Apple Ridge Orchard

Who can resist a visit to an apple orchard when the leaves start turning colors and the days get cooler? Visions of apple pie and caramel apples are hard to resist so we spent a beautiful, cool, crisp evening at a local apple orchard last Saturday. We went with our great friends Julie, Sarah and Mason C*. The evening started with a wagon ride pulled by a tractor up a steep dirt road to the orchard. At the top of the hill, we entered a corn maze for kids. They had a great time running through the maze and figuring their way out. They would giggle when they made a wrong turn and Emily was so helpful keeping all the kids close by so we didn't lose anyone. When they were done, Emily wanted to do it again and she did it without making a wrong turn!

Next we picked APPLES! They had many varieties but we picked our favorites - Honeycrisp (Minnesota's official state fruit and great for eating) and Harrelsons (tart and great for pies!). The kids had a ball picking the apples. Here's Emily and Sam choosing only the best apples they could find.

The apples looked so great, Emily couldn't wait to sample them.

The apples were so delicious even Benny had to have a taste (well, not really but cute picture huh!).

Emily and Sam are very intent on eating those apples. Emily ate hers down to the seeds.

I couldn't resist posting this picture of Sam wandering through the orchard with a bag on his head. This is so Sammy!

After we picked our apples, we headed to the pumpkin patch. Emily chose a pumpkin for Brad to make a pumpkin pie (Emily and I do not like pumpkin pie but Brad and Sam do. I made pumpkin chocolate chip muffins though and they were DELICIOUS!!!!!). This pumpkin had so much flesh it was amazing. It was about 2 inches thick. Good thing we did not buy it for a jack o' lantern.
Before we got back on the wagon, we stopped to see the farm animals. Here is Emily trying to feed the llamas some grass.

Sam liked the bunnies and chickens.I love this picture of all four kids watching the llamas and sheep.


Ben was such a good baby. He just loves to be part of the action and do what everyone else is doing. Brad was my hero and he carried Ben in the Baby Bjorn but near the end of the fun Brad's back was killing him (Ben is about 19 pounds and quite a heavy load).
As the sun was sinking, it got quite chilly so we loaded back onto the wagon to pay for the apples and pumpkin and get a treat. Our tickets to the orchard included a caramel apple for each of the kids and they were delicious!!!!!
Emily had a hard time sharing her apple with Mom and Dad because she liked it so much (but so did we and we were too cheap to buy one for ourselves for $3).
It was a lovely evening. The kids had fun. We spent time with great friends and made fun memories. Here are a few random pictures (as if I didn't already post enough :-).
I love this sweet baby!
Sammy had a great time - don't let the grouchy face fool ya!

Sam's First Day of Preschool

Sam went to his first day of preschool on Tuesday. He has been looking forward to it for awhile. We are a part of a preschool co-op where each Mom takes a turn teaching. He was so excited; he just ran up to the door and bounced right in and wanted to get started. The first teacher is one of our best friends and Sam is very comfortable at their house. I think that was really good for him. Sam and Mason were both really excited but the other students were more apprehensive. Here is a picture of his class (left to right) Mason, Sam, Blake, and Alyssa (Greta wouldn't pose). Isn't this just the classic picture of 3 year old preschool.On the way home, he told me all about the fun he had. He said they learned the letter A but as he told me, "I already knew that." I'm so glad he had a great time. This is his first real experience doing something without Emily. He's such a big boy now!

Creative Minds

My kids LOVE to do art-draw, color, paint, create, cut, glue, staple, whatever. Lately, my living room has been covered in paper, markers, paper, glue sticks, paper, scissors, and more paper. The other day I had to demand that they play outside with their neighborhood friends (it was a beautiful day-they will have all of the long, freezing cold Minnesota winter to play inside). Today Sam and Emily were making paper clothes. Emily would decorate a piece of paper in suns, stars, flowers, rainbows, and other girly designs and then staple or tape the paper around her. It took her many experiments to figure out if staples or tape worked best. At one point, I left the room and came back to find her in just her underpants wearing a paper skirt and paper shirt. Sam, of course, had to join in on the paper apparel fun and he designed paper shoes. Tape and green construction paper were the medium. He had formed the paper into shoes but they would not stay on so he taped them to his feet (at least he didn't try to staple them on!). I should have taken a picture, but by the time I thought about it their paper clothing and shoes had torn apart (paper clothes just don't last!).


The other day Brad came home to a disastrous living room and said something to the effect that they are lucky I tolerate such messes. Yes, it is totally annoying that a huge mess is made and I am concerned that someone will drop by and see my living room in such a state, but I tolerate it for a good reason. I believe that creative play is good for a child's brain. As they engage in their creative undertakings their brains are problem-solving and figuring out what to do next. They are imagining and having fun. I think that is really important so I tolerate the mess while they have their fun, but they do have to clean it up before they go to bed!


