The "Punky" Patch (and Apple Picking)

I like to call this one, What Happens When You Say "Let Me Take A Picture," to four small children. This one will definitely go in the scrapbook. Certainly the mantel. By the way, Lucy's back intentionally to me? That sums her up right there. That is Lucy to a T.

We waited until late in the season to go apple and pumpkin picking this year (yes, we were the crazy people who went to the pumpkin patch the weekend before Halloween but guess what? Turns out it's not so crowded at 9 a.m. on a Sunday).

We waited, partly because I like to go when it's cold(er)--(hot apple cider, hot cider donuts, are you sensing a theme?) and partly because I may have been procrastinating. But I KNEW the kids would have so much fun, it would be worth all the energy it takes to take all four of them to any wide open space. We just had to go.

And if there was ever any doubt on my part, I had to remember this: a few weekends ago Ellie and I were at Home Depot and she was all excited about the garden center's "pumpkin patch" (poor kid). When she asked to get a pumpkin and I mentioned we'd be going to an actual pumpkin patch in a few weeks, well, you'd have thought I just told her we were going to Disney World. You can say what you want about our kids but I just love the fact that they are really pretty easy to please.

So last weekend Erin and I drank about nineteen cups of coffee (each) and took the kids to our favorite Pumpkinpatchapplepickingfarm.

If, for no other reason than, Harry + hay ride? That was a sight I needed to see. As Leo says, "It will blow his brain!"

Harry, on said hayride. Safe to say, brain = blown = very happy guy.

(By the way, the last time we went to this farm, the twins looked like this):


September, 2011

I think Harry had more fun this year. I know I did (although breastfeeding infants in an apple orchard IS my idea of a good time--really missed that this year--said No One Ever).


Off and running, on the hunt for apples.






Another moment when I think I had the gall to suggest a picture. Lucy's all "See ya, Mommy."


It must be pretty weird to be two years old and to see something you eat almost every day, growing on a tree. Harry (and his eyelashes) seemed to think so.

Moving on to Paradise.

I mean, the pumpkin (or as Lucy calls it, the "punky") patch. Seriously, doesn't this look like something out of Grandma Moses?


Leo and Ellie had a fight over who got to show Harry the tractor.


These girls are excellent wagon haulers.

Clearly they need jobs.

The key to having a good time in the stage we're in is low expectations.

Mine were definitely surpassed this year on ye old punky patch/apple picking trip. Plus, we returned home with all four children. So I call that a win. And did I mention there were cider donuts? And they were hot? Mmmmm.

Hayride 2012

As I mentioned, like half of the eastern seaboard, we went to the pumpkin patch over the weekend.

We almost didn't make it. Sometimes just leaving the house feels so daunting. The packing of the diaper bag, the changing of the clothes, the packing of the changes of clothes, to say nothing of beverages and snacks and and and...

We had what I'll call a moment in the mudroom, enroute to the car--did I mention Harry has mastered opening the mudroom door which means he is just feet from walking out the front door and down the steps? There I was, furiously gathering jackets and galoshes for the muddy fields, while balancing a 79-pound diaper bag on my shoulder. There was Erin, trying to stop Harry from making a break for the front door as well as Lucy, who is of course following Harry. Meanwhile Ellie is whining about not being able to find her wand! (an absolute must for the pumpkin patch!) and Leo is announcing that he has FOUND HIS DRAGON! Which of course makes the sting of the misplaced wand that much more painful.

Pure. Bedlam.

But once we get where we're going? It's almost always worth it.

And on Saturday afternoon, there was this:


A sun kissed, exquisite, absolutely perfect, golden fall day. In which all the whining and the fussing and the protesting falls away, in which all those insufferably hot and humid summer afternoons feel worth it, because you have this gorgeous autumn afternoon to behold.






We took our first hayride as a family of six.



Everyone was there, though we can't all fit in the same frame anymore.

Some preferred to stand.

Others brought friends.

And new friends were made.





New terrain was covered.

Sand! Who knew?



There were some technical difficulties with this model.

Leo preferred the full-size version. Can't blame him.

Everyone had a chance to explore, on their own terms.

But not for long!

These girls. Oh. My. Goodness.

Aaaand the boys.

Harry is so lucky to have Leo to show him the way.

The afternoon sun cast long shadows, naptime beckoned and it was time to choose the pumpkins.

It was truly a wonderful afternoon. But I think we could all agree that in the end,

everyone needed a beverage.

Or two.

In Full Swing

Well, school seems to be off to a good start.


Gratuitous photo having nothing to do with school but ohmygoodness look at my boys!


