Coming off of our vacation to Puerto Rico was a letdown, but we stayed busy in September. Here is Dad's company picnic at Kimball Farm. Caroline is big enough for the bumper boats.
The bubble rings were more Erin's speed
Caroline reunited with her old pony friend Po for not one but two pony rides
Erin couldn't be wooed by the ponies, but she did give the driving range a try...
...where she quickly learned that throwing the ball was way better than trying to hit it with a funny looking stick. Smart girl.
Lately we've been bringing home lots of artwork from Caroline and usually it has mirror writing. According to the Internet this is a common practice in four year-olds and simply means that she has mastered laterality but not directionality. Thanks to The Shining all mirror writing by toddlers kind of creeps me out.
We met Claire & Peter and co. in NY. This time Heather got in on the fish catching.
We re-enacted the 10-year anniversary of Claire & Peter's wedding
We had four flower girls
Erin will finally cooperate with the camera
Happy Anniversary
You all may be seeing this photo again come holiday season
I've been trying all year to get a picture of both girls smiling and here it is!
The older girls
The October 30th freak snowstorm spared our neighborhood. We received ~4 inches of wet snow but our trees were fine. Elsewhere in town there was widespread tree damage and 70% of the homes lost electricity. School was cancelled for two days and the town tried to officially postpone Halloween until November 5th.
We flouted the rules and trick-or-treated anyway. Despite the cold weather and icy sidewalks the girls took in a respectable haul.
Erin isn't as cooperative as her sister in front of the camera. We did get her to say a few of her particular pronunciations.
Caroline will still sing her own songs, bless her heart. One wonders where this one would have gone had Erin (sans pants) not interrupted it.
This year we splurged on a getaway beach vacation to Puerto Rico. We were joined by two of Dave's college friends and their families. Besides Caroline and Erin there was another 4 year-old and two 1 year-olds. We stayed in a huge villa in Dorado that had access to pools, water parks and ocean beaches. It was low season because of the hurricane risk and we hit the lottery with perfect weather that dodged two tropical storms. Good friends, good food, good beaches, good weather - que perfecta!
The water in the ocean was 80s and the kids could stay in for hours
On our second night we put the kids to bed early and hired a private chef for a grown-up dinner
One of our delicious tapas courses. (Ansel came down to join the party)
At the big splash park with life-jacketed Erin
Dad helps Corinne play on the fountain deck
Dad & Caroline in the lazy river
We each took turns preparing pina coladas. Jon's recipe was the best.
Back at the ocean beach. The breakwater was key for making this beach so fun. Otherwise we would have been pounded by tropical storm-force waves.
At the airport-themed playground
Pilot Ansel and co-pilot Caroline
Back at the hacienda
Our only outing was to old San Juan. It was a long hot slog up the hill to the sites.
The long march to the fort
But the view of San Juan harbor was spectacular
Heading back home on the ferry with exhausted kids
There was another kiddie pool playground in the complex that was completely deserted. It was our own private pool.
Running away from the troll under the bridge
And the perfect poolside snack, Doritos!
We even made it out to the outlet malls to load up at Gymboree for the fall
Erin needed a full hosing off after this popsicle
Our final night we ate dinner at the ocean beachside cabana
Caroline colored to pass the time as we waited for dinner service to start
Family photo
Ansel & Caroline had a lot of fun together
Hanging at the bar
Three amigos. We missed you Andy and Keith, wherever you are.
We visited NY to see Lyla & Charlie and Katy & Brad
As promised, Erin let the bottle fairy take away her bottles in exchange for a stuffed unicorn
For birthday number 3 Grandma Joan made Erin her classic chocolate cake...
...and then she tore into her gifts. Thank you everyone!
One Thanksgiving tradition, preprandial bridge
and of course the roasted turkey
We took advantage of an unseasonably warm weekend to visit the beach on the North Shore. We do not want winter to come!
