feels like fall...

today was one of those fall days that you just want to drink straight from a cup....

or hold with two hands and sink your teeth right into...whichever you prefer  :)

i know its fall when long sleeves and tights get paired up with polka dot sneakers and we head over to our favorite orchard for apple cider donuts.

be still my heart....i don't know what was more delicious - the outfit Peach picked out all by herself or the sugar-coated heaven.

J limited himself to 3....and I wasn't about to out-eat him.

So I stopped myself there, too.

The good news is:  we bought an extra dozen for breakfast tomorrow - yippy skippy!

this little face will tell you that there is something oh-so-perfect about eating an apple picked straight from the tree :)

a cool wind under sunny skies...it was the perfect day for a walk through the orchard

right before we left, my bug-lovin' girl found herself a lady bug and named him Tex

such fun times....last year we only got here once....I'm hopin' there will be enough fall to get there again before next year.

but, if not, you can bet your boots i'll be savoring every bite of tomorrow's breakfast.

feels like fall....mmmmmmm

i'm about two seconds away from putting flannel sheets on my bed and bidding a final fare-well to warm weather.

happy, happy, happy me!

a little of this and a bit of that

well, the teacher duo in this house started school a few weeks ago and while we have settled back into a nice routine, we've also been crazy busy....

hence, the vacation i have taken from my blog.

i know, i know...

no excuses for something i cherish so much

however, seating charts and correcting papers and preparing to make verbs and adjectives exciting for 7th graders have been on the top of my to-do list for a while now.

we're also in the process of building/painting bunk beds for our littles (more to come on that - so excited!)

so, I'm going to give myself a little grace here and forgive myself that I let the blog slide a bit.

now that all the fun and excitement of back to school has settled, i'm grateful to have a night to sit here and catch up while J drifts off next to me.

i don't really know that i have anything profound to say tonight...just a little update on what our family has been up to

we'll start here...with this little creature.

one afternoon, we were enjoying time on the trampoline when Peach made a triumphant discovery:

she was soooo excited about this guy

we tried to find out what kind of spider he was, but were unsuccessful.

in the end, she gave him a name and we went to check on him later, but he had disappeared :(

Tulip has decided that any opportunity to go outside is also an opportunity to go for a bike ride.

She tells us this by scampering into the bike trailer and squealing until someone straps her in and takes her for a spin

Cutie Pie Peach had another night at gymnastics...the girl is in love!

Grandma and Grandpa came to town for Pizza Ranch pizza and the Teddy Bear Band...good times

and then just the normal, every day stuff...

amidst the busyness of back to school, i've been trying to capture pictures of the things happening around our house that make my heart go pitter patter

like chalk graffiti on our drive way

the way Tulip gets right down there and scribbles in the dirt like this is serious business

how Peach's pictures of people are starting to look more like people and less like rocks :)

the way this one "helps" me hang up laundry on the line

how all my practice with french braids is paying off - aren't they sweet?

the way those little curls sneak out from behind her ears

stories in sunlight

how big chick sports her rain boots....even when there's not a drop to be found

this little car that was handed down to us from a friend...

and the way little chick smiles when we scoot her around in it

 and girls so covered in dirt and fun that we scoop them right up and drop them in the tub - a sure sign that it was a good day

there you have it - a little random, but i guess that's how things have been around here lately.

it's all good.

no, more than good....awesome

the not so great news is that my alarm clock is set to go off at 5:30 am.....yikes

but we won't dwell on that

the fabulous news is this:

i have SUPER-GREAT classes this year...for real

I am LOVING my new schedule and the extra time at home

And, the cozy fall temperatures that i've been waiting for have settled upon us....

my absolute favorite time of year

pictures of orchards and pumpkins coming soon...
stay tuned  :)

fantastic gymnastics

we've had a big week around here.....and its only wednesday!  gesh!

yesterday was the first day of school AND Peach's first day of gymnastics

 i don't know what i was thinking, signing her up for the Tuesday night class with Tuesday being J's and my first day back at work....

clearly I WASN'T thinking

however, we survived.

no, better than that.

i was a little nervous about signing her up for something...anything

the last thing we want is to push, overcommit or rush our littles away from childhood and into "organized activities"

however, the 2012 London Olympics put this girl's passion for gymnastics into FULL swing

she loves to pretend she is Gabby Douglas, winning the gold medal for team USA

and after grandma and grandpa bought her the Dora's Fantastic Gymnastics DVD, well....that pretty much sealed the deal

when we first got to class, i went to walk her in and she squeezed my hand, asking me to go with her.  i froze, thinking, 

"here it comes - clinging to my leg, crying, screaming..."

but when i whispered that i'd be right in the other room, she bravely let go and joined the other girls on the mats

i peeked in on her from time to time and my heart soared as i watched her jump on the trampoline, swing from a rope, walk the balance beam and hang from the bars

i had Tulip with me in the lobby, so I only got this one shot of Peach parading around the gym with her group.

when we left, she was all a dither in the back seat telling me every detail of her hour spent at gymnastics.

upon arriving home, we had to call BOTH sets of grandparents

and when she went to bed, she said, "Momma, my heart is glad that I get to go to gymnastics every day."

tricky chick doesn't quite get the "once a week" concept ;)

for all the times I question my decisions as a parent, this time, I think its safe to say that we did the right thing

and when I went to bed, my heart was glad, too :)

august extras

Thank you, August, for finally giving us the delicious summer weather we'd been waiting for

We had a blast!

Here are some of the highlights:

The Polly Love continues...they headed to the "movies" one day

and, of course, each got their own "popcorn" :)

Tulip is loving the little dolls as well

We have to take off the little shoes and put them up high when she's around, but she's happiest to be playing right along side big sister

while I excel at dressing dollies and playing pretend, J is the king of adventure around here

one day, he had the brilliant idea of taking the roof off our slide and making a water park on the deck

the girls could not get enough of sliding down into the pool

so grateful for that balance we've achieved as parents

i know we don't get it right every time, but i'm proud of the team we're becoming

anywhoo - back to August...where was I?
oh yes.....
time in the pool.
daddy was on pool duty the day i came home to find this:

;)

we've also had fun this month playing with J's childhood farm set

Peach loves to be the cowboys

while Tulip is good at fetching grass and rocks to feed the animals

don't you love the cage?  hand-drawn by momma :)

good-bye, summer.
hello, sweet september :)