Preschool Field Trip

A few weeks ago, Michael's preschool class took a field trip to Northern Star Farm. It's the only working dairy farm in our area. The kids had so much fun touring the farm and seeing the animals. Michael was thrilled when he was able to pet a cow, a goat, a donkey, a horse and some sheep. I was completely amazed at how fearless he was when he walked up to each of them and started petting them.

After touring the milking area and visiting the other animals, we headed out to a corn maze. We were with a group from preschool and it was so funny when no none could find their way out of the maze. I have to admit that it was a bit of a challenge considering that we were in the middle of a corn field and I was trying to push AJ in the stroller. Yikes! Michael continued walking until we backtracked our way out again, but he didn't enjoy that experience much at all.




















We were then taken back inside so that we could enjoy some fresh apple cider, juice boxes and cookies. AJ was thrilled to be out of the stroller and munching on some snacks. It was the first time he was out of the stroller all morning and he was absolutely angelic.

Next, we took a ride out into the pumpkin fields to handpick our own pumpkin. It didn't take long before Michael found "just the right one". We cleaned it off and he picked it up and carried it back to the wagon. Once we got back to the farm, he decorated it with farm animal stickers.

After the field trip was over and I had loaded them into the car, I took note of the "extras" we were taking home with us: some dirty, SMELLY shoes on Michael, a class sign (but not ours) that AJ somehow got his hands on and a beautifully decorated pumpkin.

What a wonderful, fun day we had!

I don't know.

It's been one of those days...

The house looks like a tornado hit it, the boys were fighting all morning and I'm just exhausted from Michael getting up at least once (if not three times) EVERY night.

So, I decided to get them out of the house today - especially since it's so beautiful (64 degrees!) We went on a simple shopping trip to Walmart (which we haven't been to in months) to see if we could find some jammies for AJ and to get some baskets for a project for work (which I am not allowed to talk about or name online). Anyway, we didn't find any pajamas I liked, but we did find some cute (most importantly - inexpensive!) baskets that will work perfectly. The boys were so pleased just to be out and about.

On the way home, I decided to grab some fast food for Michael and I so that I could feed them quickly and then get them down for a nap. Oh, I'm so looking forward to a few minutes of quiet mommy time this afternoon! I absolutely adore my boys, but I do have these type of days once in a while. Anyway, I pulled into Wendy's to grab a hamburger and fries for us. As soon as we turned in Michael said, "Wendy's!" I didn't think he would know that - it's not like I go there that often. I know he's a very smart boy, but obviously I don't give him nearly enough credit. It's probably because of the fact that, until recently, he wasn't very verbal. In the last month, he has had such a burst in his overall speech. It's been an amazing thing to see. God's really done incredible things with this little boy. His largest delay was speech and he's finally making some huge progress now!

So, we got home with our food and I was sitting there in between the boys at the table feeding AJ and talking with Michael as he was eating his hamburger and fries. I asked him if he liked it and he said, "M-hm." I then asked him if he preferred McDonald's or Chic-Fil-A. He thought about it for a few minutes and then looked at me and said, "I don't know." I couldn't believe my ears. I know this doesn't sound like a big deal at all, but for anyone who knows Michael and what we've been through - this is a huge thing. He has NEVER said that before. Obviously, he's now starting to talk in full sentences! Yae!!!!!

I really needed something exciting like that, especially on a day like today.

Fall Festival

A few weeks ago, Frank was in Chicago for a few days on business. Whenever he is gone, I try to keep the boys busy. It just so happened that there was a Fall Festival at the Sunnybrook Country Club while he was gone, so I decided to take the boys. The grounds were decorated beautifully with flowers, pumpkins and other fall decorations.

Inside there were tons of vendors selling beautiful homemade crafts and many sweet treats. Outside they were giving wagon rides. They also had fire trucks and an ambulance that you could go inside. AJ enjoyed being out and about with all the activity. I thought that Michael would love the firetruck, but when we went up to it for a closer look, he got really nervous. I think he was intimidated by its size. His favorite thing of the day was the ambulance. He surprised us all by walking right up the steps and into the back of it. He was all smiles while checking out all the equipment and showing me where 'sick people sleep'. The EMT made his day by giving him a special color book and crayons. It was so cute. He thanked him and then asked for another for AJ!

Apple Picking

Last weekend we went to Highland Orchard to do some apple picking. This has been a tradition of ours since we moved out here almost ten years ago. We always go to the same location - Highland Orchard. It's a great place with lots of stuff to do - especially for the kids. They have a cute little playground, some goats (which we ALWAYS have to feed), a wonderful little store (with a great bakery!) and a deli. They drive you out to whatever orchard you want, based on the type of fruits you want to pick. We usually have some of our friends go with us. This year, our friends John and Cyndy (along with their daughter Ashleigh) and Mandy joined us.

The kids had so much fun feeding the goats. We then let them play on the playground for a few minutes before heading out to the orchards. The kids were such big helpers and had a blast! They all LOVED the apples - even AJ (who had never tried biting into a whole apple before). It was an absolutely perfect day to be outside. This is my favorite time of the year! The weather was gorgeous and the leaves were just starting to change color, making the valley a breathtaking sight.

We packed our apples up and headed out to catch a ride back to the store so we could get a few specialty items. Their apple cider donuts were unbelievable! I wish I had gotten more - one was not nearly enough. After we finished shopping, we stopped at Ludwig's Corner to buy some mums, hay, and pumpkins to decorate the entrance of our houses. Last, we headed to Isaac's for some lunch.

By the time we got home, the boys were exhausted. I put them to bed and started working on the apples (with my handy dandy apple/peeler/corer). It took a few hours, but I got them all peeled, cored and cut up. I made a pan of apple crisp and froze the rest. It's so nice to be able to make fresh apple desserts during the wintertime. It was such a fun day!

The Farmer's Market

The boys and I met some friends at the Phoenixville Farmers Market on Saturday. We had a good time. AJ loved all the activity and Michael was thrilled when he got a green balloon. My highlight was buying bread from Great Harvest Bakery. My favorite is the cinnamon swirl (which is just like a cinnamon roll). Other than buying it from the Farmer's Market, the closest location to us is in Wayne, PA. It's a wonderful chain of stores that originated in my hometown of Great Falls, Montana! Imagine that!

A Special Mother's Day

A day that started out as a little bit of a bummer turned out to be great. Frank had to work from 7am until 10pm with a two hour break in between – just long enough to catch a nap. Frank made sure to bring me home a card and some flowers to make sure that I felt special, but it was tough knowing that he had to go back to work. I anticipated a quiet day with just me and the boys. We had just gotten home from church when a friend of mine called and asked if we would like to join her and her family for a fun day at the Philly Zoo! I was so excited. I have been wanting to take the boys to the zoo for a long time now and have not had the opportunity!

I gave Michael an early lunch and put both boys down for a nap before our big adventure. By early afternoon, we packed up and headed out. Both of the boys had so much fun. The weather was great, so we did the outside exhibits. We were able to see some elephants, giraffes, zebras, monkeys, rhinos, hippos, lions and tigers – just to name a few!

Our friends were so thoughtful to include us in their special family outing. Again, I am feeling really blessed to have such amazing friends!

This turned out to be an extra special day! We can’t wait to go back again sometime when Frank can join us. Michael will love showing daddy all the animals that he saw!

I hope all of you mothers had a very special day!