Sam noticed me posting a picture of Emily's awhile back and he wanted me to scan this picture. It is a balloon. He did it all by himself. He was very proud of it and wanted me to scan it into the computer so we "can keep it forever"!
Here's Emily's latest picture. The dress is colored with glittery pen. You can't see the shine on the scanned picture.

Heart Smiles

Emily and Sam got home from school today at about the same time (it was Sam's 1st Day of Preschool - more on that in another blog). They were both so excited to see each other. They gave each other a hug and asked, "How was your day?" Emily then had Sam show her all that he did in preschool. The theme at preschool today was Friendship and the craft was a pink and blue die cut of a person that Sam colored. He showed Emily the craft and said, "The pink friend is you and the blue friend is me." They told each other what they did and were just full of smiles and polite, interested questions and comments about each others. It was so sweet it just made my heart smile to see them so kind and loving to each other.

SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, SPAM, baked beans, SPAM, SPAM, and SPAM

Have you seen or heard Monty Python's Spam skit? If not, my title might seem a little weird. This blog is about Spam - well - at least the museum. We spent a few hours perusing Spam's history and interesting facts at the Spam Museum in Austin, Minnesota. Did you know there is a college student who has worn a SPAM shirt for the past 5 years!? Spam was "invented" in Austin and now there is a whole museum dedicated to it. It was an interesting couple of hours but I FORGOT MY CAMERA. I was so sad because I had always wanted my picture taken in front of a giant SPAM CAN. Well, maybe not, but Emily and Sam were so cute dressed up in white factory coats and hard hats and filling up Spam cans with pretend Spam. The museum was fun and worth an hour or so of wandering and FREE. I would have liked a Spam sample though. It has been a long time since I tasted it.

Afterwards we ate at a little restaurant called PiggyBlues BBQ (we decided not to try the restaurant across the street advertising SPAM specials). They had a great shrimp po-boy which was HUGE! I miss the shrimp po-boys from Village Pizza in Pearland. This one was nothing like Village Pizza's but it was fabulous. It was on crusty bread, breaded and fried shrimp, coleslaw, garlicy pickles, tomatoes, and spicy french fries (on the sandwich!). Yummy! Much better, I'm sure, than a Spamburger.

By-the-way have you ever had a Spamburger? Do you have any recipes including Spam? I would love to know.

(Here is a link to the Spam Skit video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ6N5m8FpVg or the written transcript http://www.detritus.org/spam/skit.html - I have not learned how to do a cool link using just a word or link a youtube video - can anyone tell me how?)

Benny - 5 Months

Ben is now 5 months and he is the cutest baby! He is super chubby and we love every bit of him. He is so happy and cuddly. Ben loves to be talked to and generally responds with a screech (yes, a screech or squawk). His sleep schedule is still unpredictable with some nights waking once, others 2 or 3 times. He is rolling over from his tummy to his back but not quite the other way around. He is trying to sit up unassisted. He loves to reach out and grab toys or whatever is around. I like to read the newspaper when I nurse but Ben will reach out and pull it from me. He smiles and kicks his chubby legs and arms whenever I walk by him. He is truly a delight! Here are a few pictures of our cute baby Ben. He's a fat, happy baby!
Don't you just want to eat that big tummy! He's so soft and cuddly.
Emily loves her little brother. Isn't this picture sweet!

First Day of Kindergarten

We did it!!! We made it through the first day of kindergarten and it was great! Last night Emily was so excited and a little anxious that she could not go to sleep yet she was up super early all dressed and ready to go. On Wednesday we had Kindergarten Orientation and we met her teacher. Her teacher is going to be great. I'm so happy with her! She remembered Emily's name from Meet the Teacher and she seems so organized yet flexible. When we left Emily said to me, "Mom, I'm excited for Kindergarten." Words so dear to my heart.

So today was the big day. She was all ready and we walked down to the bus stop (early because she said she would rather wait there than at home). The bus decision was a big one for me. As a former teacher, I was aware of all the mischief that happens on the bus but I felt like there would be times that I would need Emily to ride it. I thought it would be a good idea to have Emily learn how to ride the bus while there is a lot of supervision and learning of procedures. I was also concerned that we knew NO ONE riding the bus. I was a little nervous putting my baby on a bus full of strangers. Yet, Emily was really excited about it. We attended a bus class in May to learn about riding the bus and I think this really helped. I was really happy to see my neighbor arriving at the bus stop with two kids that she watches during the school year. One was a 4th grader who said she would help Emily. So the bus arrives and the kids line up. I'm videoing the arrival and Emily turns and waves with a huge smile on her face. I then turn off the camera run up with her and introduce her to the bus driver. (By the way Kindergarten starts 2 day later than the rest of the school.) I discover that there are no seats by the driver and the kinder kids are supposed to sit by the driver. I could see Emily become a little nervous. But the sweet 4th grade girl motions to Emily to squeeze in next to her. Both of us felt a huge sense of relief. I hop off the bus, wave goodbye and watch the bus drive away. I then start to tear up and my neighbor offers me a hug (she has 3 kids and was very understanding of the emotions of sending your kids off to school). There she went and I hoped and prayed it would be a good day.

