Apple Picking

On Monday, we went apple picking.  A lot less busy than weekends at the orchards, but also fewer thing for the kids to do.  That said, they had a great time with Nana, Grandpa, Aunt Tara, Mommy, Daddy and each other.  U-Pick Mutsus were in season (yay!) 

Maia was a enjoying filling the bag with yummy apples!

We were fortunate for another gorgeous day.

Next: The Pumpkin Patch. We're excited about that.

(Doesn't Parker look so much older here? More like a little boy than a baby!)

Parker was happily running around, pointing, saying "Bah?! Bah?!"  Everything round(ish) is a ball in his mind.

Maia, Nana, Grandpa and Parker

Maia (with barrette in mouth), Aunt Tara, Parker

Jonathans 

The really good pumpkins were largely picked over.  But Maia looked at most of them.  She really wanted a white "Luna" pumpkin, but they were all heading towards rotten.

We loaded up our pumpkins (including Parker) and headed toward the childrens' area.

Parker played in the corn bin, and Maia climbed up lots and lots of stairs (with about 50 other preschool-aged kids) to go down this slide.

Parker thought he was pretty cool riding this little "horse."
He rocked himself back and forth and giggled, giggled, giggled.

As much as we were focused on getting our Mutsus (since you can't find them in stores) Tara and I learned that Jonathans fresh from the tree are sweet, crunchy, delicious and a beautiful deep dark red.    Effie learned that she likes Honeycrisps.

It was another beautiful day, and we were so fortunate to have this day together!

The Ride Home.

AB (After Baptism)

After church, it was lunch and naps, picking up Aunt Tara from the airport, and getting ready for everyone to come for dinner.   We were having a lovely bit of Indian Summer, and it was so warm out, that we had the rare opportunity to play with fall leaves in our summer clothes.

So there was lots of running around with the cousins.

In the cozy coupe, the wagon, and on the slide.

We had a little dinner (some of us even ate outside). A little cake. A little ice cream  (Maia has decided Peppermint ice cream is really good)

And after dinner, a little dress up and dancing.  Maia loves to use her plastic dress-up shoes as tap shoes. 

Parker's Baptism

After two reschedules... the third date stuck and we got Parker baptized.

He was pretty antsy while waiting, he desperately wanted to get down and run (!!!!), but as soon as we were called up front, he settled down and became quietly curious.  And he left a shoe behind on our seats. Oops.

There was only one other child being baptized on this date, so it was nice that there wasn't a lot of extra waiting with fidgety children (although Maia did about as well in church as she'd ever done).   As Nancy took Parker in her arms, he laid back and looked up at her as calmly as if he was an infant (instead of the busy toddler he's becoming) and didn't even flinch as she soaked his head and clothes.  When Chandler gave an additional blessing, he stroked Parker's arm, and Parker looked at him wide-eyed, as if he was taking in every word.

After the service was over, we stopped to take some pictures.

Parker's candle (front)

Parker's candle (back)

Grandpa and Parker.

Daddy, Grandpa and Parker

The Four of Us

We are, unfortunately, missing Effie because she was taking the pictures!

By the time we started taking the pictures, both the kids were hungry and ready for their naps, so we didn't get to take full advantage of having everyone together, and all clean and shiny.  So these photos will have to suffice.

While there is this pic of Maia...

... there was no chance of getting just Parker in his suited finery.