Chow Down

So this is what I found on the bottom of Sam's math book~

Fans of "Stand by Me" will appreciate it, I'm sure :)

Oh, the Lord is Good to Me!

Today, as part of a fundraiser for The Greenhouse, we picked up 69 5-pound bags of apples and 45 dozen apple cider donuts, from Royal Oak Farm.  We have picked apples here as a family before, so we always like visiting (except Sam, apparently) ~

Orchards are very satisfying to run through~

Royal Oak is very family friendly, without being overwhelming with giant, ugly, bounce houses, etc... ala "agritainment".  They have several charming wood structures for the kids to climb on~

We have never been here on a weekend, so maybe it gets crazy then....

I love avoiding the crowds and being able to visit popular spots during the week~

Don't worry, I won't ask~

Four More Years!

This is embarrassing.  The kids found owl pellets in their Easter baskets this year.  We are just now, six months later, getting around to dissecting them.  That's how we roll. 

There were a LOT of bones. 

As a little treat for Mary's birthday, we went to Outback Steakhouse.  The food was just okay, but we had fun.  It was sort of an un-official first "surprise birthday dinner".  She was a little shy when the servers sang ""Happy Birthday" ~

In my experience, three to four really is when kids seem to leave babyhood completely behind.  Here, Mary's expression is definitely all girl, no baby :)

Fantastic Four!

"The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time.”~ Abraham Lincoln

If it came any faster, my heart might actually break.  Mimi Zsa-Zsa (as Scott likes to call her) is four today.  She is so sweet, happy, funny and loving.  She loves her brothers with all her heart and loves playing with both Charlie and Sam.  

She is a big help to me around the house and especially the kitchen. 

She likes listening to any thing I'm willing to read aloud to her :)

She loves hanging around with Daddy, too.  

What a blessing she is in our lives. 

There's a Snake in My Boot!

This year for Halloween we have, Woody, Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl, and two army guys~

Our friends the Peseks joined us for trick-or-treating~

From the Mouths of Babes

Mary has two imaginary friends (for the last 6 months or so) - Garbage and Leafy. We've known for a while that Garbage is a trouble maker. But today Mary was in the back seat of the car and said out of the blue, "I don't like Garbage. She's trash."

Whoa!

Slow down, little girl!  In two days Mary will be 4!  We stopped at Too Toots for lunch and she loved riding the mechanical horse.  Not as exciting as "Dagger", but an adequate substitute~

She is sweeter by the day, and we love her so.  She makes us smile, laugh, and try harder to slow down.

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
~William Shakespeare