A couple of hours later, Sam, Ben and I walked down to the bus stop and wait for Emily's bus. It arrives and my sweet little girl hops off with a HUGE SMILE on her face. She runs to me and says, "I had a fun day!" So it was a success and she told me all about what she did. She got to be the line leader from the playground. She got to be the helper at her table. She had chocolate milk and crackers for snack. She practiced the letter R. She told me her teacher was sick and they had a substitute. I was surprised to hear this and I'm sure this teacher was really upset about it. But it did not seem to phase Emily and she had a great day. She was happy to hear that she gets to go back tomorrow. This last picture is of her after her exciting first day of Kindergarten!

My Baby is a Big Girl

Where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday that she was born and just the sweetest little baby girl I had ever seen. Now she is 5 and on her way to Kindergarten.

Tomorrow is her Kindergarten orientation. We get to go together to become acquainted with the school, classroom and teacher. We met her teacher at "Meet the Teacher" day but it was just for a moment. Tomorrow is the beginning of it all but yet I feel like it is the end of an era...

Up until tomorrow I feel like I have been able to control Emily's circle of influence. She is generally always with me or with others I trust. She has gone to preschool but it has been a co-op with friends from church. She has done a couple of book and nature camps but they were short term and I was taking her and she was with a friend. At church she is with people we know and love. Now I will send her to school where I don't know the people who will spend almost 3 hours a day with her (thank heavens for half-day kindergarten-I'm not ready for more). I'll be putting her on a bus where I trust that she will be okay but have no guarantee. It is very scary if I think about it too much.

But I have been thinking about it too much. When we send our kids to school, we are putting a lot of trust into the educational system. Our children are our most precious 'possessions' and yet we send them off to the unknown. My neighbor has been wrestling with the idea of public school verses private Catholic school (they are Catholic). She eventually chose the Catholic school and I can see why. I would feel more secure in a religious setting for my child. But I don't have that choice due to finances. So I hope and pray that Emily will remember all we have taught her and I hope and pray I have taught her all she needs to know.

We have worked as a family on learning how to make right choices and stand up for what is right. I know some of it has seeped into her because I overheard her telling a neighbor boy when he called someone else a "stinkyhead" that that was "inappropriate." I was so proud of her and hope that she can understand when something is right or wrong and act appropriately.

I guess as much as I would love to keep her with me forever, she needs to spread her own wings and fly. She is a special girl and I know she will do great. It know it might be a challenge for her especially because she is shy and she does not know anyone in her class. I know I will worry especially because as a former teacher, I know what some kids are like. But I know she will be watched over and can return to a home where she is loved and her return is anticipated by two little brothers who love her (as well as her mom!).

Well, wish us luck tomorrow and I'll post more on the first "real" day.

Why Me?

Have you ever had a church calling when you seriously questioned WHY ME???!!!! I have - twice - with the same calling. I'm currently the Primary Chorister and I have been since April 2006. When I was called to be the chorister I cried! - right in front of the 2nd Councilor. It was so embarrassing. But I seriously questioned why on Earth should I have to do this again! I suffered through this calling back in Houston. I was the chorister in Houston for 3 Primary Programs way back in like 1997 - 1999 or something like that. I hated just about every minute of this calling but I did it and tried my best. I thought I had put in my time (like a prison sentence) and wouldn't have to do it again, ever. But noooo, I was called to do it again. I mean, I can't even sing!!! In fact, I hate to sing in front of people. I will sing in the car with my kids (until they tell me to be quiet because they would rather hear the music) or in the shower when I feel so inclined but in front of PEOPLE and not only that but I have to teach people to sing (okay, they are kids but still there are other adults in the room). I am not musically talented. I can hardly remember words to songs. I mean sometimes I forget the words to I Am a Child of God and I have known that song forever! This just seemed to much to bear.

