An Early Taste of Fall in Syracuse

This weekend we drove up to Syracuse to see the Rozelles (we hadn't been to Syracuse since July 2010!) as well as enjoy the cooling weather and taste of fall.

It was a long drive up, but we made it!  And, we took the scenic route and it was quite beautiful.  And Jovie was a real trooper.  We arrived after dinner on Friday night, let Jovie play with her cousins for a bit (whom she adores!) and then the kids went to bed.  We enjoyed chatting as grown-ups.

On Saturday, we went for a walk in the morning, then Jovie took a nap.  After lunch, we went to Abbott Farms to pick apples!  Jovie wasn't a huge fan of the farm animals, which has been true at other farms.  She loves the zoo, so perhaps we're just too close here.

The girls at the farm

 Jovie and Annie being the farm animals

 Pumpkins!

 Picking apples

 Helping Daddy

 What do I do with this?

 Look, Mommy!  (She now hands things to me a lot)

 See the rain approaching?

 She really wanted to walk, but the grass was so high (up to her knees)!  So I had to help her a lot.

 In the store with Auntie Tiff, waiting out the rain

She kept wanting to go by Auntie Tiff, and then we realized - Auntie Tiff was in the gravel, and Jovie was fascinated by it.

 Walking in the drizzle, which Jovie thought was really neat!

We went back to the house, and Jovie took a nap while Tiff and Jeff prepped an amazing dinner!  When Jovie got up, Anna, Molly, and Laurel (remember her from visiting us with the Rozelles?) and I all took a walk to the park with Jovie.  Once the rain moved through, it was a beautiful evening, and a bit chilly.

 At Shove Park

 Taking big steps up the really big hill!  :)

 Sliding with Molly

Jovie adores these "big" girls.  It's so sweet!

 Playing by the creek at the park

That evening, we had a great and yummy dinner from the grill with the famous central NY salt potatoes.  Tiff made applesauce, which Jovie loved, and a FANTASTIC home-made apple pie from the apples we picked.  Yum!

The next morning, Tiff and I got up early and went for a run with her friend, Sharon, at Onondaga Lake.  Rather, she and Sharon ran together, and I went on a separate trail.  I'm not such an awesome runner these days, and couldn't keep up with their distance and pace.  However, the morning was cool and crisp, sunrise was lovely, and it was a GREAT run!

When we got back, Tiff made waffles for everyone.  Another "Yum!"

The girls eating breakfast together

 Thanks for the waffles, Auntie Tiff!

After breakfast, we went to a city park in Syracuse, and went to see the campus.  It was a gorgeous morning!  Jovie fell asleep on the way there in the car, and stayed asleep for a bit of the walk to the rose garden.

 Walking in the rose garden in Thornton Park

After walking around the park and the campus for a bit, we went back to the house, ate lunch, and then Molly and Anna were off to orchestra and theater, respectively.  So Jovie napped, Mike and Jeff went to a pub to watch the Bengals game, and Tiff and I took some time to chat together, uninterrupted.  I love my sister!

For dinner, we went out to eat at a restaurant called Coppertop and enjoyed another yummy meal!  After dinner, we came home and played the Wii together.  My favorite game is "Just Dance", and Jovie loved trying to dance with the big girls!

On Monday morning, everyone got ready and left for work and school, while our little family prepared to hit the road again.  The way home was a pretty easy ride, and Jovie did great!  We were tired, but so glad we took the time to head up.  Love the Rozelles and we had so much fun!