Fall Farm Fun

Another fall favorite I'm going to miss: Jacquemin's Farm!

Emmett loved the corn box. I think part of the appeal was that he didn't want to have to wear his coat (for some reason he hates it) and the corn box was sheltered in the barn away from the chilly wind. That and the construction vehicles, of course. ;) 

 Gwen informed me she was cooking. (These dishes must be her mise en place. Either that or this was a gourmet table setting with multiple dishes)

Emmett condescended to put on his coat in exchange for hot (SERIOUSLY FRESH!!!) pumpkin donuts. He didn't like sticky hands. 

 But had no problem chowing down on the donut!

The girls liked them too. Who am I kidding? We ALL loved them! (side note: I originally was only going to buy 1/2 dozen for us to eat. The price was so reasonable, however, I decided to get a full dozen with the intention of taking the other half home and having donuts for snacks for the next few days. Yeah. We left with 2 donuts.)

Caroline only gave a passing glance at the corn box. She wasn't interested in "quiet" play. She headed straight for the "crazy" and never looked back! About an hour later, Gwen joined her at the bouncy race thing. When Emmett realized he didn't meet the height requirements, he was beyond devastated!

 He recovered, though, when he was given permission to go through the bouncy house despite his short height so long as he didn't climb the ladder and go down the slide. 

 And he was pretty pleased with himself every time! Just turned around and got right back in line!

(side story for posterity but no picture: Gwen got a piece of dirt?sand?mulch?grass? in her eye... and believe me, the entire farm heard about it! She was inconsolable! Eric is an MD and everything, but she squealed and bawled and pulled away and squeezed her eyes tighter and rubbed and rubbed whenever he tried to give her an examination. Finally, he took her back to the car, layed her across the seat, and reasoned it all out with her. She finally relented to opening her eye for daddy and allowing him to flip her eyelid inside out and flick out the irritating offender, saying weepily, "I trust you daddy. I really do. I trust you." As soon as it was out, she quickly recovered. Daddy was the hero of the day!

 Riding the big tractor while waiting for our turn at the hayride. 

 Our little pumpkins!

 Caroline kept her pumpkin close. 

 Gwen tried out all the different places her pumpkin could sit. Her favorite spot, though, was in her pocket. She was just so tickled that it was small enough to fit in there!

 Gwen giving Emmett a nice sister hug.

 Emmett LOVED his little white pumpkin and carried it around the house the rest of the day. He adores his "ghost pumpkin". 

Our fam on the hayride. Emmett got so excited and kept hollering and pointing, "Nother one pumpkin!...hah! NOTHER one pumpkin!" over and over again...it WAS a pumpkin patch, so there were lots of pumpkins to point at... and each one was like a revelation! lol

Way Up High in the Apple Tree...

I LOVE the country life! Perhaps because I grew up rural, perhaps because I adore nature and feel closest to God when I'm immersed in His marvelous creations, perhaps because it puts materialism in perspective, perhaps because the noisy kids can run around and be crazy and it is easily absorbed into the great canopy of a wide open sky....

Whatever the combination of reasons, I find fall harvests really bring me joy!

This year our annual trip to Lynds for Cortlands and Jonathans (our favorite combo for apple sauce) was sans Eric. He was in Boston for a RadOnc Conference. Poor guy missed the fun! I was a little worried the kids might make it stressful without Eric there, but I didn't have any escapees. :) We had a great time!

 There was some drama about climbing trees, but once we got past the first hurdle of squalling tears and "I can't! Don't make me!" (which was an interesting accusation considering she ASKED me to help her climb the trees multiple times!), Gwen realized she was more than capable and became our veteran tree climber! She was so proud of getting the highest, sun-kissed red apples from the top boughs.

 Emmett couldn't actually pull them off. He needed help. Right after I snapped this shot he gave up and proceeded to pick up semi-rotten ones off the ground. 

 Caroline only picked one or two for our bag. She designated herself as the bag-sitter and worked on devouring this (and other!) huge apples.

 Gwen was very pleased with herself and her haul. 

 Gorgeous fruit. 

 Emmett has two apples in his hands, see that? And he ate them both down to the core. He kept coming back and plucking good apples from our bags (our bag-sitter Caroline didn't even notice!) once he realized they were superior to the ones on the ground. He was pretty sure we were collecting them just for him!

 Gwen perched up on a branch. These are her go-to shoes for school and outdoor play. They kind of make me chuckle. 

Sibling snuggles. These two usually fight, so I love the rare moments when I capture their contentment together. :)

We had a great time and made delicious apple sauce from our haul! I am going to miss Lynds. This was our last visit. 

A THIRD of a Century...almost?

Today I turn 33. I know that technically I won't be a third of a century until four months from now---and believe me, we are indeed considering having a small celebration in January JUST to commemorate that significant time!---but I can't help but think it strange. A century sounds forever long, and associating myself with a century, even in a 1/3 fraction, makes me feel...like I am pushing towards ancient. Which is NOT how I feel! I am young and energetic, full of zest for life! So TAKE THAT, you ancient century! Keep your oldness to yourself, why don'cha!

