Wednesday, October 10, 2012

i LOVE fall

I love everything about this season.
1)B. starts to have shorter hours and it is 10 months until the hell that is July in the world of a golf course superintendent.
2) football
3) dinner simmering on the stove on Sunday afternoons-- chili, red beans and rice, beef stew.  It's all amazing
4)  my birthday
5) my birthday
6) tall boots
7) cool weather
8) my birthday
9) festivals and outdoor activities

I have never been apple picking before but we went this past weekend with our great friends.  The kids, had a blast!  And, the parents have a lot of apples to eat!

the Collins and Watson kids.  It was the best of 14 pics... 

Johnny Appleseed maybe?  I don't know who the orange haired girl is though... Thelma from scooby doo?

The hay ride with no hay looked way safer than the John Deere tractor pulling a cartesqe trailer





K. walked from tree to tree then simply picked one apple and spent the rest of the time carrying it around.


The best apple picking outfit ever.  K. will be wearing it next year.



Does he not scream, "I work on an orchard and drive kids around on a tractor all day?"  PS I love John Deere

The only thing better about next year... There is an orchard 15 minutes from our new house!



Saturday, October 6, 2012

healthy kids

I LOVE A's preschool.  In fact, on parents night, I left almost in in tears because K. won't go there and A. will have to switch schools before she starts kindergarten.  It is the only preschool that we ever toured that focuses on teaching kids to be friends and how to interact socially.  The curriculum, though is obviously effective since she knows all of her letters and can add any number up to 5 +5, takes a back burner to play and taking turns.

There is only one exception to the rave reviews that I have for her preschool.  It's a stupid thing to worry about and after one brief question at the back to school night, I let it drop.  You know, the boring night designed for parents to sit in tiny little chairs and listen.  Then, not ask questions during the question time without other parents staring angrily at them thinking, "shut up so I can get up off of this yellow chair before both of my legs are asleep."  That's right, I had to ask.

Question:  Timidly raising my hand amongst the stares of others, "A. came home and told me that she can't take a Hershey's kiss for dessert at lunch because she can't have candy.  Is this true?"

Answer:  "Yes, we are trying to focus on eating their healthy stuff so they can't have any candy.  If they wan't dessert they can have fruit snacks or a baked good.

My face:  What?  Are you kidding me with that answer?  I will not challenge this because no one wants to sit here any longer.  But, this is stupid and I am right.

Back story:  when K. was born we were lucky to have a lot of people bring us dinner.  Those very nice people usually also brought us dessert.  Since that time, we started battling A's sweet tooth and my new post pregnancy sweet tooth.  We settled on one chocolate.  Just enough to give the sweetness but not over indulge.  Now I am aloud to pack her fruit snacks which, in case you were wondering, have 80 calories and 19 g of sugar versus one Hershey's kiss has 22 calories and 2.7 g of sugar.  I would understand if they get confused about the "fruit" in the snacks, but a baked good?  Part of me wants to make those cookies that are peanut butter with a hershey's kiss on top.  Are those allowed?

Again, I know it's stupid so I just oblige and am thankful that A. has never brought it up again and is fine with no dessert.

Here's some pics from actually being healthy and running her first race on Sunday 9/30/12.  It was a 3K and my girl ran most of it.  She would go as fast as she possibly could for about 100 feet and then abruptly stop and walk for 5ish feet.  As soon as someone else would pass her, she started again.  Then, we figured out that as long as someone was cheering for her, she would run.  We just took turns clapping and screaming encouragement.  Her little beat red face made it to the finish line!


These 2 little guys ran across the finish line as well.  B., who was a little ahead of us heard another guy say that his only goal was to finish ahead of the two toddlers.  I think he barely made his goal:)



   There were little chocolates at the snack table.  What was missing? fruit snacks.  Again, I reiterate that I'm right.