Haw River Hike

On Saturday we went for a stroll along the Haw River trail, as we've done a few times before. It was a gorgeous, warm, fall day with blue skies and colorful leaves to enjoy! Here are some photos.

We're now a family of 5! You can't really see Sarah inside the Baby Bjorn carrier, but she's there with us too!






This was the first time that Rachel & Brian walked all the way across the creek on this tree! We were very impressed that Rachel was brave enough to do it!



Caroline wanted to go all the way across, too, but we decided just a few steps out toward the creek would be plenty.

Trick-or-Treating

Here are some pictures from Halloween night when we went out trick-or-treating. The boy dressed as Batman is our neighbor, Ryan, who lives 2 houses from us and is 3 1/2 years old.

Wrestling in the Living Room

Wrestling and giggling on the floor of the living room seems to be one of Rachel & Caroline's favorite games to play these days. Here's an excerpt of the action.

Happy Birthday Song

Rachel & Caroline did a great job singing the Happy Birthday song to our friend Emma Price, who turned 5 a few weeks ago. I thought you might enjoy seeing them sing!

Pumpkins!

Some pictures from carving and displaying our pumpkins:

Mi Escuelita Halloween Parade

Each year at Rachel & Caroline's school, all the kids wear their Halloween costumes for a parade and a day filled with fun Halloween festivities. Here are some pictures from the parade.

Before we left home... Rachel was an Ariel princess, and Carolinewas a mermaid Ariel (with a random fluffy hat!!)

Caroline's class of 2-year-olds -- the Solecitos ("little suns")

Rachel and her friend Linnea, lining up for the parade

The 1-year-olds class -- the Estrellitas ("little stars")

The 3-year-olds class -- the Lunitas ("little moons")

Rachel with her friends, Stella, Paloma, and Linnea

Happy Halloween!

The girls looked really cute today wearing Halloween t-shirts, so I had to get a picture of everyone together on the couch. ENJOY!! Happy Halloween!

Welcoming Baby Sarah

On Friday (10-16-09), we welcomed SARAH KUIPERS VANDERSEA to our family!

(Kuipers rhymes with Pipers and is a Dutch family name on Brian's mom's side of the family. Sarah was my great-grandmother's name.)

She was born at 6:45 pm, weighed 6 lbs., 9 oz, and was 19.75 inches long. She is super cute, eating & sleeping well, and everyone is doing great! Rachel and Caroline are enjoying being her big sisters.

Here are a few pictures -- I will post more soon!






I'm not sure what the baby dolls were doing in this photo, but notice that Rachel had them all lined up around Sarah, and they all have on fancy jewelry!
(click on any photo for a larger view)

Excitement of the Recycling Truck

Every Thursday around lunch time, the recycling truck comes through our cul-de-sac, and it is quite an event for Rachel & Caroline! They will sprint to the front porch at any sign that the truck is coming (usually when it's still across the neighborhood). The driver is the same every week and is really nice about waving to the girls and honking for them.
Here's a photo and a video clip of the action!

October Zoo Trip

On Saturday, Andy Ruvo and Brian took the girls to the N.C. Zoo. They had a fun time and enjoyed getting to see some new things -- including a new observation & feeding platform for the giraffes.

Note that our Rachel didn't make the trip -- she was at an alumni weekend at Camp Sea Gull with my mom and brothers and crew, having her own fun time! Once I get my mom's photos I will post some pictures from that as well.

Here are some photos from the father/daughter day at the zoo...

Brian, Caroline, Amelia (5), Andy, Laurel (2), and Gabi (7)

Looking at the zebras & giraffes from the new observation deck


Gabi was able to help feed a branch of leaves to one of the giraffes!

Awesome view of a zebra and its stripes!

Elephants...