To celebrate the proliferation of threes, here are the top 3 reasons I'm grateful to have been born 33 years ago:

1. my family. I have wonderfully forgiving parents, amazing siblings, the cutest nieces and nephews, and incredibly supportive in-laws! Eric, when I was young and imagining what marriage would be like, I could not possibly have conjured up for myself a more idyllic spouse, best friend, partner-in-everything that you are to me. I absolutely cannot imagine being this happy with anyone else. And our beautiful, precocious children! Man, sometimes I'm overwhelmed with their amazing spirits and ever so humbled to be entrusted with raising them. I love, love, LOVE my little ones! How grateful I am for an eternal family!

2. learning. I love to grow, to progress. I know that is part of Heavenly Father's eternal plan for us, and I'm so grateful for that eternal truth which has and will continue to shape my life. I LOVE learning new things, all KINDS of things, and I am so incredibly grateful to have been born NOW when the gospel is available in its fullness AND when women are afforded so much priceless freedom to learn and grow. I am grateful for a mind that can expand, to think and ponder and to synthesize and create new ideas. Learning for me is definitely tied to scripture, books, and education, but it expands beyond that too. I see sewing, culinary experiments, and painting as extensions of the mind's capacity to grow and create. How grateful I am for education.

  

3. beauty. Oh what a beautiful world. In July I enjoyed the ocean for the 2nd time in my life. It was a splendid day. A day of wonder and contentment surrounded by God's creation. Truly so much beauty in His handiwork. Colors in my garden, an oil painting, or the eyes of my little ones. Music from the throats of birds, evening crickets, piano and orchestra, wind, or clear voices (Josh Groban, Sissel, Hayley Westenra. If you know those names, you know their voices touch something in the soul). Textures and patterns in fabrics or dishes from around the world. Feelings of strength and litheness when I dance--- even though I'd never win a contest for my dancing--- it is the FEELING that is beautiful, which is why I LOVE to dance. How truly grateful I am for beauty, for this beautiful life I am blessed to live. 

Do I feel 1/3 of a century OLD? Absolutely not. I believe that being full of learning, life, and love cultivates beauty IN ME. And therefore, I must not be aging at all. Forever young. :)

Inniswood Metro Garden--- Splendid in Spring!

  Last year we visited Inniswood Metro Garden in mid-May, just after the bulbs were gone and the tree buds were changing to tender young leaves. It was lovely, but I saw the skeleton stems of tulips that had already spent their blooms and blossom carpets wilting on the ground, and I longed to see the gardens in all their spring splendor. Catching the tulips and trees in peak bloom has been on my bucket list since then!

 We met up with some med-school friends for lunch and frolicking through the gardens. Emmett slurped down his 2nd 'pouch' puree like a pro, then army crawled right over to 6-month-old J to swat at his head. :) Linz and I chatted while our children ran all over the place, just thrilled to be outside. I don't know that very much lunch was consumed, though Caroline did eat at least a bowl full of grape tomatoes that Linz brought!

  aren't those trees gorgeous? That tiny dot up there is Caroline, eager to get going. 

 some kind of Trillium, don't remember the exact variety. 

 We were watching a frog when this snake left the reeds and slithered out into the water!

 The girls were fascinated by the snake and quite concerned for the safety of the frog. The snake did not seem to be aware of his amphibious neighbor, however, so no graphic trauma ensued. 

 So many varieties of tulips. Aren't these pale yellow ones so cheerful?

  Emmett was in pretty good spirits, especially after we stopped for a couple of milk breaks. 

 He likes to peek back up and flirt with me while I push the stroller.

The kids loved this cute little gazebo house. It reminds me of a birdhouse. 

  

  The stone retaining walls were perfect balance beams. 

 Caroline was REALLY excited about the "rainbow flowers!!!" and wanted to get her photo taken with them. 

   Gwen practices ballet moves every time I try to take her picture now. If I don't want ballet poses, I have to take sneaky pics. 

  This was one of 2 highlights for the kids: a water activity with locks and wheels. Very cool! Everyone got wet, there were several bouts of tears and splashing, and more than one apology needed, but it was a blast and the kids played here for almost an hour. 

  Gorgeous tulips here too. 

  and a sweet little mini 'house'

 clearly, I am not a selfie proficienada (yeah, I just made up that word), but I adore Linzi and am so glad we got together to strengthen our beautiful friendship in such a beautiful place. And I love this picture because it is of US, even if it isn't super flattering. What matters to me is the relationship and the memories and I love this gal!

 Gwen hopping over a little stone bridge. 

 cool little stream-waterfall thing

and an imperfect pic of my three wonderful children (hey, even though I only got 1 of Caroline's lovely eyes, at least no one is blurry! I'll take that miracle!) Emmett is even smiling despite the fact that he was refusing to nap and was a grumpy pants by the time we took this photo on our way home. But more on Emmett and photography in another post. 

When I am outdoors among all of God's creations, I am calm. It helps to put things in perspective, reminds me to keep cultivating the sweet tender 'plants' in my family, and encourages me to take every opportunity to appreciate the moments blooming RIGHT NOW. Each season quickly fades into another, each blossom is so fragile. And I'm grateful for my blossoms. I am blessed. 

*contended sigh*

Isn't spring wonderful?