I haven't heard much from Leo's teacher (which, sigh, means I haven't heard much). But yesterday was the first day of assigned homework and Leo did it right off the bus, with no argument (which probably means today will be a fight since I am committing the mom's sin of saying something went well).

When I was working, homework was always hit or miss. The aftercare teachers would usually do it with him, but sometimes they'd forget, or Leo would refuse. And I always felt like #1 Working Mom when I got the end of the week report and there were several gaps in the homework section. So we'll see how it goes since I'm home for now. I'm making him do it right away, and THEN he gets to go outside and play his weird game of torment/reward the dog with a tennis ball (don't ask).

Yesterday was Ellie's first day of ballet/jazz. She's taking it at a local community center rather than at the "dance school" where she went in the spring. I love this center. You know what else I love? Instead of having to pass through the "dance boutique" that taunts little girls with pink tutus and sequined dance dresses (of which she has several, don't worry she is not deprived in this area), I was greeted with a gently worn ballet shoe bin. You toss in your "old," too small ballet shoes and take a "new pair." Love it.

This is the same center where Leo takes swimming and where Ellie will also take tumbling/gymnastics and swimming (which starts today). I'm not sure who had more fun at dance class, Ellie or the babies. Those babies were the bell of the bench outside the dance room. It was the nannies and me (which...hmm...this is a whole new world for me). There were a couple of moms too but it was heavily nanny. In typical form, Harry was fussing and then all out crying at one point. My new friend Anita the Nanny swooped in and took Harry into her arms (with my permission of course). He fell silent immediately and just stared at her with amazement. As did I.

The babies seemed to love all the attention (seriously, I guess it's been a while since they've seen baby twins around there because every few minutes another mom/nanny/community center employee would peek into the stroller and say "I heard there are some twins over here?") Lucy, her usual social self smiled and cooed and "chatted" with anyone who would make eye contact. Harry fussed and slurped his bottle and nursed in his usual sloppy way, spit up all over me and then was happy as can be, grinning and "talking" to his new found audience. Who needs Gymboree when you have the dance class waiting bench?

Ellie, meanwhile could not stop talking about the little stamps she got on her hand (two green stars) at the end of dance class. Excited really does not begin to cover it. For the rest of the day, Ellie would just say, apropos of nothing "I'm so excited I got to go to dance class today" and "I just love my stamps." There was much consternation at bath time about whether the beloved stamps would-gasp-get washed off.

This morning the first words out of her mouth were to Erin: "Mama! I get to go to swim class tomorrow!" That's when Erin informed her that she actually got to go swimming sooner than that, because tomorrow was now today. "I get to go TODAY?!" she squealed.

The unbridled enthusiasm (for the littlest things) of a four-year-old really does put it all into perspective.

Bet You Didn't Realize This Was Also a Recipe Blog

Today we finally built a fire in our outdoor fire place. Fire pit? Anyway, it was a gorgeous fall day. Absolutely perfect. I did some raking. The grass is clear but all the leaves are in a gigantic pile that leads halfway down the driveway but hey, I did some raking!

There was much happy play. Leo is a little under the weather with a bit of a cold. He's always such an extra sweetie when he's sick. I hate that he doesn't feel well but I love the extra cuddles and the overall mellow(er)ness. Yes, that's a word. I just made it up. We skipped swim class and I think it was a good thing. And I'll be honest, after a busy week it's pretty nice to not have to go anywhere.

There's a brand new pink car seat in our dining room and a brand new (to us) pink car seat cover on the way in the mail (thank you nice Craigslist Lady). Let's hope this ends the War of the Carseats.

Back to the fireplace. It was a little windy. The wood was a bit damp. By the time Erin got the fire going and I'd gathered the s'mores ingredients, the fire was...small. And yes that's code for did you know it's possible to make s'mores in the microwave? Well it is. So now you know.

Pickin'

And now, the pictures.




They will actually pose together now (sporadically). Leo always wants to hold on to Ellie for far longer than she'd prefer though, and invariably, kissing is attempted.

Leo kept sticking out his tongue in the pictures. Hey, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.


My dad noted something quite interesting about this photo: "Leo is such a love bug even when he takes a bite out of an apple it is in the shape of a heart," my dad wrote to me in an email, after I sent him this photo. Well, would you look at that?

Silly geese.


Grandma Jerry (Erin's mom) showing Ellie the finer points of apple picking.

Moving on to the pumpkin patch.


I am captioning this one "Tote that barge, lift that bail. Get to WORK Ellie!"
She is, apparently, very serious about her pumpkin patch.