Our Apple Orchard Trip

This past Saturday we took a trip with the Edwards family to Windy Hill Apple Orchard for their Fall Apple Festival. This was such a cute place for the kids and a great way to spend our morning. We had sooooo much fun! This will definitely be on our list of fall activities next year!

Daddy and his girls headed into the festival

Snack time!

Apple cider, apple cider donuts, and dried apple pieces. Yummmm!

Cuties in the hay!

Watching the piglets being bottle fed

The pumpkin Camryn and I picked out

Ella lovin' on her daddy

Hayride!

Blacksmithing demonstration

Picking out our apples

Pictures in the pumpkin patch

"Family" picture

Score!

I've mentioned here before that we are planning our next Disney World trip for 2013. We've already been planning and working on the logistics of our trip. Camryn will be 7 the next time we go, so she'll be too big for a stroller. And, because we have a "divide and conquer" mentality when we're at DW and don't stop for many rest breaks, we knew she wouldn't be able to keep up just walking. And we don't do whining. Not at Disney World.

We figured a Sit N Stand was probably going to be our best option, but we had absolutely no intentions of going out to buy a brand new one. Camryn is already teetering on the edge of the weight limit, and we really only want it for that one week in 2013.

There is a place in town called The Little White House that is basically one big yard sale every day. It's on a main road right through town, which is great because if you keep your eye on what they have, there are some really awesome finds! So, we decided, we have until 2013 ... we'll wait for The Little White House to get a Sit N Stand. Last week, there it was. And, we could not ask for it to be in better condition. No stains, no fading ... it was just dirty as if someone had left it in a garage or storage shed for the past few months. We had no problems cleaning up "just dirty."




Guess how much we paid for it. These things retail for over $100 at most stores.

Twenty-two whole dollars!

Yep! That's all!

We were quite excited. We'd researched the strollers, so we knew when we bought it that it was missing the front baby tray where Ella will sit (the tray that goes across the front that holds drinks, etc.) We actually can't decide if this is a pro or a con. The stroller we took for both of Camryn's DW trips wasn't made with a tray. Because of the frequent in and out of the stroller at rides and attractions, it was nice for her just to be able to jump in and out without having to stop to get the tray out of the way. We've already contacted the Baby Trend company and found out we can order a replacement part for what is actually a very reasonable price. So, no worries ... we can get one if we want it. We have until 2013 to decide!

A Few Things ...

The blog has been slow lately, I know. I feel like we're just so caught up in doing day to day life right now that there isn't anything particularly special to blog about. So, here are a few things that in and of themselves don't make a whole blog post but are at least worthy of making a list.

1. Having a child in public school has shifted my world in all kinds of new ways. I wish I had a nickle for the number of times since August that the words, "I just didn't expect ..." have left my mouth. And, good grief, I work in the schools! Why didn't I expect!? I think we've hit a good groove now, but change is just not something this Type A kind of family handles very well.

2. And while Camryn being in kindergarten has changed things around here, she is totally rocking it out! I love that there is something new for her to be excited about each day - ice cream day! playing on the big playground! field trip to Arby's for french fries! As you can see, most of her excitement does not revolve around academics necessarily, but kindergarten is all about fun, right? Her reading has really exploded, too! She was a great reader before, but now she absolutely craves reading. She's into chapter books now - she sat down and read an entire Junie B. Jones book the other day! She just can't get enough, and this reading/writing/literary minded mama loves it!

3. Football season is here, and Jason and I have already gotten to go to TWO games together! This has thrilled me because we figured out the last time we went to a game together was when Camryn was either 1 or 2 years old. Of course, one of the two games we went to was the Carolina/Auburn game but hey ... we enjoyed the experience of being there, right?

4. October and fall in general have to be my absolute favorite time of the year. I know lots of people say that, and I'm right there on the bandwagon. We have so many fun events planned for the remainder of this month (so there may actually be some things to blog about soon!), and I am so excited for all of them.

5. Speaking of October activities, we go to the SC State Fair in exactly 13 days. I. Can't. Wait!

6. I have never much been a fan of pumpkin flavored things. But, I discovered a recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip muffins last year and now I think I'm hooked! I've had pumpkin bread and a pumpkin cupcake recently, and they were good. I still don't think I'll be going for pumpkin pie any time soon, but pumpkin is not so bad!

7. I'm sure you've realized from all of the stores popping up and the shows on TV, there's a huge cupcake fad going on right now. I've totally bought into it. Cupcakes are my new favorite sweet treat. I'm proud to say, one of my favorite go-to places for a cupcake is Cupcrazed Bakery - and they were recent WINNERS on Cupcake Wars on Food Network! That should tell you just how good their cupcakes are!

8. If you're feeling a little sad that I haven't commented on your blog lately, I've been trying! I still keep up with everyone's blogs, but when I've tried commenting recently, Blogger is erasing my comment instead of posting it. Someone suggested I post as Anonymous, so maybe I'll try that.

9. My Christmas shopping is officially underway! I am so excited for Christmas this year. I haven't been this excited in a while. December cannot get here soon enough!

10. Camryn lost her 2nd tooth. It happened at school during lunchtime, and we're pretty sure she swallowed it! She left a sweet little note for the tooth fairy to explain what happened, and asked the TF to please still leave her a prize. Apparently the Tooth Fairy is quite understanding and left her a dollar. Gotta love that little fairy.

Summer Lovin' ... Had Me A Blast!

Since summer is officially coming to a close, I decided to post some pictures of the fun we've had over the past few months. This was probably one of our most fun summers yet. We just got to spend lots of good, quality time together as a family. Believe me, we have missed those days since school started back. So, here they are!

I don't think I've really posted any summer pics since July, so here was the girls' July 4th picture:

Jason and I surprised Camryn with a trip to Chuck E. Cheese. Before we got there, I really had visions of going into some sort of germophobic shock because of all of kids running wild, but we ALL ended up having a great time!

We spent lots of time smiling and just looking cute:

We had special visitors:

The weekend before school started, we had one last hurrah at the zoo

And, we bought a swingset for the backyard so the girls can swing and slide to their hearts' content!

I'm already making plans and looking forward to next summer with my girls!

Welcome to Kindergarten!

Today was Camryn's first day of kindergarten! She did great, and so did we - no tears from anyone! (Well, at least not at the school). Although watching my baby grow up is bittersweet, I do try to remind myself how lucky I am to get to experience each of her special milestones. I prayed last night for a peace for us all, which I definitely felt. I've also been praying for her teacher since January, that God would place Camryn with the perfect teacher for her who would challenge her and help her love school. I think we are off to a great start so far!