Sweet Perfection

Some days just feel perfect, and today was one of those days. Maybe it's because I absolutely love autumn and I love introducing Andra to new things I know she'll enjoy...but I just felt overwhelmingly content and happy today soaking in a beautiful fall morning with my little gal. I'm so lucky my days off afford me some one-on-one time with her...I feel so blessed.

Once I saw the perfect weather forecast for today, I knew we had to begin our tour of all fall activities within about a 40 mile radius of our house. Hehe. Thanks to one of my mom-friends (thank you, Havilah!!), I'd heard about a nearbly apple orchard I'd never been to and knew we had to make a trip. And so began our perfect fall day together...

They had a great little playground, hay piles to play in, mini corn mazes, which Andra loved...but she kept saying "App-pul Orch!" (apple orchard)...this girl wanted to get down to business.

Andra loves apples, and not surprisingly, loved getting to pick her own apples off the trees in the orchard! It just made me want to go home, put on an apron (which I don't have) and bake an apple pie (which I don't have a recipe for).

Putting our bounty in the basket...

Loading it onto the wagon...

And wheeling it home so Mom can figure out what the heck she's gonna do with about 30 apples because I didn't have the heart to tell her to stop picking. :)

Mmm...the fruits of our labor...

What's a trip to the orchard without a carmel apple?? Andra didn't take a single bite...just licked the carmel off the entire thing. Smart girl. :)

I really feel like I'll always remember today. Just a simple day enjoying the new season (my favorite season!) together, but for some reason, it just felt...perfect.

So this was the first of what will be many fall activities for us I'm sure. Someday, the kids will probably groan when fall arrives, because they'll know Mom gets a little crazy and drags them to every orchard, pumpkin patch and pretty autumn trail in the city. I just can't seem to help myself.

So...Anybody got any good apple recipes?

My Kind of Sunday

Nothing on the calendar. No obligations. Just me, my girl, my hubby...and a perfectly lazy Sunday.

Sharing Dad's pancakes (they both are wearing clothes on their bottom halves. I promise. :) )

Taking time to play in the rain.

Birthday Girl

It's hard to believe...as of 12:27pm on Saturday, our little gal turned two years old. I have to admit that my heart aches a little...TWO sounds so much older than one!...but I wouldn't turn back time even if I could. She's so much fun right now...talking lots, showing more of her personality and becoming more of a little person with each passing day. I'm so proud and so blessed to have a healthy, growing, beautiful little girl...which calls for a party, of course!

So party we did on Saturday. Dave and I gave her a toy drum for her birthday so she can finally put away the Easter basket (since Easter this year, she's been putting the Easter basket around her neck and pretending it's a drum. We decided it was time for a REAL drum!). Needless to say, she took a special liking to her drum, and I think she might have a future in the drumline! Doesn't she have excellent form? :)

"Helping" mom get ready for the big party...but I'm pretty sure drinks are supposed to go in the cooler, not the birthday girl.

Andra also LOVES trains, and has become very attached to any store (ahem...Von Maur) that has a train set on display to play with while Mommy shops. Well, thanks to her Ma and Pa (Grandma & Grandpa), Andra now has her very own train set to play with!

The party theme was Curious George of course, her favorite buddy. Check out the gigantic balloon that her other Grandma and Grandpa got her. It takes helium to a whole new level and will likely last 'til Christmas!

Her Curious George birthday cake that was so cute and oh-so-yummy! (made by the baker who also made our wedding cake!)

"Uncle J" hanging out at the toddler table!

Andra daintily eating her birthday cake. This is as messy as it got, folks. She was quite the little lady.

So that makes it official. It's been exactly two years since a little blonde-hair, blue-eyed angel changed our world forever. We couldn't be luckier.

Summer's End

If you know me very well, you know fall makes me giddy. It's my favorite season for thousands of reasons! So lucky for us, when last weekend FELT like fall, we had a bonfire scheduled with my good friend Katy from my college days. Her son, Tate, is just a few months older than Andra, so they'll have an arranged marriage in about 25 years. ;)

We headed to her family's house waaaaaaay out in the country, and I think Andra thought she'd died and gone to heaven! She got feed some nearby farm animals...

...and ride a school bus! Which I think made her entire year. Katy's mom drives a school bus for the local school system, and she offered to take the kids for a spin. Andra LOVES school busses, but has never ridden one... and you should've seen her eyes light up when I told her she could RIDE the school bus. Needless to say, she enjoyed the short trip around the countryside. Hopefully her legs will be a little longer when she starts school and she won't have to crawl up the stairs. Hehe. :)

"Yay!! On the school bus!"

