thanksgiving in Ohio!

hiya!

we got to go to Ohio for a week for thanksgiving, and it was so much fun!  pretty much my ideal week all wrapped together.  i got to see grandma cathy, papa dave, uncle jojo, aunt ashley, maddie, anderson, uncle dave, aunt sara, eli, sophie, and even papa bill two times (thanks so much for stopping!).  then we also went to columbus to see aunt jen, will, and meet my new cousin chase!

we got snow (which i LOVEEEEE)! and i got to build my first snowman, go sledding (which was pretty amazing for a lil' daredevil like me), and maddie and i even got to beat dada in a snowball fight!

i had so much fun with all my family, and really miss them all so very much.  i mean you know it is love when they even went along with all my silly dinner games!!!!

thanks to you all for such a great week…and just so you know i still randomly walk around saying 'gramma', 'papa', and of course 'jojo' too!  can't wait to see you all again!

get ready for lots of pics!

lots of love!

got to meet my new cousin Chase!
i really wanted him to have his 'soothe'!

getting to drive the big tractor!  watch out EVERYONE!

me and my mama loving the snow!

grandma and papa were great snowman helpers!

ummm, dada i am pretty sure i got this!

grandma, i was wondering if the snow down the hill looks better
(oh wait, never mind…you and that hill do not mix :) haha!)

enjoying the gorgeousness!

seriously, what more could a girl ask for??

snowy!  my first snowman!

snow bunny!

i believe i am asking…'but whyyy is anderson crying???'

maddie catching snowflakes!

getting ready for my first snowball fight!

see it is really all in the form…
that is why maddie and i were a good team!  we had it down!
dada never stood a chance!

bit different than boston, huh??

this is what you do when you don't have a sled!
but if uncle jojo is doing it, then it must be the best thing ever!

anderson turned 2!!!

mama and i in our annual matching outfits!
i am going to hate her for this when i am 16!

ohhhh me and my chairs!
i wonder how many miles i put on these things over the week!

papa, moving all those chairs is HARD work!
i need a rest!

on bear (aka cocoa) patrol!

hey anderson…you got enough room back there?
i could really stretch out a bit more!

who knew watching cows could be so much fun!?!?

just like the hustle and bustle of home!

hmmm…i am not sure why anderson didn't like sledding?!?!
snow to the face is not enjoyable?

cousin fun!!!!

me and dada…
i am guessing right after we stopped i said 'one more!'

what's not to love about sledding,
especially when you don't have to walk back up the hill!

maddie and jojo!

yes, we are sledding in a plastic pool!

papa in his glory!

the gates fam!

the lemonds!

my fam!

grandma & papa in heaven!

way to go sox!

hiya!
as you all know (well maybe except for big Al, as he is a bit oblivious to world happenings)…the red sox are the 2013 world champions!  woo hoo!  it sure is a great time to be a boston girl (papa dave i am pretty sure it is time for you to convert to a sox fan)!
mama and dada took me to the parade to celebrate their championship, and it was a super fun day with absolutely perfect weather.   i loved walking there and tried to find every leaf pile i could to crunch through…i may have exerted a bit too much energy as i wasn't quite able to stay awake to see the parade (but it was a fair trade in my opinion...after all, when you live in boston there is always next year to see another parade…haha)!
gotta say a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to uncle jojo!  hope you have lots of fun and i can't wait to see you in a couple weeks.
lots of love!

crunching leaves is one of my new most favorite things!

oh and running through them is pretty great too!

especially when dada is waiting at the other end!

snacks…the only way i will be happy waiting 2 hours for a parade to start!

waving to my fans…then my parents told me that everyone was not there to see me….
i was heartbroken!

me and mama resting…
i MAY have been getting a lil sleepy!

ahhh, just what i need to stay awake for the parade!

that should do the trick!
(don't worry guys it was empty)

so much for caffeine!
i feel asleep before the first duck boat hit the water!

boston sure loves their soxs!

here they all come!

gorgeous fall back drop!

jon lester and jake peavy!

this is for dada….he is a xander fan!

big papi! MVP!

happy halloween!

hiya!
happy halloween everyone!  i hope you all had as much fun as i did.
during the week leading up to halloween i got to paint pumpkins AND we used my handprints to carve a super cute 'reesey inspired' pumpkin!  you know i am a girl who loves all things messy...however when mama opened that pumpkin the first time i couldn't believe what i saw in there!  i wanted nothing to do with that 'goo' in the beginning, but of course after mama and dada started digging in i couldn't resist...and i have to admit, i loved it!
i had everyone worried up til the VERY end that i wouldn't wear my costume (i wouldn't let them put it on me AT ALL leading up to the big day)….mwah hahaha!  sometimes it is fun to keep them guessing!  however, once i got to daycare and everyone told me how cute i looked in it, i had to oblige (for their sake, i could tell they really wanted to see me in it….i am selfless like that and like to please others)!
i got to walk in the daycare parade, go to the charlestown parade, and even trick-or-treat on the walk home!  i had so much fun picking out my candy from each bowl…i took those decisions serious and really studied all my options before committing!  i even managed to say 'thank you' as i walked away (most of the time at least).
i still held out on saying 'quack quack' (c'mon i wore the costume, what more do you expect???).
it was a super fun day and i was one pooped lil ducky by the end of it!
lots of love!

my handprint pumpkin!

i should definitely use orange on an orange pumpkin!
(looking back this was not my best decision)

starting my masterpiece!
(notice we switched to white…good thing for a plan b!)

a true artist knows you gotta work the angles to make your vision come alive!

starting to look like a real masterpiece!

one final touch and….

ummm dada…what do you think you are doing?
ok, now as i way saying….one final touch and...

viola!

scooping out pumpkin goo!

good thing i gave it a shot…pumpkin goo makes this girl SMILE!

this thing is so fun i am taking it with me!
(and yes uncle jojo…i am already stronger than mama)

arriving at daycare on halloween morning…
still keeping everyone guessing if i am gonna be a duck!

loving my duck feet, but still not feeling the hat!

ohhhh, you all think i am adorable???
ok, ok i can wear it just for YOU!

quack quack from the cutest lil duck you will ever see!

my first trick-or-treat stop!

i caught on quick that if i put it in my mouth i get to take it home….
genius!

this lil ducky is pooped…
time for some dinner and snuggles!

on and one more thing mama and dada…lets not do this next year.
in case you can't tell…i am no longer a fan!