When the Bishop heard of my pathetic, tear-filled response to my calling, he told the councilor the decision to accept this calling was totally up to me and to think about it and get back with them with a decision. So I wrestled with the decision for awhile (part of me hoped if I took too long they would say just forget it and call someone else). I seriously felt like I could not do this calling but I had never turned down a calling before and felt like I was horrible just to even consider turning it down. I had no idea what to do despite my prayers and pleadings. So one day I got a call from the Bishop. He asked me to come and see him. When I met with him, he told me he felt like he should talk to me about my concerns about this calling. He then proceeded to address all of my concerns and fears. When I left his office, I was still unsure of what I would do but I left with a strong testimony of the inspired leadership and stewardship of a bishop. I was amazed that everything he talked to me about was exactly my concerns and questions. I left the meeting feeling loved and understood (but still no definite decision as to whether I would accept the calling). Of course you know how this ends because I am currently the chorister but I accepted this calling knowing that for some strange, still unknown to me, reason I should do this.

I still really dislike this calling, some Sundays more than others. Some days I think it is okay and I can bear it but other days I just want to cry all over again (but surprisingly I don't). I do my best to make singing time a positive experience for the kids. Our program is in 3 weeks and I can honestly say I did my best teaching the songs. I'm sure some else could have done a better job but I always say, "You get what you pay for". I really hope I don't have to do it much longer. I always have a huge sense of relief when my turn is over and I don't have to do it for another week. I look forward to Stake and General Conference because it means no singing time and I loved taking 7 weeks off when I had Ben. Despite all that, I hope that I have made an impression on the kids and they have a better understanding of the gospel through the music we learn but what I have learned the most is that our leaders are inspired and God has a plan for us even though we might not like it!

Now I just pray that the kids will actually sing during our Sacrament Meeting program so I won't be doing a solo in front of the whole ward - my worst nightmare! Yaaa - Why Me?!

My Reading Addiction

I love to read; I always have. I crave the written word like my dead grass craves the sprinklers . When I was younger, my sisters would tease (or torment) me that when I was supposed to be cleaning, instead, I would be distracted by reading something - it didn't matter what. It could be a book, a magazine, a brochure, a program from my younger brother's kindergarten play, a grocery ad, a phone book, a coupon, a receipt - anything.

When I was in elementary school, my goal was to read every book in the city library (I gave up on that when I realized how many nonfiction books existed. I just don't really care about bugs or science or boring stuff).

I can't eat breakfast without reading. Cheerios, milk, and the newspaper just go together like three best friends. You can't leave one out or the others feel bad. I subscribe to the newspaper just so I have fresh reading material at breakfast and to make the cereal and milk happy.

One of my favorite things to do is to spend the day reading. I love it when it rains or snows and I can justify not going anywhere and spend the day cuddled up in a warm blanket with a great book and reading the day away or sitting outside in the shade on a nice sunny day in a comfortable chair with a nice cold glass of lemonade and the newest Mary Higgins Clark book and nothing else to do. Ohh, but that is the problem now...I always have something else to do!

Now that I am the main housekeeper, cook (or milk source), chauffeur, diaper changer, bill payer, caregiver, storybook reader, or in other words MOM. I can't always while away my hours immersed in a good book. So I have discovered a new way to indulge in my favorite pastime while still accomplishing all the tasks I must do in one day.

I listen to books on tape! I actually prefer books on tape rather than CD because tapes are more portable. I wear a cassette Walkman clipped to my jeans with headphones. (In fact I asked for a new cassette Walkman, with a rewind button-yea!, for my anniversary last year and I was so happy when my wish came true. I have already worn out 2 pairs of headphones). I wear the headphones so the story can move with me and the kids can't hear (not that I'm listening to anything inappropriate but Emily will actually listen and murder mysteries aren't exactly appropriate for 5 year olds.)

Books on tape run in my family so to speak. My mom and Vicki listen to a lot of books on tape. Mom loves to listen to George Guidall read The Cat Who books. She often has a book on tape going during the day. Maybe I can say I learned from her example. Books on tape make the drudgery of housework much more interesting. I mean lets face it; mopping the floor is so boring and laundry can be such a pain. But when you are listening to a good book it is actually an incentive to keep working so you can keep listening. Sometimes I actually look forward to a day of cleaning and laundry because I have the companionship of a good book. Try it - your house might be cleaner because of it!

What I'm listening to right now: The First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde (The 5th in the Thursday Next series) Very good!!! Start with The Eyre Affair

Books/authors I like to listen to (a very small sample):

The Cat Who books/Lilian Jackson Braun
Thomas Pitt or Monk series by Anne Perry

Elm Creek Quilt series by Jennifer Chiaverini

Harry Potter/J.K. Rowling (great reader!)

Okay, I'll listen to just about anything but I have to admit that 1776 read by the author was a little boring.

Do you have any good suggestions of what to read/listen to? I'm always looking for something new.