The Pinnacle of Fall

Pops said it best. "I never went apple picking as a kid. I am really glad we can give this to our kids." It is true, there are many Utah things we try to give our kids in the few weeks we are there each year but always come up short. We would love to give them the wonderful memories we have of camping in the Uintahs, exploring the Red Rock or skiing the majestic Wasatch mountains. But there are many New England memories we are happy to build with them. Right on top of the list is Autumn apple picking. We haven't missed a year since Superkid was 11 months old and Lisa and I took little Gabby and Superkid to the apple orchard for the first time. Superkid equates it to his birthday. There is no better fall feeling then crisp air and crisp apples.

And FRIENDS! 

The Andrus' have been our picking favorites for years and years!

And we were happy to add the Matkins to our happy picking crew last year and this year too!

Jaws knows the drill: twist, pull and repeat.

And of course EAT!

This is what it looks like if you don't have your two front teeth.

It's slow progress- but well worth the effort.

 

Delicious. 

We have become major apple snobs and pick Honey Crisps exclusively.

These two!

This kid is an apple picking machine

We try to pick them faster than we eat them.

Then off to the farm to play!

I love this crew!

It's a Miracle.

Yes. This is the same stinker who refused to take a bath for the first 3 years of his life. The same kid whose whole body trembled with fear even if you mentioned a bath. He would bellow, "No Bath! No Bath!" at the smallest mention of the B word. He would beg, "Mom, say it! Say no bath!"

He's now decided he's a swimmer.

Hallelujah!

Who Ya Gonna Call?

It is Tadpole's turn for a birthday party! 

I asked him what kind of party he wanted and there was no contest-

Ghost Busters!

So I went online to see what I could buy in the way of party supplies for a Ghost Buster Party. The answer is NOTHING. That is except for a few lame-o things on Etsy. There were plenty of party ideas on Pinterest- but they all involved building the entire thing from the ground up.

Then I had my brain child- One of Tadpole's favorite things is to ride bikes at Bare Cove. Why not have a bike treasure hunt- only we'll make it a Ghost Hunt and instead of looking for treasure, we'll shoot ghosts with Nerf guns. 

It was pretty much a boy's dream come true. 

And then for the grand finale- drum roll please...

We'll shoot down the Stay Puft Marshmallow man (in the form of a Pinata). 

But guess what? 

There are no Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man Pinatas. 

So I bought a Hello Kitty Pinata.

Tadpole nearly fell over in disbelief at how un-cool his mom was and how his life was about to be destroyed by a girl pinata. 

But Abz and I had a secret plan- but I have to admit, it turned out WAY better than I dreamt. I just turned it over to Abizella and she nailed it! 

That girl has some serious talent!

I love the sneer on this adorable, pillowy marshmallow.

She also put together a really mean Punch-a-Slimer game!

The kids punch- and get slimed.... or get a tube of slime.

We also made some Slimer and Stay-Puft cupcakes (some imagination needed).

Pops picked up 2 dozen "ghosts" and we were off to the park.

Superkid and Abizella took over the festivities. 

Superkid gave an exacting demonstration of the care and utility of the Nerf Gun. 

Abizella explained the sequence of events and showed the first clue.

Then the kids were off to find the first ghost and shoot him down! Some of the kids were not bike riders so Tadpole decided to run with them. 

All the kids stuck together and worked to clobber the ghosts.

There was a challenge at each stop the kids had to complete before the next clue was unveiled. The challenges were geared to build the kid's ghost busting skills- like balance and agility.

And strength!

The boys could have thrown and skipped rocks all afternoon.

There were 9 stops in all, to commemorate each of Tadpole's glorious years of life.

Abizella awarded everyone their official Ghost Buster certificates and it was just in time to race back to base camp and battle the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

After his demolition, we celebrated with some cupcakes.

And the littlest Ghost Buster scored his own bundle of ghosts!

Or was that a bunch of grapes?

Happy birthday Tadpole! That was the coolest party EVER- for the coolest kid.

Liberation Day

Pops looks forward to this day like it's Christmas. 

It's the day after Labor day- the day his labors ease up. 

Back to School for the Toads! 

These two kiddos were off bright and early to catch the bus to middle school. Superkid has been coaching Abz about what to expect for the last six months. She hangs onto his every word. Despite the horror stories, they are all smiles at show-time!

These two are holding down the fort at the elementary school. 

Tadpole in the 4th grade, Little Chief in 1st grade.

These two are now big boys who walk themselves to and from school.

This littlest Toad started a couple of days later, but got a little preview at his open house. He wasn't so sure, so he pulled out the brat-attude, full throttle stinker. The other parents were looking at Pops like he raised a monster, so he cut his losses and pulled Jaws out.

So when the first day of school came, Pops loaded the deck in his favor and parked right next to the playground. They very same one that Jaws watched LC play on a couple of years ago. Jaws decided that this place couldn't be all bad...

Pops coaxed him up the ramp and drop kicked him through the door...

This is the face of a liberated man.

First stop- the golf course.

He's earned it.

And 2 hours later Jaws emerged loving his new school.

We celebrated with the new train set Sister Wininsky gave Jaws.

Zeller Time

Our favorite New Yorkers came over to play while their mom and dad went to the temple. It was REALLY great to be altogether again. We dug out the Halloween costumes and played and played and played. We love these kids. I'm so grateful that their grandparents live nearby so that we get to see them a couple of times each year. And every time they come it is like no time has passed and we just pick up where we dropped off!