Month 3

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Little Miss Rayleigh turned 3 months old in New Hampshire on Thursday. We all went to Manchester for a conference I had on Friday. We had dinner at a fantastic restaurant I fell in love with in April called XO on Elm.  We had a wonderful family dinner.  On Friday Kevin and Rayleigh hung out a coffee shop and visited me (and the rest of the office) at lunch time.  She was a big hit and loved all the attention.

Rayleigh at The Coffee Factory in NH playing with her cow.
Rayleigh at The Coffee Factory in NH playing with her cow.

We have spent that past few weeks preparing for a long cold winter.  Kevin has disassembled the garden and composted all the flower parts and leaves in the yard.  We purchased an electric mower the end of the summer, which has been great for mulching yard waste. We’ve gotten a lot of questions about why we built a composter that was so large. The answer is that we compost everything! This is how full the composter was after all of the garden waste and fall leaves were added. Bear in mind that this side of the composter was completely empty as of September 1st!

This is how full the composter got between September 1, 2010 and November 18, 2010. It contains all of the fall leaves that fell on our yard, plus all of the garden and yard waste, plus all of the kitchen scraps we generated (including all of the remnants from canning applesauce, tomato sauce, etc), the dead hanging baskets and window box plants and soil, etc.
This is how full the composter got between September 1, 2010 and November 18, 2010. It contains all of the fall leaves that fell on our yard, plus all of the garden and yard waste, plus all of the kitchen scraps we generated (including all of the remnants from canning applesauce, tomato sauce, etc), the dead hanging baskets and window box plants and soil, etc.

Back track to Halloween

Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. I can remember dreaming up costume ideas in April and June and August.  I never liked chocolate, but loved the anticipation and creativity of unique and fun costumes.  I’m certain there is a whole zoo of costumes in my mom’s attic from all the animals I wanted to dress up as over the years.  I was lucky enough to have a mother who was willing to indulge my desire for great costumes, regardless of the occasion- school plays, parties, car shows were all fair game.  Although I don’t remember playing dress up as a child, I have fond memories of all the costumes I wore over the years.  I was lucky enough to learn how to sew and the importance of owning a good hot glue gun!  This was a long way of getting to this year’s Halloween costumes.  We decided not to go trick or treating this year, but did dress up to hand out candy (full size candy bars for the kiddies and hot mulled cider for the adults). Rayleigh wore a lobster costume I made while Kevin carried her in a pot as Chef, and I was the matire’d.

Dad as Chef, mom as Maitre'D, and baby as dinner!
Dad as Chef, mom as Maitre’D, and baby as dinner!
The back of Rayleigh's lobster costume, which Kelsey did a fantastic job on.
The back of Rayleigh’s lobster costume, which Kelsey did a fantastic job on.

Making Friends

Our friends Jim & Natasha, who live in Saratoga (about 30 minutes south), have a six month old daughter named Rory. Rayleigh is now old enough to start playing with Rory when they get together, so we went to Davidson Brothers in Glens Falls a few weeks ago to have some adult conversation and let the girls play.

Rayleigh playing with Rory, Jim and Natasha's daughter, who is three months older, at Davidson Brothers in Glens Falls. Natasha is holding Rayleigh.
Rayleigh playing with Rory, Jim and Natasha’s daughter, who is three months older, at Davidson Brothers in Glens Falls. Natasha is holding Rayleigh.
Rayleigh and Rory smiling together.
Rayleigh and Rory smiling together.

We’ve also joined a Meetup /playgroup called Kids Incorporated, located in Glens Falls. Kevin and Rayleigh went to their first event a few weeks ago, which was a walk around a pond in town. The group will give us a chance to meet other parents in the area, and will give Rayleigh a chance to socialize with kids near her own age.

Fall Visit

Kevin’s brother Karl and his girlfriend Arielle came to visit last weekend. We all went for a walk using our new stroller and took a photo along the way. It was a great visit, and we’re looking forward to spending some more time with them in Pennsylvania over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Out for a fall walk with Karl and Arielle.
Out for a fall walk with Karl and Arielle.

Photo Shoot

We did a photo shoot yesterday in our living room, which was a huge success. Here are some of the best photos.

Rayleigh in her little pink outfit for her three-month photoshoot that we did on the living room floor.
Rayleigh in her little pink outfit for her three-month photoshoot that we did on the living room floor.
"I'm tired of being on my stomach, mom."
"I’m tired of being on my stomach, mom."
Our happy little girl getting her picture taken.
Our happy little girl getting her picture taken.
Rayleigh posing with Christmas rabbits that Kelsey got when she was a little girl.
Rayleigh posing with Christmas rabbits that Kelsey got when she was a little girl.
Rayleigh sucking her thumb while falling asleep.
Rayleigh sucking her thumb while falling asleep.

4 responses to “Month 3”

  1. Oh my gosh, that picture of the two R’s smiling is just precious – they’ll have that hanging on their walls when they are BFF’s 15 years from now. And I love the photo shoot pics – nice work! Miss you three! <3

  2. The lobster costume turned out great. The reminiscence of halloween’s gone by brought back memories……..lots of fun. Yes, just went through some of those bags recently and forgot about some of the costumes. Enjoy these years with Rayleigh they pass by quickly. We love the pic’s of her, what a little “ham”. Can’t wait to see her (and you two as well).

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