A Busy Weekend...

Since last October Nathan has been asking almost weekly when we will be able to back to the pumpkin patch.  And Kate has been eager to get to an apple orchard for an afternoon of picking.   This weekend we made both the kids happy, and we had a lot of quality family time in the process.

Saturday morning while Josh was working hard, Grandma Ann, Kate, Nathan and I headed to a small mom and pop orchard just down the road from us.  Being new to the area we are still exploring the farms trying to find out which ones to frequent.  I'm not sure I'll be going back to this one, but we made the best of it and the kids had a lot of fun scouting out the good apples.  Kate got to pick from the tree this year - only having to jump for a few branches.  Nathan searched the ground for apples worthy of taking home - and at a 50% discount since they were on the ground.  Not bad.    We have a large bowl for eating and another bowl waiting for me to make them into applesauce this week.

On Sunday we met my parents at Brookfield Farm in Frederick, Maryland.  This was our third year returning to their Pumpkin Patch.  We love that we are supporting a local farm.  I also love the emphasis on autumn harvest rather than Halloween.  No witches or ghosts to be found at this farm.  It was an added blessing having Papa and Gigi there to find the perfect pumpkin...or pumpkins as the case was.

The hay ride is one of Nathan's favorite parts of the pumpkin  patch!  He and Kate both got to sit on the tractor. 

Daddy made it fun game searching the fields for the perfect shaped pumpkin.  Daddy picked his and the kids got to choose their own too!

 Papa Gallagher and Gigi both left with pumpkins too.  Gigi and I both took home a Jarrahdale Blue Pumpkin.  They are know for a sweet flavor and make a fantastic soup.

They also have a field of cooking squash.  I usually stock up on my butternut for the winter.  I must have left with about 15 -20 pounds of butternut squash.  And tonight we had one of my favorite fall soups with one of Sunday's picks:  Italian Sausage and Butternut Squash Soup.  (See side bar for the recipe.)

The day was beautiful on Sunday, high 70's with sunshine and a cool breeze.  The fresh air was hypnotic calling us on to another adventure.  Josh suggested we stop by Cunningham Falls State Park and take the kids on a hike to the base of the falls.  They had a blast!  We all had a blast!  I love hiking with the kids and Josh.  I look forward to doing more of it in the future.

 Nathan searched long and hard for a walking stick.  He couldn't have been more proud of his find!

I love autumn - the crisp air, the bright blue skies contrasting with the magnificent reds, oranges and yellows of the changing leaves.  The smell of fireplaces burning in the evening.  The roadside stands filled with Honeycrisp apples, squash, and corn.  It has always been my favorite season.  You can take the girl out of New England but never New England out of the girl. 

Summertime...Summertime...gone to the breeze of autumn's whisper

I really do hate it when I let months go by without posts.  I so enjoy writing.  And this blog is one outlet for me.  But this summer has been CRAZY!!!!!    It is all a big blur.  But I wanted to fill you in on a few highlights to catch us up to date.

JUNE:  MOVING, UNPACKING and more unpacking

We moved into our new house on June 1st.  We love our community here in Purcellville, Virginia.  It has been fun exploring new roads, towns, playgrounds, and shops.  It has also been fun getting to know the neighbors.  All in all we are so blessed to be living int he home we have in the community we are in.

 Kate and Nathan at town hall.

 Nathan had to visit the local fire department!  They have free ice-scream sundaes every month throughout the summer.  It is a very big hit with my kids!

Hamilton Park has also become a favorite spot for my kids.

 

Papa Dan took the kids to Leesburg Animal Park one afternoon.  That was a lot of fun!

 

And Kate lost her first tooth in June with the second tooth falling out soon after.

JULY:  ROAD TRIP - Ann was spending some time in Washington state with her daughters and other grandchildren.  Then she was tasked with driving their car back to Virginia.   Ann made a few stops to visit family in Oregon and Idaho.  Then I met up with her in Utah to finish the drive.  We spent a few extra days in Moab, Utah, exploring Capital Reef National Park (my favorite), Arches National Park, and Canyonlands.  Amazing country- like nothing I have ever seen before.   I loved being there.

 

 Nathan and Kate tracked our progress across the country on a big map that Papa Dan set up for them.  Each night they would mark our route after I called in to say goodnight. 

 We were blessed to see an amazing sunset as we drove across Kansas.  Beautiful.

 The history teacher in my loved the historic monuments.  I was very excited to see the Mississippi River too.  Our country is so big and so diverse - I hope I get to see a lot more of it years to come. It was a fun trip for me, but it was also the longest I've been away from my kids.  I was ready to get home.

AUGUST: Fair and birthdays!

I made sure I was home from my trip in time for two occassions:  the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair and Kate's 6th birthday.  It's a tradition now that we go to the fair on her actual birthday.  Both kids were so excited and looking forward to it, so Josh and I decided we would drive back to Maryland so they could go to the fair again.  Plus, Kate's pre-school teacher, Mrs. Russo, has lambs and pigs in the fair.  She was willing to give the kids a behind the scenes look at the animals.  Can't resist that, now could we?  :)

 Keeping with the animal theme, we had a pony birthday party.  Kate has been very interested in horses this summer.  She was able to visit a friend's horse in July and something clicked with her.  I definetely see horseback riding lessons in Kate's future.  Good thing we live in horse country now.


Kate leading Harper down a path.  Big horse.  Little Kate.  Nervous Mommy.  But they did great together!  At Kate's party we had a pony that gave each of the kids rides.  And another minature horse that the kids could pet, and groom and "decorate".  It was a lot of fun.

August also brought us a new family member, Salem the kitten.  He is the most tolerant cat I have ever met.  Kate adores him! She had been asking for a kitten for 2 years now.  So thought her birthday would be a good occasion to grant her wish. Salem is technically Kate's cat, but we all love him.  We adopted him from the animal shelter at 4 months of age.  He is the perfect blend of tolerant and playful.

It's been a good summer.   A busy one, but one full of laughter, blessing, and family. 

A Day in the Park

Literally we needed a day in the park today - a family day to focus on the kids and just being together.  It has been a crazy week for Josh and I.  Two weeks ago we found our dream house in Virgina.  So tomorrow our house officially goes on the market.  What is not being said is that everyday Josh and I have been busting our tails to de-clutter, pack, and do all those home improvement projects that we have put off!  We have been exhausted and haven't had a lot of extra time to focus on the kids.  After all, a trip to Home Depot everyday does not excite our Kate!

It was raining this morning, but this afternoon the sun came out and the weather was beautiful.  So we headed out for walk around the ponds that the kids love so much (and that we will miss when we do finally move).

Flowers are in bloom everywhere, and as I have instructed Kate to please stop picking the daffodils and tulips that are in bloom in our front yard (curb appeal is important you know!), I let her and Nathan have it with these pretty purple flowers we found on our walk.

 Kate loves the swing.  And as she clearly pointed out, Mommy does not push as high as Daddy.  (On purpose I might add.)  But today she got her thrill as Daddy let her fly through the air until her adrenaline fill had been met.

Nathan on the other hand would rather play with dirt - or mulch in this case.  Have at it big boy!

We are very excited about moving to a new house.  The new neighborhood has nice walking paths, but I must admit we have enjoyed our time walking around the ponds and exploring our little piece of nature just out our front door.