Dedicated to the Honey Crisp

I *LOVE* Honey Crisp apples.

Obviously more than I love my sanity. 

The window was narrowing for Honey Crisp harvest and I counted my weekends and knew I needed to strike or loose the chance to pluck my own sweet gem of goodness straight off the tree and let it burst in my mouth. I probably eat an apple every single day, but as Honey Crisp season approaches I cannot even gag down one of those tasteless store bought apples.

So what's a girl to do? Pops was unavailable for back-up, and I couldn't be swayed. Maybe you have to have experienced an outing with Little Chief to fully appreciate the courage and effort it takes to leave the house with the little guy... not to mention the other 3 Toads and the bulging 5th. Add to that the hoards of New Englanders that descend on orchards on Autumn Saturdays. But the call of Honey Crisp cannot be ignored. So I came up with a plan. 

#1 Get to the farm right when it opens.

#2 Park *right* next to the farm store.

#3 Buy the apple cider donuts (all 3 dozen of them) 1st thing to avoid long lines and tantruming children later.

#4 Stuff a donut in everyone's mouth and toss the rest in the conveniently parked van.

#5 Hop on the hay ride out to the orchard.

#6 Cut straight to the Honey Crisps and pick 1/2 bushel (This took A LOT of self control. I normally go for MUCH more, but knew my limitations. I couldn't carry 2 giant bags of apples and a tantruming 2 year old out. I also knew I couldn't be trusted to make the socially acceptable decision between the apples and the fit throwing 2 year old, so 1 giant bag it was).

#7 Cut through the pumpkin patch for photo opp.

#8 Get out before the crowds descend.

Everything went off exactly as planned. 

So perfect that we completed steps #1-#8 in 45 minutes.

 I benevolently allowed the Toads 15 whole minutes to play at the play ground for falling in line behind my plan. No dawdling for us... we still had our monthly Costco trip ahead of us.

Here are my conquering Toads. Look, everyone made it without melting down! Even me!

The hay ride is a must. It is what Tadpole and Little Chief LIVE for.

Oh! Sweet! Honey Crisp!

A little tricky if you are missing one of your front teeth...

Okay, maybe this one was a little less sweet...

I am proud to say that apple picking is a ritual for Superkid. 

He can't imagine autumn without it.

See, I even let the troops take a break in the pumpkin patch.

I am delighted to have a fridge full of goodness and I have loved every single sweet orb. 

We had a great time. 

 I have to say that I miss all of my apple picking pals and leisurely days in the orchards. 

Okay, we are going to have to do it again, even if the Honey Crisps are past.

Time to Buy Stock in Beef Futures!

It's a *BOY*! 

That's right, 4 boys and 1 girl for the Toads. 

We're excited to meet the young chap in a few months. ...although Pops has me a little worried with the stories he tells of how he and his twin brother ate as teenagers. We already pack it away when it comes to hamburgers, steak tips and roast beef.
I can only imagine the scene around here in about 7 years!

And now for names! Now that we have 6 of us weighing in on names, it is getting a little tougher to pick a good one.

Superkid insists on "Hyrum"

Abizella is still holding out for a girl. When Pops told her we're having a boy she shrugged and said, "We'll see. You thought I was going to be a boy too."

Tadpole suggests either, "Moren"  (rhyming with his best friend Soren's name) or "Sticky" 

...he says it is fitting because everyone knows babies are sticky.

Little Chief doesn't know he is about to be de-throned.

Pops sides with Superkid. If it's not Hyrum, then it must be Don-Carlos.

I think I might need to consult another think tank...

In Case You Didn't Know...

*BLUE* is the new PURPLE

And *Freckles*...

...are definitely *IN*

 ... and adorable.

Tadpole *FINALLY* Gets To Ride the School Bus!

And the FIRST day of Kindergarten finally came!

Abz was very kind. She took Tadpole by the hand and showed him the ropes. 

He was 100% happier than last year when he sadly waved good bye to his best friend.

Little Dose of Optimism

The other day I was helping Tadpole pick up his blocks. 

While on my hands and knees I ripped my *only* pair of maternity pants on a nail. 

BOO! 

I may have vocalized my frustration. Tad chimed in, "Don't worry Mom" and then broke into song, 

"If something goes wrong, turn it around!" 

"Now Mom, how can you turn around your ripped pants?"

 I felt like I was making a guest appearance on "Mr. Rogers". 

 I scratched my head, "Hmmm... I guess I could roll them up and cover up the tear!" Tadpole nodded approvingly, "Way to turn it around Mom!"

I love PBS Kids. It's *really* the 3rd parent around here.

2 thumbs up for the new show "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood". 

First Day of School, aka Worst Day EVER for Little Chief

Well, so much for the good life, it is time to head back to School!

So we lined up our backpacks...

And stuffed them full of supplies...

Dressed in our new school duds (3 hours before school started. It is not like we are excited or anything. No way would we bust through Mom and Dad's door at 6:00 a.m., fully dressed, hair combed and teeth brushed and declare, "Happy School Day!")...

Put on our cool...

And skipped down to the school bus...

Where we met lots of bus friends...

Not everyone took the bus. Kindergarten doesn't start until Thursday, but Tad and I wandered down to the school a bit later for orientation.

Only Little Chief was left out. 

He was so convinced that because he had a backpack stuffed with snacks he was going to school too. All morning before the bus came he kept saying, 

"I'm going to school now, bye!" and wave and walk away. 

Sad day.

Labor Day Weekend Campout

We decided not to take the show on the road this year. With a fire pit and wide expanses of nature at our backdoor (and a stocked kitchen steps away), it seemed like the logical choice to set up camp on the homestead. After all, it really is all about the tent and the fire, right?

I am always amazed how the weather changes on Labor Day weekend. It was actually quite chilly and damp in the evening. What an awesome reason to bust out the winter gear!

*Imagine* 3 fun filled nights of sleeping under the stars. The kids say it is the best thing they did all summer... but then again, whenever I ask them their favorite part, it is usually the last thing we did.

And then there was the fire! Pops pulled out all the stops and made a little Dutch Oven 'Lovin. Pineapple upside down cake! 

We're definitely keeping the dutch oven handy this fall!

And you can't sit around a campfire all weekend and not make S'mores! Julie and her room mate Chelsea came for the weekend and were huge campfire fans too. It turns out that Chelsea is a S'more's *GENIUS*! She pokes a little hole in the marshmallow and stuffs the chocolate inside. Then she skewers the marshmallow chocolatey goodness and roasts. 

Add a little graham cracker, PERFECTION! 

We want her to move in. Can you imagine your own S'mores chef? We can't think of anything better!