Siena's 2nd Birthday

Saturday, the three of us headed to New Jersey to celebrate Siena's 2nd birthday. The party was at Etsch Farms as it was last year, and they really do an awesome job with their parties. There's tons for the kids to do there and this weekend we had amazing weather. It was a REALLY fun party - all 3 of us had a good time

How cute is Siena?

Birthday tractor! Marino LOVED riding the pony. He insisted on also riding the miniature horse. Neither of them wore shoes, which I've never seen before (shoeless horses), but they said they only ride them on the grass, so its a non-issue.

Happy Catalina

How cute is Sonia's belly?!
Heading to the corn maze


Very scary witch (he keeps telling me he's going to be a witch for Halloween)
Decorating pumpkins

Corn maze...this was the easy one and we still got lost!
Birthday sweetie!
Excited toddlers ready for the hayride!
View from the hayride


The birthday girl and her parents (she's her Papi's twin)

Riding the miniature horse

Pinata time!
treats from the pinata
Birthday cupcakes for Siena
Siena is 2!
Enjoying the cupcakes
When this pinata broke, candy and treats went everywhere! It split in half rather than just a hole cracking in it. It was quite a sight!
Pumpkin head

Reading and cuddling with Marino and Siena
Marino was unusually friendly this day - see him snuggled behind Sonia's sister, Nikki?
Of course we had to break out our matching pumpkin hats...the kids were even less cooperative with taking pictures with these than last year! But at least they had fun.

Before we headed back, we met up with our friends Karen, Stu and Brandon (and new baby Wesley!) for a playdate at McDonald's. The kids had a lot of fun. Marino kept asking Brandon "Do you want to play with me again?". It was great to catch up.

Fall Festival at Butler's Orchard

Hopefully this is not the beginning of a pattern this Fall, but Marino was sick again last week. Of course, his asthma makes a simple cold into a serious breathing issue and he went from a stuffy nose Thursday to wheezing and struggling to breathe on Friday. The pediatrician gave him prednisone and we went back to round the clock breathing treatments (Albuterol q4 and Pulmicort twice a day). Thankfully, prednisone works quickly to help the boy breathe, but it doesn't come without side effects, primarily a dark cloud hanging over Marino's head while he's taking it.

We were brave and took him to the Fall Festival at Butler's Orchard. We had fun, but there were definately some crabby moments as well. My friend Robyn, her husband James and son Ryan met us there, as did Ishmael, Sandra and Anthony and Jen, Matt, Sydney, Justin and Noah. We had a gorgeous fall day to pick pumkins!

As always, he loved riding the big slides with Daddy.

Pointing out pumpkins on the hayride. Remember last year he called them "papples"? Now they are "pumpkins". He's so grown up!
Eating carmel apples - he loved them, of course!

Ryan loves them, too!

Robyn, Ryan and James (they are expecting again in March)

Anthony and Ishmael, riding the tractor trikes

Jumping in the hay barn with Daddy

Picking out a pumpkin

Noah, Jen and Sydney (who is always willing to pose for a picture; I just love her!)

Jen trying on Marino's pumpkin hat

Sydney trying it on, too (Marino refused to wear it for me).

Marino wanted every pumpkin he found!

Sweet Sydney

They look so grown up pushing this wagon and pointing out pumpkins!

Ryan found lots of pumpkins he liked, too.