Ready for School Pictures!

Incredibly Adorable is all I have to say!!!

Kuipers Family Farm - Apple Picking Time!

 We finally made it to the apple orchard this past weekend.  

It was a great visit, a yummy visit, a very fun family day!

 Tractor ride out to the apple orchard...

 Averly picked a big honeycrisp apple!

 It rained the day before we went so we were told there may be ripe apples on the ground.

We did find some good apples on the ground, but honestly it was more fun to pick our own out of the trees.

 You're suppossed to twist the apples off the branches so it doesn't ruin the buds for next year.  My two year old didn't quite get that concept, but she did pluck some yummy empire apples.  The fruit looks cloudy on the tree but as soon as you rub them on your shirt they're very shiny like store bought apples.  Of course they taste 100 times better off the tree than the store bought kind. 

 Very juicy Empire apple!  He cracks me up.  I'm so thankful he LOVES his fruit.

 100's of acres of 20 different apple varieties...

 Of course I can't get them to look at the camera - stinkers!

Tractors are very fun to climb and pretend to drive.  

I think RJ ran away at this point eating my store bought fudge :)

We should be returning to the Kuipers Family Farm soon for their pumpkin picking.  We also love their corn maze, bale maze, box of kernels (think sand box but substitute sand for corn kernels), animal petting area, tractor rides, etc...

A fall visit to Phillips Park Sunken Garden

Another day at Hudson Crossing Park

Averly's first day of class, "I'm Two-rrific!"

The second class Grandma Lodge signed Averly up for is called "I'm Two-rrific!"  She is right across the hall from her big brother.  RJ walked her into her classroom on her first day.  He told her to sit at the table where they had a coloring page and crayons and he gave her a BIG hug and kiss before leaving for his class.  I stayed for a few minutes to make sure she was okay without her big brother.  My little squirt cried for a few minutes when I left, but she was fine for the rest of the hour long class.  When I went to pick her up she was all smiles and when we returned for her second class (a week later) she had no problem getting started.  I'm hoping this will be another great experience for her before she starts pre-school next year!  Good grief!  The Two-rrific class focuses on art, story time and they do get to play outside in the "park" - the school playground.
Once again, I'm thrilled that Grandma Lodge agreed to this class. 

Averly in her Tumbling class

I asked Grandma Lodge to enroll Averly in a few classes at Boulder Point where RJ goes to school so she would be distracted while he was gone.  The first class is a tumbling class for 2 year olds.  

Averly LOVES this class!  

While her teacher may be a occupied with another little tike who is crying, Averly runs and jumps and leaps and has an absolute blast!  It's very fun to watch her and her reactions to the teachers instructions... which she doesn't always follow.  For example, during the very first class after the kids have been running around for 15 minutes the teacher gets the kids to settled down and huddles them to do stretches.  Averly cocks her head and looks at the teacher, like seriously?  You want me to sit and clap my hands and kick my feet?  

She was warmed up and wanted to run!!!

RJ's first day of preschool. He'll go 3 days a week this year!

 RJ and Averly on our stairwell... They've grown SO much since last year!

This is RJ's last year at preschool so we enrolled him in the 3 day program (M-W-F).  There were no tears, well, maybe a little from Averly.  She is VERY attached to RJ and gets separation anxiety from him - not from her dad or myself - just RJ!  It's a good thing her wonderful Grandma Lodge signed her up for a few classes this year to distract her from his absence.