Happy Birthday Andrew

Andrew is 30... do you remember turning 30?  (Scarier thought, are you waiting to turn 30?)    I wasn't blogging yet, at the tender age of 30 and I'm not sure I remember what I did?  I'd have to look it up.  But minus my two munchkins, my family birthday party included the same cast of characters.

Brother, I hope 30 brings you exciting new things in your career and of course in your personal life!  Thirty has been an awesome decade (okay not a complete decade yet, thankfully) for me and I hope it is for you too!

Alice is so ready for dinner!  And a yummy dinner it was, green beans, carrot and turnip, the world's best roast potatoes and roast beef!

 

Alice and Andrew

And the Bacon family tradition, ice cream cake.

We didn't have candles, Andrew didn't mind.

The fam!

Alice is 9 Months Old

I love my little Alice, no ifs, ands, or buts.  I love her even though I just about lost my mind trying to get her to sit still for her monthly portrait.  Seriously this little girl is a mover and a shaker.  Even with Ken's help it was a fight!  In the last month she has started cruising.  She won't let go and stand on her own but she can get around.  I'm thinking she's going to be conquering the stairs any day now.

Alice, we are so glad you are part of our family.  You are beyond fun and sweet!  I love your crinkle nose smile!

This represents many of the pictures from the session with Ken.

Even though she isn't looking at the camera I'm calling this one the official nine month portrait!

Heidi-did and the Egans

After the museum of play we drove from Rochester to Seneca Falls.  Heidi and I have known each other since we were three.  We are two days apart (I won't reveal who's older) and we went to church together every week until the summer we were 17 and Heidi and her family moved to Sault Ste. Marie.

Heidi is the kind of friend that it doesn't matter how long it's been between visits because it always feels like it was yesterday.  The last time I saw Heidi was Canadian Thanksgiving 2010.  She hosted dinner last year in her home in Canoga, NY (just outside of Seneca Falls).  Since then her house burned down and she has moved twice, their new house backs on to the river in Seneca Falls.  What a difficult year for my sweet friend, but you'd never know.  She's still as optimistic and excited about life as always.  Everyone should have a Heidi in their life!

Here are the very lame pictures that I took during our brief visit.

Here is Heidi in her car.

 

Heidi is the most mature of all my friends. (Did I mention she has five kids and it will be her sixteenth wedding anniversary this Christmas?)

 The back of the property - you can see the river sort of.

 The back of the house.

Here's Maggie (Heidi's second) giving us directions to church and you can sort of see the front of the house through the car window.

 Saying goodbye to Heidi after church.

PLAY: The Museum

I can't remember which day it was, but while feeling blue Ken and I decided to extend the trip to include him and we decided that after flying to Buffalo we would drive to Rochester, stay over and go to the Museum of Play.  And that is what we did.

The morning started with a yummy breakfast and a lovely swim.  Once we were dressed and packed (again) we set off for the museum.

My first favourite thing about the museum, FREE parking!  My next favourite thing, you walk inside the door and there's a carousel and it costs $1 and you didn't have to go find a ticket booth!

We had lunch at the cute diner just past the carousel and then it was off for the real fun. How cute is Alice?!

So it would seem that Kate's falling down on the floor would extend to Big Bird because when we walked into the museum, Kate saw Big Bird and dropped to the floor...

... and she took a moment to be upside-down.

Ken and Alice weren't as impressed.

Me and the girls sitting on Sesame Street!

Now we're having a tea party.

Alice had fun checking out a bird's nest in the space for crawlers and beginning walkers.

 Kate on a train

Princess Kate

Treehouse fun in Berenstain Bears Land

 Hello bears

 Hello Pig! (Kate loves the book "If You Give a Pig a Party")

 Riding the train

A train crossing!

 Kate is done

Really done!

And a palindrome... could this day get better?!

Yes it could because we're currently on the way to see Heidi and her family in Seneca Falls - YAY!

Last Day in Connecticut

The flight wasn't until 7:55 pm so that left the day... I packed and got organized and tried to take some pictures of Kate and Anna.  First Anna and Kate had a tea party.

Then we moved to the kitchen...

I meant to walk around the house and take pictures of the rooms, I meant to take a picture of the kitchen... I meant to.  Behind the cute girlies is the back splash that Suzanne put in herself.  When I grow up I want to be like my sister.


When Alice woke up we piled in the van and went to Hartford (with a stop to Old Navy to get a skirt for me and then a return trip to the house to get Isaac).

I also meant to walk around outside and photograph the wreckage - as in the wrecked trees thanks to Storm Alfred.  If you look closely at this picture you can see tree branches that are pointing entirely the wrong direction.  This photo does not in any way accurately reflect the wreckage...

We drove around Hartford.  The building on the left is Mark Twain's house.

We drove past Occupy Hartford. 

 We stopped at the State Capitol.

 We went inside to use the bathrooms and interrupt the governor.

 It was sunny and beautiful but VERY chilly.

Next we went back to South Windsor to say goodbye and then we drove to Boston.  Thankfully both girls slept the whole way to the airport.  Suzanne came inside to help and then it was really goodbye. 

Kate and Alice had a few minutes to play before we picked up some candy and then boarded the plane.

Kate is a great traveller, for this I am thankful.  Now if only we could cure her of screaming when her sister screams.

Alice... (deep breath) Alice is NOT a good flyer.  I was a little better prepared for the screaming on the return flight. 

Once on the ground in Buffalo the sweet couple that sat across the aisle helped me bring all of my stuff to Ken.  The one thing I wish I had a picture of, Kate's reaction to seeing her Daddy.  We were walking through the sliding doors when Kate saw her Daddy and she just fell to the floor.  She got up beaming and looking at him dropped to the floor again.  She was so happy to see her Dad. 

Our first trip to Connecticut was memorable.  I feel like now that I have travelled with the two girls without Ken for an extended period of time I will be better equipped for next time.  That sounds terrible.  Suzanne, thanks for being a great sister and for cleaning up Kate's barf and for forgiving my spiral.