On another unseasonably cool day, I decided to take Andra on a pony ride at a nearby state park. She was grinning ear to ear as soon as she was in the saddle! I love discovering little things around town that make her smile!

Busy Busy Busy!

For the most part, we're homebodies, but the last 10 days or so, we've had a LOT to do! We hardly ever have plans on weeknights especially, but we spent almost every night last week out and about! So I've hardly had time to sit down and blog about it. This (Sunday) was the first day we finally had a chance to just "veg," and it was glorious! So this is a whirlwind get-you-up-to-date edition...

In the last couple weeks, Andra...

...went to the zoo with me and her cousin Molly, who happily rode the kiddie train with her without complaint (did I mention Molly is only in 8th grade and already 6 feet tall??)

...went to her cousin Garrett's 2nd birthday party (my sister's son) and happily made a mess of his birthday cake (while saying "mess! mess!")

...also tested out some of his new birthday toys, and took a special liking to his tool belt!

...swam in her Grandma's baby pool for the first time this summer (finally got some HOT weather!) and developed a baby pool addiction in just a matter of minutes...

...went to the State Fair and "shared" a chocolate shake with Dad (although she was actually trying to shove the ice cream off HIS spoon when there were just a few precious bites left)...

...rode the carousel at the State Fair. Twice!

...and just so you don't think we've forgotten all about Pudge amidst all the summer excitement, you'll be happy to know he made a splash at an annual dog swim we always take him to at a nearby park. Before they close the pool for the season, they let the dogs have free reign of the pool for the night, and Pudge LOVES IT. He swam. And swam. And swam. And stole multiple dog toys, tennis balls, and frisbees from other dogs who don't have the same swimming proess that he does. He always proves he's a water dog when we take him swimming. Here he is successfully beating two other labs to the prized tennis ball.

Andra getting a kick out of all the action at the dog swim.

...and finally, some quality cuddle time with her big bro Pudge.

Shew! So like I said, it's been a busy couple weeks. We've got a pretty boring week on schedule now, and I think we're all happy to have some lazy time. Summer can be hard work! :)

Celebrating 40 Years!

This is how it all started 40 years ago when my mom and dad said "I do"...

In late June, my parents celebrated their 40th anniversary, and we wanted to do something really special for them. My sister, brother and I planned a surprise 40th anniversary party the weekend of their anniversary, and it was a hit! (I'm finally posting about it because we hired a professional photographer to take pictures that day, and we just got the pictures back!) Plus, I was so busy playing hostess that day, that I only managed to snap one picture, and it wasn't even a good one!

Here are Mom and Dad arriving and realizing what was going on. They were stunned, to say the least. We'd told them to meet us at this park to have family pictures taken (which is why my whole family matches in khaki and white...it was all part of the ploy!)

The pastor of our church also led Mom and Dad in a ceremony to renew their vows. Mom walked down the "aisle" with a bouquet my sister had designed to look just like her original bridal bouquet. The maid of honor (my mom's sister) and the best man (my dad's friend) were there too!

Me and my big sis...partners in crime to pull the whole day off without a hitch! :)

We borrowed this awesome car (a '59 Chevy, I think?) from a friend. Dad loves it, so we knew it'd make the day even more special if they got to drive some cool wheels around town that day. They took it downtown for dinner that night, and the grandkids all went for a spin too!

The happy couple...

We also had a wedding cake made for them to resemble their original cake. It turned out VERY retro (definitely looked like a '60s cake!), and was delicious too!

The whole family...my parents, their kids, son-in-laws and three grandkids. To quote one of my favorite country songs..."All because two people fell in love."

The day was absolutely perfect, and I wouldn't change a single thing about it. The best part was seeing how happy my parents were. They've done so many special things for their kids, it was nice to do something really special for them. They gave my sister and I beautiful and unforgettable wedding days, so hopefully this is an unforgettable anniversary for them too. They still haven't stopped talking about what a great day it was! I'm so lucky to have parents who love me so much, but more importantly, love each other!

A Trip to the County Fair

Terrible-for-you deep fried food? $12

Rickety carni rides that make mom nervous? $6

Farm animals and all the poop to go with them? (That's free in Indiana!)

Introducing Andra to another Indiana summer ritual? Priceless. :)