Annual Trip to the Apple Orchard

Today we spent the morning at the apple orchard - an annual tradition that is honestly one of my favorite days of the year. And this year was no exception. It was a beautiful fall day, we managed to beat the crowds, and the kids enjoyed it even more than last year. We were even early enough in the season to snag some Honeycrisps! The rest of the weekend was spent with one of our favorite visitors, our friend, Sara. We also hosted a dinner night with some friends and their kids. After a chaotic summer, it felt good to return to some of our routines. And finally, Ella is officially a ballerina. After months of asking to take ballet, she started her first class on Saturday morning. She may have been more excited about the outfit than the class, but she seemed to have fun and is already asking to go back. One more note - on Wednesday morning we took her lemonade stand proceeds to The Night Ministry and she was graciously greeted by a few staff members. It was a wonderful experience, and they did a great job of explaining how her money would help the homeless. We're so proud of our kind-hearted girl!

A few throwback pics from our first time as a family of four at this orchard. Next year we'll be a family of five!

Back to present day...

A Labor Day Lemonade Stand

What a weekend! We're making great use of our extra space, with lots of visitors. Abbie and Eric, Grandpa Al, and Grandma and Papa C. all came to visit over the weekend. It was so good to see them all, and we got to see our new baby niece, Finely, again, too! Ella can't get enough of her - she's so ready to be a big sister! And after months of asking, Ella finally got to have a lemonade stand. She came up with the idea of donating the money to the homeless - so with some great help from Grandma and her friend, Max, they were able to collect $62 for a local homeless shelter! Ella was so excited, and we're so proud of her. We'll take the money to the organization this week, and I can't wait to share the moment with her. We're also very proud of our big boy, Jack, who is now potty trained, and practically did it all on his own, with some awesome encouragement and help from his big sister. Woo hoo! We're diaper-free for at least the next six weeks:)

Perks of having a front door - you can eat your breakfast in your pj's while watching the tree trimmers from your front steps.

I'm so used to Ella's 'outfits' that I thought nothing of her wearing this to Menards until everyone started calling her a queen.

Making our last trips to the splash pads before summer ends.

Fun at the farm for our friends, Anna's and Andrew's birthday party.

Abbie and Eric came to visit! How we've missed them:)

Ella finally got to enjoy some of the lemonade.

Making signs with Grandma.

She kept saying, "this is the best day ever."

Grandpa Al and Finley snuggling.

Ella loves holding Finley. She'll be such a great big sister!

Ella showing Grandpa Al the neighborhood. 

Jeritt, Jeff, and all the dads went fishing on Friday. Not a bad catch!