Fall... Continuing to Explore

Hi Liv,

September you turned 3 months old!! So big, so expressive & you adore me (don't worry I adore you too! sometimes I have a rough way of demonstrating that though)!  You thought summer was fun - wait until I share all the exciting things we experienced this fall!

Mommy signed me up for sports class & gymnastics class.  You get to come along & check out all the excitement from Mom's baby carrier.  I learned so much from my coaches & have been practicing seat drops, forward rolls & sport moves.  When we started classes, you would sleep most of the time.  However, once you realized how much fun everyone was having, you stayed awake to take it all in.  

We also started music class at Hayden & Brooks' house.  We had so much fun this fall at music.  I especially LOVED Ms. Val as our music teacher.  You & I laugh to the "Fireman Song" & "Baa Baa Black Sheep."

 Fall starts lots of fun activities in the Philadelphia area.  We have this wonderful little museum around the corner & they kicked off the season with a straw maze.

We continued to get to know you better.  You've started to sleep less (but still allowing Mom & Dad to get pretty decent nighttime sleep!) & participate more in all the fun we've been having as a family.  

Naked babies!

I've taken on quite the role as Mommy's helper!  

As well as the vet's assistant

September kicks off lots of birthday celebrations!! We headed to New Jersey for Christopher Perri's birthday on a BOAT!!  It was a pirate ship adventure.  

We also attended our first Heart Community picnic with the Mended Little Hearts organization.   We were only here for a short time before heading to Hayden's birthday, but had lots of fun!

Hayden turns 2!

Big news in September - I turned 2!! We had my birthday party at the New Hope Railroad.  It was so much fun to have all our family & friends join us to celebrate!  Uncle Jon & Ann Marie missed the party, but I will forgive them because they were busy getting engaged in Newport, RI.  

Lots of fun birthday gifts!  

You even got a special gift at my birthday party.  Mom's friend, Pam, gave you Mommy's Pop Warner pom poms.  Mom gave them to Jacqueline when she was in high school.  Pam & Jacqueline thought you might get a kick out of these.  Future cheerleader? Perhaps.

On my actual birthday, we went to the Franklin Institute to check out the steam train & then had a blast playing at Sister Cities Park.  We had your special birthday dinner at Frankford Hall - playing Jenga!  

Check out my birthday dancing in the park in my birthday suit!! 

Mommy & Uncle Jon also have birthday's in September.  We had a big Snyder birthday dinner at our house to celebrate everyone.

We went to a fun playdate at Maddie's house to celebrate her 2nd birthday.  So much fun to see all our pals!  

Fall has been beautiful!  We've been going for walks or heading to playgrounds as often as we can.  Check out your first time on a swing!! You had a blast & then you fell asleep while swaying.

October you turned 4 months old!! 

We celebrated by taking you to Linvilla Farms for some pumpkin picking & fall fun!!

Then you had a solo day with Mom, Lizzy & Conrad at Mommy Con.  You picked up some really cute swag!

Will's birthday was in October at Lulu's Casita.  It was construction themed & we had such a blast!! You even dressed up in your Juicy top & Stuart Weitzman shoes.

Mid-October, Daddy took Mommy to the Shenandoah Mountains in Virginia for their first weekend away since you were born.  This was her birthday present & we got to have a sleepover at Grammy & PopPop's house!  It was your first sleepover & night away from Mom.  We were all worried about if you would take a bottle or not.  Thankfully, Grammy was able to figure out the trick to get you to consume lots of milk!  Look at all the fun we had in New Jersey on our weekend away!

 Mommy & Daddy had lots of fun away too!  They went hiking, drove skyline drive, went for a horseback ride & even saw a movie!  We FaceTimed with them a lot & that helped Mom feel alright about leaving you for the first time.  We were so glad to see them after their trip, but it's nice to get away every once in awhile - don't you agree?

Harry Potter Weekend in Chestnut Hill came right before Halloween!  We had lots of fun that morning checking everyone out in their Harry Potter costumes.  Maybe some day you & I will get dressed up for it.  All the stores in town change their names, their are games on the sidewalk & the Harry Potter characters stroll through town.  We missed the Quiddich tournament this year at Chestnut Hill College.

 Here comes Hogwarts Express

Halloween this year was SO MUCH FUN!! I dressed as Woody, you dressed as Jessie, Mommy & Daddy were Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head.  We went to a Halloween Happy Hour party at Hayden & Brooks' house, a Halloween playdate at their house, trick or treated in our neighborhood, attended our neighborhood costume contest & spent a fun night in costume at Uncle Jon & Ann Marie's house.  What a fun holiday!!

Aunt Shana came trick or treating with us!

 JAM Halloween Party!

 Hayden's Halloween Fun!

Aunt Shana's field hockey team made playoffs this October, so we went & supported her team.  They won this game!! How exciting!

October came & went!  Full of fall fun!  November you turned 5 months old!! Mommy continued to be amazed at how well you're doing!  Off all your meds, weened off our home nurse support & kicking booty at your check-ups!  

 We started to slow down on activities as the chilly weather set in!  Lots of fun playing at home!

Mom worked on her back carry!

I got big into bike helmet safety!  We even practiced getting into our Burley bike carrier.  I don't think you were that impressed!  Toshio wasn't either!

One chilly morning, we went to Hayden's Dad's office & got to play on the big trucks!  What fun!

Election season ended, which meant Ashley could come up from DC to visit us!  We had a really nice day with her & she was so excited to finally meet you.  It's the best when we get visitors!

We did a babywearing photoshoot with Kristy Powell, our birth photographer, for a company called Risaroo.  We shot all the photos at a Christmas tree farm! So much fun!!

Aunt Emily, Uncle Rick, Rowen, Riley & Aidyn came to visit for Philly's Marathon weekend!  Aunt Emily, Uncle Jon & Ann Marie all ran the half marathon!  We also celebrated Uncle Jon & Ann Marie's engagement with a very intimate, family engagement party.  It's not very often the Snyders & Queenans are all together, so that in itself was celebration enough!

Engagement Party Fun

Race day & brunch at Frankford Hall

Thanksgiving weekend we went to Grammy & PopPop's house in New Jersey.  Aunt Shana, Uncle Mario & Aunt Ari were all there too! Mom & Dad joined some friends, Aunt Shana, Uncle Mario & Aunt Ari out on Thanksgiving Eve.  Thanksgiving Day we all watched the parade, cooked a tasty meal & ate!  Of course at the Smeriglio house there is post-turkey football watching!  We didn't really see any other family while we were there because you & I both started coming down with a cold.  We definitely didn't want to pass it on to Great PopPop, so we just stayed at Grammy's house.

We stopped at a Christmas Tree farm in Pennsylvania on the way home to pick up our Christmas tree.  They had horse drawn carriage rides to go get our tree!  We even had hot cocoa while we waited for them to wrap our tree.

As we move into winter, we started staying home much more than the past two seasons.  Cold & flu season worried Mom to no end!  Best to keep you safe & healthy, but don't worry we still had a blast!  I will share the fun we've been up to this winter soon.  

Lots of love little sis!

XO,

Winston