Apples, Apples, and More Apples!

If you were around Logan at all this Fall you probably saw him eating a "bapple". One of his most requested snacks are apples. Last year we decided to make it a family tradition to go to an apple orchard every year to pick "special" apples to make a dessert. This year our dessert of choice was homemade applesauce! In addition to our apple pickings at the orchard, one of my closest friends has apple trees in her yard. So, we had apples coming out of our ears this year. We have jars and jars of applesauce that we get to enjoy all winter long! Logan has found out that some apples are a bit more sour than others. I always enjoy watching his facial expressions after the 1st bite of each apple!

Logan and I were able to run around at the orchard twice this Fall.  Once with our sweet friend, Kathi, and our last visit was with Daddy, Aunt Tami, and Steven. This little guy could not get enough apples! He was able to pick his own apple this year and even shared it with Mommy. It was quite funny to Logan that Mommy would take a bite, then Logan would take a bite. Sweet giggles were heard as we shared our apple! Logan had an apple in his hand the entire time. This year Logan enjoyed the wagon rides and pointed to trees, the sky, and pumpkins. It was fun to watch his little face as he took it all in. 

Overnight Getaway

Now that we are past our 1st year of parenting, we realize that an occasional getaway is needed to help rejuvenate our marriage. We have also realized that we need to be intentional about maintaining friendships with no distractions of children around. So, back in September we decided to have our 1st overnight outing away from Logan. Logan stayed with Aunt Tami while we went off to build our marriage and our friendship with our dear friends. We started our night off by going to Rainbow Cafe. This is by far our favorite restaurant in the area. Loved it and had a wonderful conversation over dinner! 

After dinner we headed out to the Elizabeth Lodge. This was Katie's 1st time to stay at the Lodge. She was in awe of its beauty. We spent the evening talking about life, health issues, and I think we even talked about poop a time or two. It was so nice to have someone just sit and listen to all we have been through this year and in return do the same as they shared openly. At times it can be hard to be open, honest, and real. But, having a few close friends know how they can pray and support you in the most intimate ways is powerful. I believe that is what true fellowship with others is about!

We all took advantage of having no responsibilities and slept in as long as we desired! We had a simple egg breakfast, got ready, and then played or I should say started a game of Settlers. Between talking too much and Kevin taking FOREVER to make his moves we were not able to finish the game. Ok, correction. We were not able to finish the game at the Lodge. We took pictures of the board, cards in hand, and everything else we needed to set the game back up at another time. Crazy, but we all were itching to see who would get to sign the box. The game is now finished and we do have a winner! 

We enjoyed warm chili and apple slices for lunch. It was delish! We ended our time together with a few photos off the deck. While we were outside we took in the beautiful scenery. The weekend couldn't have been better. Thank you, Travis and Katie, for giving us a full night away. I know how precious and valuable time is and we enjoyed every moment of it! We love you!

Proud Little Boy

Fall is here and I am finding ourselves indoors a lot more during the day. It is easy to get stir crazy with a toddler, so Logan and I have been doing more indoor crafts together.  With Christmas right around the corner I thought it would be special to make a hand print ornament. Logan literally did a little dance when he found out I was going to let him stand on the chair to make this craft! He did such a good job mixing the dough, rolling it out, and making his hand prints. After 3 hours of baking it was all done. Now I just need to paint it and it will be ready to hang on our Christmas tree!

One Proud Boy!

Baking with Mommy

I hope Logan's love for baking with mommy never grows old.  He enjoys each step of the process. I think his favorite part is licking the spoon...that is until the oven beeps and he gets to devour his cookie! Setting a morning aside to bake has slowly become a part of our weekly routine. Each week Logan is able to do more and more to help. This week we are going to tackle pumpkin cookies!

Yummy to my tummy

Waiting...waiting...waiting

Mommy the cookies are ready!