Apple Hill, Round 1

On Monday the boys and I headed up to Apple Hill with Grandma Shauna and Grandma Pebley.

We didn't have much of an agenda for the morning, but when the discussion turned to apple cider donuts I  knew we'd have to first stop at Rainbow Orchards.  If you're going to get a donut it should be a piping hot, fresh out of the fryer, covered in sugar one for sure.

Noah remembered the big cider press they have from last year, so we peeked into the window to watch it work.  Luke spent most of his time with the pumpkins and apples.  And thank goodness, because he let me catch this cute picture which I think is one of my all time favorites.

Now if only he could convince his big brother that LOOKING at the camera is sometimes o.k.

How guilty does Luke look in this picture?  

 There was so much to see and touch which suited his immense curiosity just fine.

We made just two other stops: one at High Hill and the other at Abel's Apple Acres.  

Just being there with my boys and two of my favorite ladies was enough.  I didn't care too much about how much we saw or where we went.  As long as we were in great company and could find some sweet apple treats along the way, it was a perfect day.

It's tradition to take pictures at Abel's tree.  Measuring height when standing on the slope of a hill doesn't seem terribly accurate to me, but it's making for a reasonably cute annual picture.

And we have a picture of Noah in this school bus every year that he's gone.

After a slice of my most favorite buttermilk apple pie it was time to head for home.  In about a week we'll be making the drive again with my family.  I can't wait for another round of apple goodness and more memories made!

Things haven't changed much...

My kids are in shorts and t-shirts.  We've had a few 'teaser' days with rain and the nights are definitely cooler, but it sure isn't feeling like the seasons have changed that much.  I was looking back at photos and found a bunch that I took on our hot summer days.

We love the pool at the gym.  It's heated, but even better it has beach entry, which makes it really approachable for little ones.  They can go as deep as they're comfortable with.  Oh, and there's fun ways to stay wet besides swimming, which Luke particularly loves.

 

So this summer, we made quite a few afternoon visits to the gym.

Once Noah got more comfortable swimming (THANK YOU MADDY!) he spent a lot of time jumping in the pool.

I love that he's just pure joy in this picture:

We also took advantage of the water features that are so close by.  We've got lots of options, but this park is probably our favorite.

 Noah was so proud that he climbed this 'mountain' by himself.

And, on the days when I didn't feel like packing up towels and toys and extra clothes and everything else, we stayed home and attached the slide to our little pool.  No complaints about that one either.

Halloween!

 I'm not sure we'll ever top this year's Halloween cuteness:

I have to sneak a picture in of my girl Kate right about now.  Oh, that smile!

The boys both loved their costumes (I did too!) and just lit up with excitement every time we put them on. 

And put them on we did.  I think we had five Halloween celebrations to attend, so these costumes definitely got put to good use.  Noah the Baker and Luke the Chocolate Chip Cookie won best costume at the Tanner's Halloween party. 

Noah was really excited to wear his costume at Joy School.  

The kids did a costume parade, sang the moms some super cute Halloween songs, and then served us cookies they had made before we arrived. I love, LOVE Joy School.

Halloween night was a little rainy, but that didn't keep us from having a lot of fun.  Our friends, family, and a few neighbors came over for dinner.  I loved seeing our house alive with friendship, excitement, and happiness. 

 

The kids loved trick or treating. Luke kept saying, "More can-nee! More can-nee!" I can't wait to see Kate walking around with my boys next year.

I wasn't much of a Halloween girl before we had kids, but these little boys have me already thinking about next year.  I love the traditions we're establishing and the memories we make on a day like Halloween.

Field Tripping

We've taken a few field trips for Joy School lately, and each one has been such fun!  Last week the kids toured Winco.  
I'm pretty sure I've never used the words 'Winco' and 'awesome' in a sentence together, but this Winco experience was truly AWESOME!  Our tour guide Miss Kathy was super good with the kids and showed them so many fun parts of the store.

Winco provided those paper sacks and filled them up as we walked around the store.  The kids got a brownie from the bakery, potato wedges from the deli, a hot wheels car from the toy section, a bag of baby carrots in the produce department, they each chose three pieces of candy from the bulk foods area, and we left with a hot pizza and drinks to share for lunch.  See? Awesome.

The kids got to walk into a semi trailer that was attached to the building, watch a giant box crusher do its job, and they liked seeing their breath in the deep freezer.  They thought it was particularly fun to walk right through the milk door into the fridge.  Talk about breaking the rules!

Noah says his favorite part was watching the forklift work.  Despite their nervous looks, Noah and Everett were just fully concentrated on watching that forklift take a heavy pallet of soda off the top shelf and move it. 

 They could have stayed and watched for hours, I think.

Luke probably could have too.  He's got just about the same look.  

Luke, by the way, is loving all of this Joy School business.  He thinks he's just one of the group, and then reality hits when I drop Noah off for school, and he stays with me.  He cries every time.

We joined up with another co-op preschool group for a trip to the pumpkin patch.  

These two are such good buddies.  I'm so, so glad Noah has Liam to call his friend.

The hay ride was fantastic. Checking out the animals and going through the corn maze was fun.  It was just a great way to spend the morning.  

Our very first field trip was to Hagan Community Park where we had story time at the barn.  

The kids liked learning about the animals there after story time was over.

 Noah and Luke both wanted to pet 'Cupcake' the donkey, and Noah even fed him a carrot.  

I love taking trips with these kids.  They are each so unique, so happy, and so full of love.  We LOVE Joy School!

iPhone Pics - July, August, & September

 When our house gets a little TOO quiet I know to start looking for Luke.  I love when instead of a mess I find him happily reading. 

Noah and I went on a date and saw his first play, The Jungle Book.  He loved it, and I loved some alone time with my favorite three year old. 

Noah finally got around to seeing his first movie in the theaters too.  He's been waiting a LONG time for Planes: Fire and Rescue to come out and was bouncing with excitement before, during and after the movie.

Nate and the boys got to work on a Lego tower, and all had a great laugh when it came tumbling down.

 Noah was learning about the joy of the body at Joy School and made himself as a gingerbread boy.

Noah and Nana made a paper chain that  helped us count down to Disneyland.

 Noah drew his first self portrait.  I love the hair and nose especially!

 September 22 was my dad's birthday, the first one since his passing.  We gathered at the cemetery and then celebrated at one of his favorite restaurants.

 We love having lunch picnics outside!  Less mess for mom to clean up, and there's just something extra special about a picnic instead of sitting at a table.