1st Grade Field Trip

Mommy joined Stella on a field trip this week to Bonesteel's Garden center.  We learned about bee's, apples, and pumpkin patches and enjoyed a fun day together!

Riley and his Mom capture
the fun!

 Friday we decided to visit the mall for some arcade fun.  It was a rainy day and we wanted to relax a little.  The girls loved it! (But were mad we said no to the ride-on animal critters this visit...)

Saturday night Mom and Dad had a date night with the McCarthy's and tried out the new  Bourbon-Barrel Barbeque restaurant in Potsdam.  Stella and Claire had a great night with Kelsey decorating pumpkins!

 Sunday was a baking day at the Todd house!  We made apple-pie cinnamon rolls, apple sauce, lasagna (for dinner) and lasagna roll-ups (for the freezer).  The weekend ended with Awana Club and Claire earning her vest - she was so proud!  I'm feeling very fortunate we found this little gem here in Brasher Falls thanks to Pastor Dan Hunter and some other folks at Victory Baptist Church - the girls love it!

John 3:16 - "For God so loved the world he gave his only son, and those who believe in him will not perish, but have eternal life."

Daddy's school Pic this year.  He's one fun teacher!

Happy 5th Birthday Claire!

This week Claire-Bear turned 5!  We can hardly believe it!  We celebrated on Sunday with a party at the Riverview.  This was the first time we've had a party with friends from school and it was a lot of fun.

All of the kids completed different activities and earned stickers for a chance to win a prize from the punch board.

Daddy did a great job putting together the colorful punch board that had a surprise Shopkin behind every hole.  His Claire Chair poster was also spectacular!

Aunt MJ made yummy cupcakes for everyone to enjoy!

And we finished out the planned activities with a pull string pinata.

 Afterward the kids danced and played musical chairs until the party was over.  Fun was had by all!














Halloween is just around the corner and what better way to celebrate than attend a Halloween party?!  Mommy's friend at work throws a party for her daughter Viola nearly every year and it never disappoints.  The girls did lots of crafts, got glitter tattoos, had snacks, and Stella enjoyed lots of dancing too!

Birthday Morning

Paw Patrol HQ's Toy

Other recent happenings:

Claire was a bit under the weather on a day when the girls didn't have school.  We ended up sticking around the house to rest.  Here Stella is bringing her sister a get-well card and comforting her.  Poor Claire was so sick she could barely get off the couch.  Fortunately it only lasted one day!  This came on the heels of her swallowing a synthetic stone so we were pretty worried.  Thank goodness we have a wonderful pediatrician's office who will take our call anytime of day and has comforted us through the ordeal, which this sickness had nothing to do with.




Caroline, Caleb, Esme, and Eli came to visit!  They came for a sleepover and we climbed Mt. Azure together on a sunny afternoon.

Stella and Claire visited the eye doctor.  They had a great time chatting with Dr. Saidel and both have great vision :)

Jay Peak Brew Fest

Saturday Morning Balcony View

For the past several years we've left the girls with their grandparents for a weekend in the fall so we could have a little get-away.  Jay Peak looked so kid-friendly last year we decided to bring the girls along this time.  To make it even more exciting, the Britton girls joined us.  The kids had a great time together.  The McCarthy's and Hookers came too and fun was had by all! (And Daddy even fit in a round of golf!)

Taking the Tram to the top

 The girls had some fun rock climbing adventures at the top and the views were spectacular! The trees still have some green, which is my favorite time to see them.

The Mom's - photobombed by Claire!

Coloring Fun

Dancing in the corner!

The Brew Fest was a lot of fun again this year.  The cold-brew coffee's that were featured were a nice addition.  We brought plenty of things for the kids to do, they found a corner to dance in for a bit, Claire had her face painted, and there was some pretty intense soccer happening on the lawn!  Afterward Hannah and Colby stayed at the Condo with the girls for pizza and play, while the adults went across the resort to have dinner.  We stayed up late playing games and headed over to the indoor waterpark 'The Pump House' to finish out our weekend getaway.  It was a really fun weekend and a good reminder to make time for these special family activities.  This was our second Mountain Vacation this year and they have both afforded us some much needed R&R.  Even though we don't live in a very busy place, the peacefulness and quiet of the Mountains is just awesome.

Passing September Days

With the start of the new school year September has gone by so quickly, and I've barely had time to post!  Here's some catching up for everyone:

 It's Apple Season!  We all enjoy visiting the Brookdale Orchard down the road and picking Honey Crisps. 

It just so happens, Great Grandpa lives in a nursing home adjacent to another orchard.  So we stopped there for a snack before visiting him one afternoon.

Here, Claire is playing on the floor in his room, and Stella is showing him her puzzle book, which although smaller than his, is the same activity he loves.

Some other fun this month:

Watching a visiting show "The Tardy Brothers"
at school one Friday night

Rolling down the hill @ the St. Regis Falls Club
while at a party for Mom's friend Amy

Celebrating Halloween a little early @ the Brasher Falls
campground with our neighbor Lorri

 Checking out AWANA Club!  We had the privilege of being invited to our communities christian youth program at the Baptist Church.  The girls had a wonderful time and before it even ended both came to me whispering 'can we come back next week?'.  While it helps that Claire's bff Kennedy is there, there's just a whole lot of fun happening so we'll be looking forward to this on Sunday evenings.

 We ventured out into the woods behind the school one Sunday afternoon to get some fresh air and enjoy the fall season.  The girls enjoyed our nature walk and collected some leaves, rocks, and things along the way.

Daddy catching up with
his Coach from HS

The man of the hour!

This past Friday evening we were fortunate enough to attend a celebration for my high school track & field coach John Casserly.  Many family members, friends, and former athletes gathered in honor of his induction into the CHS hall of fame.  Coach is one of the most special people I'll ever know.  I've benefited so much as an individual from his encouragement, support, and wisdom over the years.  The girls came along for this family party and entertained themselves and danced with the live band while mom and dad caught up with some friends from HS.  It was a really great event! 

Fall wouldn't feel right in the North Country anymore without a visit to Fobare's Fruits - a must see destination when you have little people!  The girls, of course, had a ball!

 New this year: racing car slides for toddlers, and a Mining Sluice.  The girls founds lots of Gemstones to bring home!  Claire loves dirt and rocks, so this was right up her ally!

We also went through the corn maze, and when daddy wanted to split up, Stella was elated that she and Mom beat the others out!