First Race!

Mom participated in the Women's 5K Fitness Race at Crystal Lake Park today.  I signed M up to do the Kids Dash in the morning.  Last week when I first brought it up she wasn't interested, but by yesterday it was all she could talk about!

She had such a great time.

M  - with bib number 4!

 Run, Run, Run!

 Happy finisher.

Afterwards we talked about how everyone is a winner when you run a good race.

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Skater Dude

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The Tale of the Wishbone

This little gem will live on in family history for many years.  It will be retold at every Thanksgiving dinner, it will put a smile on many parents' faces, and it will surely make M's cheecks flush when we tell it when she is a teenager.

We cooked a turnkey last weekend in an effort to clear some space in our deep freezer.  Daddy carved the turkey, and we invited several family members over to help us devour the delicious autumn harvest meal.  As Daddy finished carving, he handed over the wishbone in M's direction.  Grandpa spent some time explaining the purpose and process of the wishbone, how to make a wish, and how the winner is determined.  Then it was time for the real thing:

Grandpa: "Ok, first you have to make a wish"
M: "I want another baby."
Grandpa: "Shh.  Your wish is a secret, you just say it in your head!"

At some point, M must have distracted Grandpa with her charm and got hold of the entire wishbone.  She immediately broke the wishbone in half, examined both ends, and handed Grandpa the lesser half:

M: "I win!"

And boy was she proud of that!

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Wagons and Apples and Trees, Oh My!

Of course, the best part about Curtis Orchard is taking home fresh picked apples!

Pull!

Pick!

Pose!

Happy apple pickers!
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Welcoming Autumn

No place reminds me of the fall season more than Curtis Orchard. We stopped by today for some apple picking, and were super pleased to see some of the new additions this year.

Giant sized rocking chair!

New this year - a playscape with a mini-golf course intertwined - very neat.

The playscape had some awesome natural log features.

kittens!

Goats!

And of course, you can't leave without an apple doughnut!

♥

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Climbing Dad's Ladder

"If you follow your ambitions, 
your course will guide you toward 
a ladder that you can climb to the stars.”
~Anonymous

Step by step,

Rung by rung,

Climbing Daddy's ladder is so much fun!
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Saying Goodbye To Summer

The summer is quickly coming to a close, and with it Prairie Farm ends another great season.

We ventured to the farm today and enjoyed one last visit for the year.  Here are photos from our last two trips:


















 "Carry me, Daddy!"

M in the petting area with a goat!

C enjoying an encounter with a baby goat.

Up onto the bridge!

Checking out the ducks and fish!

As we left we waved goodbye to the horses, cows, ducks, goats, pigs, turtles, bunnies, peacocks, turkeys, chickens, guineas, fish, and llamas.  See you next year!

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The Brisk Autumn Chill is in the Air

Now's the time when children's noses
All become as red as roses
And the color of their faces
Makes me think of orchard places
Where the juicy apples grow,
And tomatoes in a row.
...
Come then, find your ball and racket,
Pop into your winter jacket,
With the lovely bear-skin lining.
While the sun is brightly shining,
Let us run and play together
And just love the autumn weather. 

~Autumn Song, by Katherine Mansfield


Enjoying the autumn weather is just what we've been doing!

We ventured out on a chilly September morning - only 50 degrees!  Long sleeves and pants and quirky smile!

The kids cuddled up with a blanket on the porch swing at Uncle M's.

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Mischief Makers

"George promised to be good, but sometimes little monkeys forget…"

Sometimes on weekends we just can't seem to get out of bed before the kids do.  They'll cuddle in bed with us for a little while, and then want off of the bed, after which we promptly fall back asleep.

You'd normal think of mischief makers as kids who draw on the walls, unravel all of the toilet paper, or pull every toy off the playroom shelves.  Oh no - this is just everyday mischief.

Instead, today I found M on the changing table with C. She had just finished successfully changing his wet morning diaper.  Then she proceeded to empty all of the waste baskets in the house into one bag to go outside, and fed the RoscoeDog.

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Theology of a Four-Year-Old

Daddy and M were bickering back and forth about something.  Daddy finally said "I know everything, M" to try to end the argument.

"Only God and Jesus know everything!"

M: 1,   Daddy: 0.

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