Visit with Grandparents West

A few weekends ago we went down to LaGrange to visit with the Grandparents and celebrate Daddy-O's birthday.  While there, we spent a lot of time jump-roping, hoola-hooping, racing, walking, and kayaking in the lake with Uncle Jim.  We are blessed to be close enough to visit family again, and so thankful that our kids are old enough to remember their Great-Grandparents.

During our trip, I was able to sneak away for a few hours to visit my sweet college friend, Bethany just a half hour away.  It wasn't nearly long enough, and there isn't a single photo to prove it happened, but it is in my heart :)

Sayings and Quotes

***Little Raindrop is in the cutest stage where she comes up to us with a smooshy face and says with whispered voice, "I love you too much!"  She is definitely the doted-upon youngest child, as we all love her so much.

***Hubry asked Bro last night, "Would you like to listen to GT and the Halo express tonight?"  The decisive answer was, "No, it doesn't really make me have ideas."

***Songbird asked cousin Marit, "Am I your best friend?"  She replied, "Yes!"  "Am I your first best friend?"  "Yes!"  After a pensive moment Songbird responded, "Why?  I'm not really kind to you!"

***Raindrop has started tacking on the phrase, or anything, to the end of statements she wants to add emphasis to.  Some of the cutest or anything phrases have been:
"No, I don't want it.  I don't want it or anything."
 "I don't want my bed.  I don't want it or anything.  Hey, Mapa, where are you?  I don't want it                      or anything!!!"
In the car Songbird was trying to cheer up little Raindrop by singing "Jesus Loves Me."                       When that didn't work she started with the ABC song.  Finally, utterly beside herself,                             Raindrop said, "No, I don't want Bible Tells me, ABC's, or anything!

***The kids love identifying the birds at our bird-feeder.  Every time we have a visitor stopping for a bite to eat, there is general excitement and celebration.  I was surprised the other day when I noticed Raindrop was calling birds by their specific names (and getting them right).  Mama, a chickadee, a chickadee!

Songbird at rest time today

Smile!

It was a long time coming, but she finally lost that tooth!

Apple Season

Last weekend we went to an apple orchard near Ellijay, GA with the Gents.  We picked two smaller bags of apples, and purchased a very big bag of apples (for only $15).  We first guessed how many were in the bag, and Aida wrote the names and guesses on our chalkboard (she likes for everything to be official).

Next we placed the apples in a straight line to count them,

then organized them by 5's to check ourselves,

and finally confirmed that there were 48 apples in all.  Benjamin was the winner (only 2 off), though I decided to give all participants a few candy corn to welcome Fall. :)

We spent the next 2 hours peeling and chopping apples while listening to Classical music (well, the kids lost steam somewhere around apple number 30, but they were a big help. )

It took my three biggest pots to cook them all down, but another hour later

and we had a lot of applesauce!  I left some in the pot b/c it was going to be used immediately in the making of fruit leather (something I've been wanting to try in my dehydrator for a while now).  48 apples (some rather large) ended up making about 11 quarts of applesauce.  11 quarts of applesauce for $15.  Not bad!

I don't have an official picture of this, but there was a big mess to clean up when all was said and done :)

Woodring Campground

Our neighbors (The Gents!)

Pensive by the fire

The audience (as we awaited "the show")

The show

With a varied cast

The first canoe trip (Daddies with the littles)

Beautiful late September day at Carter's Lake

These two played and played

and giggled and giggled

Me and Songbird with the jokesters...
Songbird did paddle a little at the beginning and end :)

Such a crazy creature Hubry found

Welcome to October