Early October

Another couple of weeks have flown by.  Autumn is nearly 4 weeks old.  She still feels so new to me and I  catch myself staring at her in amazement. She is our little cuddle baby and we have sabotaged our nights by training her to think she needs to be held every moment.  She is such a sweet little thing and even her brother and sister treasure her.

One afternoon we set out in search of a nearby forest that due to land disputes, has never been logged.  It is full of trees that are over 500 years old. Most of the trees in Pennsylvania are only about a hundred years old, as the forests here have been clear cut three or more times since the area was settled. We were excited to see it. However, as Pennsylvania dirt roads go, we once again got lost. We still had a great time. It was a beautiful drive with fall colored leaves. We were still able to go on a little hike, which the kids loved.  One funny thing about Ellie these days, is that she is obsessed with sticks.  Everywhere we go she collects as many as she can carry and is heart broken when she has to leave them behind.  Often times she is so loaded down with sticks she can hardly walk.  She comes in pretty handy when you want to make a fire!

 Our Hudson boy turned 4!!!!

I cant think of anything more worth celebrating then being able to have our wonderful son for four fun filled years. He is such a good boy, and it has been a joy to watch him grow and learn more every day.

It was an all day celebration, with chocolate chip pancakes, games, presents, blue train cakes, and a pizza party dinner. Grandma Wendy got to come and share the big day with us. Hudson told us it was the best birthday ever and hasn't stopped talking about when he will get 5th birthday yet.

We took a trip to the nearby Altoona Horseshoe Curve, and historical train museum. It was really neat to see the trains pass through the 220 degree arc, and the historical museum was really interesting as well, but of coarse the kids were just thrilled to get to see all the new and old trains. 

I think it is safe to say Hudson was most impressed by this enormous train table in the gift shop.



Riding the tram up to the top of the curve.

Hopefully this one learns to love trains as well! 



Much thanks to Gram Wendy for coming to visit us and helping us out so much.  She took the kids on adventures and kept them entertained.  She also took turns with Autumn at night and let Jake and I get caught up on a little sleep. Jake and I even got to go on a couple dates thanks to her willingness to baby sit.  More then anything it was just nice to have her around.  I'm sure missing all of our family back in Utah right now.