Fall in Vermont

This was one of those "feel good" weekends.  On Friday evening, Cally requested that we have dinner by our outdoor fire and it was an absolutely perfect evening for that. 

On Saturday, the Dormer's drove up from Boston and met us at Smugglers Notch to hike up to Sterling Pond.  It's a 1.4 mile hike with almost 1,000 feet of elevation gain and we didn't bring a backpack for Cally.  This meant that she had to hike under her own power.

 

 Boden and Cally are about a month apart in age and he showed her exactly what to do.  His little sister, Skyler, who is two, even hiked up most of the way, too. 

It's so great to get the kids together, rekindling friendships that were started when they were months old. It's also really great to spend time with their parents-- especially when it means going out to a rockin' dance party dressed as the Flintstones!

Because of the threats of Hurricane Sandy, we decided to do a little Halloween celebrating on Sunday (a few days early) at Shelburne Museum.  There were thousands of kids in costume and a great day for touring the grounds. 

Mardi Gras Bat and the return of the Jolly Green Dragon (a repeat from last Halloween) were a site to behold.  Even if we don't end up Trick or Treating, we'll have had a fun pre-Halloween experience. 

And to add to the spirit of family, friends, and fun, John made the exterior of our house incredibly festive with corn husks and pumpkins.

And we can't forget the Cilley Hill Pumpkin Glow.  This year we went with the Aubin's, Mahoney's, and Thompson-Davis'.  It just seems to get better every year!