Apple Picking 2011

It rained ALL morning, but there was a break in the weather and we were able to make it down to Cranes! This was the first year that we made it early enough before all the Honey Crisp were picked and there were trees full of them. It was definitely Taylor's favorite apple.

Posing in front of the rows and rows of trees

Picking her first apple

Taking a bite!! 

And the rest is history - she did not let go of that apple or stop eating it for the rest of the trip...chewing almost completely through the middle. If we tried to turn the apple so she wasn't chomping at the core, she got all frustrated that we took it away from her for even a second. Ryan caught her sucking the juice between bites - so sweet and tasty. We made sure to pick plenty just for her!

Yum!!

 

Getting pulled by daddy

 Big smiles

After picking, we headed over to the pie pantry to get some goodies which meant playtime for Taylor

This girl LOVES hills

(Tell me she doesn't look like such a big kid in this picture?!!)

We love this face - full of surprise and amazement

It was a great trip this year - and applesauce making is on the agenda for this week. It's only the third day of fall, but so far it has been a fun season!

19 months old

The one thing that I think Ryan and I would say about our little 19 month old is that she seems to run the entire spectrum of emotions... every single day. From laughing to crying, smiling to screaming, hugs to full out tantrums - we feel like we see it all. It is so hard at this stage because she is becoming more independent, but doesn't have the language piece yet to express exactly what she wants. And, what is probably similar to most 19 month olds, if Taylor wants something and doesn't get it, her whole world comes crashing down, and then she forgets about it a few minutes later. :o)

Taylor, at 19 months you are...

dramatic,

strong-willed (not wanting to sit still for a picture with daddy),

sometimes sad,

but mostly happy,

speedy,

silly,

curious,

in LOVE with Little Einsteins (our 15 minute routine in the morning as we are all scrambling to get ready!)

gets excited whenever she sees anything "Elmo" (so we bought her a little pumpkin at Farmer's Market this week)

And melts our hearts every day with this little face

New kicks

Cooler weather is coming, which means we can't be cruising around in sandals much longer, so we bought Taylor her first pair of Nike's. :o) She's not quite used to wearing them yet (we got a good knee scrape running around in the driveway this afternoon), but hopefully she will appreciate them when it gets cold enough for the (possible!) frost that could hit Thursday morning!

Back to School

We survived our first week back to school!!

Getting back into the routine of packed breakfast and lunches, setting out clothes the night before, early alarms, dark runs before sunrise, busy days, and cherished quiet evenings at home.

The first morning was a little rough for Taylor. Being woken up and having to get ready to go right away did not go smoothly...someone was used to sleeping in!
Sleepy eyes...

Taylor's new backpack for this school year...looking like a big kid!

And Taylor had a little incident with a friend this week...she accidentally got knocked down, and has a good bruising to show for it (coincidentally I ran into her pediatrician at the gas station that same afternoon, and he said the lucky thing is that the nose is mostly cartilage so it wouldn't be broken, but she could have a bruise for a good week!)

Being camera shy :o)

Peek!

There she is :)

It was a busy first week, but from here on out, it will get a little easier as we adjust to the school year routine. Bring on week number 2!

Labor Day Weekend 2011

Another Labor Day weekend behind us, another summer break coming to a close!

We spent the holiday weekend at the lake with family, and as always, it was a fun couple of days! The weather didn't always cooperate with plans - it was 80+ degrees on Friday, and barely 50 degrees when we left today, along with some pretty impressive rain showers throughout the weekend - but we still had a great time!

Swims in the lake (even this morning when the air temp was 50, and the water temp was 70...it made the water seem quite warm!), bike rides, 3 mile walks, s'mores over the fire, trip to Petoskey, game playing, lots of grilled food, late nights, and early mornings too (thanks to someone whose name starts with a "T" and ends with an "r" :o)). 

Our camera was neglected for the majority of the weekend, but luckily I had some family members that I borrowed some pics from!

Headed out on our favorite 3 mile loop...

Someone found a mud puddle...

With family (and Buddy, too! Taylor was pretty excited that there was a dog around! :o))

My little lady and I

(Every time my uncle tried to squat down to take a picture, Taylor would stop and squat, too)

 

Getting the fire started

Aaron (my cousin) providing the music fireside...

 I just find this picture kind of funny, apparently Ryan and I were feeling rather serious :)

Buddy enjoying some sticky marshmallow

Roasting marshmallows - my first and only time this summer!

Reading - this girl always wants to be reading :-)

And a few last pics on the last morning, a cold, chilly, windy, fall-like morning, and Taylor came out to watch me swim :o)

It was a fun weekend!!