Apples of My Eye

The kids and I spent a beautiful weekend tromping around New Hampshire. (Daddy took a well-deserved camping trip with some of his friends.) We visited a few of the places where my sisters and I carved out our own Fall childhood memories. I could still imagine our four little girl frames tumbling up and down the rows of apple trees and reaching as high as we could for the best fruits. And I had visions of my little sisters, hair gone loose and wild,  hanging upside down on the monkey bars and heard them cast tiny pebbles down the metal slides, the sound like an orchestra of rain sticks. All those memories filled my mind's eye, creating a soft back drop for the three littles who explored and climbed and laughed and cast those same pebbles down that same slide just as we once did--in real time. I love that their sturdy legs and windblown hair and well-rosed cheeks and laughter on the piney breeze have added a second layer of goodness to all that I already love. They make their own memories of this place I still call home. Here are a few photos of how my little apples and I spent our weekend together.

 We filled our bellies with french toast Saturday morning, our imaginations with play, and then headed to the apple orchard for some tree climbing, apple reaching fun.

 K was a little nervous about the tractor ride at first.

 But he jumped right into the apple picking when we arrived at the orchard.

 E loved exploring the orchard, looking for apple varieties and studying gypsy moth webs. I had to snap a few pictures of the gauzy orbs to show Daddy, while Grammy walked at a brisk pace in the opposite direction. "Grammy doesn't do bugs!" she called over her shoulder.

 In the end, K loved the tractor best of all...and keeping pace with Papa.

 A loved finding perfectly miniature apples to pack in her lunch box.

 There just isn't anything better than gathering those three littles in my arms.

 "Some keep the Sabbath going to Church-- / [We kept] it staying at Home / With a Boblink for a Chorister /And an Orchard for a Dome--" Sunday was a day to relax, play outside, go for a walk, and pack up to head home.

K has been practicing the command to "Stop." We realized he needed some guidance the day Mama had to chase him, screaming "STOP!" while he nearly ran off the top of a ten-foot high playground platform. The school bus at the playground this weekend made a great object lesson!

In other family news...Our little boy is starting to use the big boy potty, saying all kinds of words, and even finally starting to eat meat! Our A is thriving at preschool after a rocky start. She loves art and science and free play time the best. She keeps a tiny square of Mama's baby blanket tucked in her sleeve or pinned to her backpack for when she's missing home or feeling nervous, and it seems to be just the boost she needs to really enjoy herself. We couldn't be prouder of her accomplishments. Miss E is loving first grade. She is blossoming in front of us. I've been enjoying her laughter, her jokes, her poems she creates on the spot that have both rhyme and meter. I see it in her eyes--the way she soaks up all life has to offer, the way she mulls over its complexities and savors its pleasures.