More FALL FUN!

Ok - so more with the tributes to fall! I just can't help it when the air is so crisp and the evenings are so beautiful with the cooler temps and falling leaves! LOVE IT!

This past weekend, though, was a total 'wash out' with rain - which I'm actually not complaining about because we desperately needed it! It rained from Friday morning until early Sunday morning, so we were stuck doing inside things - still fun (indoor playgrounds, etc.), but not as fun as last weekend, which is where all the pics are from for this post.

Last weekend the Conners were visited by Nana and Bob! We had a wonderful time! They showed us all of their pics from their honeymoon abroad, and then Saturday was full of fun activities. These first two pics are from Eli's Fun Center - a place around here which is filled full of inflatables for kids (ok, and adults too!) http://elisfuncenter.com/ - we ALL enjoyed our time there - jumping, going down slides, and challenging each other to the obstacle course. We have taken Ella before, but each time she enjoys it more and more!

Here she is playing ball - which she was actually really good at!

Then we headed to Harrisonburg to 'Back Home on the Farm' http://www.hesscornmaze.com/magnum.asp a fall/farm festival for kids (ok, and adults too!) There were so many activities and we all had a blast...here Ella is making a friend on her favorite thing in the world - the carousel (and her horse said Ella)!!

There was a 'cow train' which Ella loved...

and pig races which pretty much rivaled the carousel for Ella's favorite activity there. There were three races, and after each one she said "more, more, more" - when they were over, we had to quickly move to another activity to prevent any potential meltdowns!

Then we rode on a hayride -one of MY favorite things! I always love going on hayrides, and this one took us all around the farm and to...

the pumpkin patch! Where Ella picked her own pumpkins - actually she really got into it, so she picked two pumpkins (but they were really small). How fun!!

This coming weekend we are most likely going to an Oktoberfest here in Staunton (with lots of fun activities for children) and then we may be going back to this farm with some of Ella's friends - YAY FALL!!

Labor Day Weekend and More FALL FUN!!

I've loaded a bunch of pictures this time! I started with last weekend (Labor Day weekend) and actually even had some from today! We are taking a bunch of pics lately (I should say Adam is) because Adam got a new camera lense for his b-day and he is really enjoying learning all about it and practicing!
So the reason for the opening pic of the giraffe is that last weekend we met Nana (Fisk) at the zoo in Lexington (http://www.naturalbridgezoo.com/) for a day trip! We all had a great time - Ella loved it - animals are her fav!! This giraffe was so awesome (and eating out of our hands I might add!) - he/she had such kind eyes and was so gentle - they are a bit intimidating with their size but so sweet!

We were a little surprised that Ella was all about feeding any and all of the animals! She wasn't a bit afraid of them! When we saw the bears (which of course we couldn't feed), she wanted to get in their 'swimming pool'!!

Ella had a great time seeing her Nana...

who had just gotten back from a trip to Europe and brought her wooden shoes from Holland! Shoes are Ella's absolute favorite thing - perfect souvenir!!

After our day at the zoo, was church on Sunday, and Ella looked so cute in her little dress that we had to do a little photo shoot when we got home! I thought the one above of her and 'Papa' (as she calls him) was so precious!

She loves smelling flowers!!

Then on Monday we spent time with family and friends! Ella ALWAYS talks about her 'Pawpaw'

Our friends Adam and Bailey came over and Ella got to play with Kinley again!

I couldn't resist putting up this one of their new baby Follin! She's so beautiful!

After a long (and pretty hectic/crazy) week, we had a wonderful weekend this weekend as well! Yesterday, Adam got up REALLY early to go to Herndon to get a playhouse for Ella (from his aunt) - she LOVES it and has been playing in it non-stop since he brought it home! If you will notice in this photo Ella is in a coat and there is a little blanket at the bottom of the slide in the next one - that would be because she asked if we could go out and play starting at 7:30am! I made her wait at least until 8:45 before we were heading out for church!

After Ella and I went to breakfast with the 'gang' then Adam and I went to a UVA football game in the evening (Ella stayed with her grandmother and great-grandmother)! Our friend Adam's brother plays on the team, so it is very fun to watch the games and for me it is such a wonderful FALL activity! I love everything about going - from putting on the team 'gear', to tailgating, to watching all the pre-game stuff with the band/fireworks/the Cavalier on the horse, and then the evening when it starts getting chilly - LOVE it all!! (Ok so probably for the next few months I will be doing fall tributes :0)

Today was low key with church, grocery shopping, some chores around the house, and then a new sort of weekly 'tradition' we are starting (we've done it the past couple weekends), which is going to family swim at the YMCA - Ella loves it, and Adam and I take turns swimming laps - a great activity to end up the weekend and start up a new week!!

Happy Birthday!

So since the last post there has been another birthday in the Conner family!!! Adam's birthday was Saturday and we had a great day/weekend! His birthday ended up being more like a kid-friendly family day, but he enjoyed it (and so did we!)

We started the day by going with our good friends Adam and Bailey (and their two girls) to a water park in Charlottesville! It was so great and we were all sad to have found it at the end of summer - but now we know it's there and we will definitely make some trips next summer!

Kinley just turned 3 years old - it's been so awesome to watch her grow up, and now she and Ella are able to play together!

Here you can see some of the fun things the park had to offer - slides (for big and little ones), a lazy river, and one of those huge buckets that fills up and then dumps - both Ella and Kinley enjoyed watching that, but weren't too fond of being close when it dumped!

Then after getting home and having lunch and naps, we had a birthday party/play date (because most of our friends have young children) - which also was great fun for all! The adults got to chat while the kids played! Here Ella (and her very best bud Mia) is hanging out with the newest member of the kid's group, Baby Bryce!

Then Sunday, for a family day, we went to a petting farm in Afton (http://www.mountainsidepettingfarm.com/). It actually turned out to be a little ghetto (yes were duped by their awesome website), but we still had fun walking around looking at the animals (they had horses, goats, ducks, a pig and a camel - all which were rescued so we at least supported their cause), and there was a little train playground that Ella enjoyed going through (love that picture)!

She particularly enjoyed the ducks for some reason and loved getting as close to them as she could (maybe it's because they were right at her size) - it looks like she's trying to tell them something in this one!

...And then we finally settled down for some rest! This is something we do now most evenings before the bedtime routine - she loves to snuggle up for some Elmo on TV (and of course Momma loves it too!) She has recovered from yet another illness which came from daycare (of course!) and we are looking forward to another fun (LONG) weekend coming up!

Oh and I couldn't resist putting in here how much I love fall and this beautiful weather we have been having the past couple days (Sarah P., I know how much you are loving my tribute to fall) - we were out this evening taking a walk at the local park (which has a trail through the woods) and I kept saying to Adam how much I love fall - the crisp air, all the smells, the colors and falling leaves - LOVE it all!!