Apple Picking

 It's that season again! After the eagerly anticipated call from LaVon saying "they're ready!" the kids and I made our way to her house and descended on one of the best apple trees ever. I'm so grateful for the gift of such good food!

 

 Helper #1

 Helper #2

 Helper #2 was fascinated by the apple picker

 Luca was just sure that this crack in the ground was a snake hole even after my explanation of rain, dirt and drought and kept a close eye on it all morning.

 One of several apples that Court snacked through, this one came from the "good" bucket and not the discarded, wormy, rotten batch as some of his other selections were from.

Sitting beneath the apple tree. Enjoying the shade and the treat.

 

 The bounty. After another afternoon of hot work, these apples morphed into twelve quarts of applesauce, two apple pies and one apple crisp. Yummmmmmmmm.

Happy Birthday Luca!

Our little Bean turned 4 years old on August 24th (wow!) and we turned the day pink in her honor. Beginning with pink pancakes and pink punch that was prettier in person, fading from light to dark.

 For snack time I let her buy these...

 ...which may have resulted in a sugar rush.

 One of Luca's favorite books this year has been "Pinkalicious" so we made our pinkalicious cupcakes just like the ones in the book. And we made candy broccoli on green cupcakes (pinkalicious turns pink because she's eaten too many cupcakes, in order to return to her normal color the Dr. prescribes green foods) for the boys.

 

 We had planned on having her party at a nearby park but the Lord sent rain, so we changed venues and everyone came to our house instead. Balloons were the extent of my decor and Luca helped pick them out. Instead of all the sweet, pink, girlish designs I kept suggesting, she chose a Madagascar balloon. Her reasoning: "because I should get one that Court will like too" left me feeling quite selfish in wanting to stick with our theme. She's a good big sister!

 I wish I would have had the foresight to take a picture of Luca with all of her little guests but I didn't. And given that my camera doesn't do great indoor-at-night pictures, I suppose it's just as well. Here are just a few party pics...

How old are you?

Happy Birthday little girl! We love you SO much.

First Camping Trip

A couple of weekends ago we braved our first night in a tent with both kids. It was so fun, they did great and everyone slept at least a little bit. Joe found a lake and we proceeded to unload way too much gear for our 18 hour stay.

How long does it take to get dirty when you're camping? No time at all really.

Luca, ready to explore!

 

Heeehee

 Lovely green water, eh?

 

Running (and falling) on rocks

Climbing on rocks

 Luca and Court helped continue my obsession with all things black and white by noticing that among the rocks on the pier were many with a definitive stripe. So we collected a few of the best ones.

 

Shadow chasing

Heading into the fields for a little trailblazing

 

 

I love the signs of a summer fading into fall...Sumac,

Hedge Apples,

and Wild Plums (I'm attempting some canning...)

Luca's treasures from our nature walk

Settling in by the fire.

Bonfire Buddies

Dirty fingers...

Good thing he has a big sister armed with wipes!

What a pretty Bean

 What it sounded like outside the tent when I thought for sure they would be sleeping...

 

Helping Daddy with the bacon at breakfast time

Silly Daddy

Mmmmmm...pancakes!

And of course, S'mores!

With a little sass...