Weekend Wrap-Up

October 18, 2015

This week: This week my mom moved into her own apartment. She had been living with us since the end of August and on a whim we checked out a really nice complex down the street from our house and it was perfect. She applied and two weeks later we were helping her pack and move a short drive away. Bean asked if she was going back to "New Nork" (so cute) but I assured them that no, Nana is only down the road now. We feel very lucky and spoiled. We had a friend over and her three little ones and we made apple pie. I love the fall. It means baking and sharing goods with friends and family, it makes my heart full. The husband and I went to an independent school fair to look at school options for Bean and Reid next fall. It kind of makes my head spin just thinking about the logistics and finances of private schools 40+ minutes away from where we currently live, but hopefully we'll find a way. 

Snapshots of the week: Bean scored her fist soccer goal this weekend! It was a huge deal for all of us and she got a run around the yard on Daddy's shoulders when we returned home with the news. She felt like a super star.



To-dos and goals for the week:
 - create a month long learning plan for Reid
 - work on the big kids' Halloween costumes
 - earlier bed time for me
 - drink more water
 - try not to obsessively check my baby registry
 - spend time alone with Reid
 - organize the garage 


A few facts:

  • I've given up all hope of making homemade granola, it always tastes like crap.
  • I found an amazing all wood coffee table for the living room for $14.99 at the Goodwill, waiting definitely paid off.

September Apple Picking

October 1, 2015

Apple picking in Central New York is so great.

There is a farm that we visit every year. The same country store that sells the same snacks and baked goods. The same orchard, the apple trees knotted and twisted but still neatly in a row. We watch the kids take bites out of apples as we pick, fill the bags that are then given to Daddy so that our arms don't fall off, and after we order three hotdogs, one hamburger, and gorge ourselves on apple cider donuts that stick to the roof of our mouths and leave our shirts sparkling with cinnamon and sugar.

We love it and I will miss it.

We've decided that we aren't giving up our September tradition and even though we are skeptical, we figure how can the number one apple producing state let us down, right? Right.

So off we went on a Sunday afternoon, apple picking for the first time in Washington State:

The place was huge, a real attraction with a lot of things to look at. We didn't really explore those areas too much, we wanted to pick our apples and eat lunch so we got on a wagon hitched to the back of a tractor and rode it out to the apple orchard. There we picked Jonagold apples larger than my fists. Sweet and tart the kids did more eating than picking but I didn't mind, I enjoyed twisting them off and placing them in our bag.



We picked a little under 20lbs of apples that I happily took home, peeled, and put in a crockpot to make apple sauce. The rest of them are waiting on more jars so that I can make apple pie filling.