Mommy showed him, he got the hang of it pretty quickly. He loved mixing colors and making circles on the paper. I have to say, I was pretty impressed with how neat he kept everything. He hates messy hands, and I watched him get a little dot of paint on his hand. He looked at the paint, then pressed his hand to the paper to get rid of it. It was very cute.

If anyone would like to purchase some original Connor art, just let us know!