Apple Picking

It's Fall!  Lucy has made a song, or more of a cheer that she will shout triumphantly: "Fall is arrived!  Fall is arrived!  Fall has arrived today!"

Lucy loves reading.  Every day we read a chapter out of a chapter book together.  After that, it's nap/rest time for everybody.  She has taken to using that time to make illustrations of many of her favorite chapter books.  Here is one from a book called Schoolhouse in the Woods.  It's sort of a Little House of the Prairie book aimed towards slightly younger kids.  In this chapter, it rains so hard and so long that the foot bridge that the kids take to school is washed away in the river.  All of the kids think they are stuck at school forever until a dad drives his carriage through the river to get them and bring them home.  Below you will see the dad driving the carriage, the red ball with long legs is the horse.  All the little days with T's above them are all the children.  The T's are their umbrellas :-)

Another one from Schoolhouse in the Woods.  This is a ladybug, a daddy long legs, a butterfly and a turtle they named Grandpap.

Lucy, self portrait. (Homeschool art lesson)

Another self portrait.

Another self portrait.

Some snuggling on a chilly fall morning.

Okay, here we are at the apple orchard.  The kids have been looking forward to this field trip all month!  Earlier this month, they learned about apple seeds and how they grow.  Here is a misguided group shot where everyone is looking into the sun.

 Pumpkins!

 Charlie was not entirely sure about this place yet.  I think he was upset because we hadn't seen any apples yet...

 After a long walk, we finally made it to the apple trees.  We had a short lesson on not picking up apples off the ground and especially not eating them off the ground.  Charlie was really excited.

 I had to give Lucy a limit.  We ended up picking about 15 lbs.

 Charlie could have picked apples all day.  He loved it!  Here are some videos of the process.  He did this for every apple he picked:

http://youtu.be/-R7NRfY8LTQ

http://youtu.be/qBhAQYTCJVo

 Peter managed to pick a few from the backpack carrier.

 A very smart mom brought a wheel barrow and carried allll of our apples back.

 Peter was ready to get down and explore.  Unfortunately, he had his sights set on a lake that was beyond the play area.  He cried bitterly every time I picked him up and brought him back to the play area.  But then he would just get right back up and walk over there again (not a short walk either).

 Okay, the play area is not so bad after all!

 This farm also had lots of animals.  Charlie wanted to kiss them all.

A great first field trip for the year!

Summer

The rest of the summer flew by! The kids and I kept ourselves busy visiting beaches, finding new parks, playing with friends, etc etc, while James studied hard for a test in mid-August.  

Lucy still loves arranging her "guys."

Charlie and Peter are too cool for chairs and instead prefer to sit on the table.

 This is extremely rare and had to be captured on film:

They are expanding a trail that runs near our house, so we had over a month of very exciting construction truck viewing.

Lucy wrote me a cute note:

 "Dear Mommy, Every time I look out the window, I think how fun fun night is. Love, Lucy"

(We've been having a weekly family fun night where we go to a park or something.)

 Here's the envelope it came in.  Charles, Lucy, Peter and Sarah (her doll!)

 A busy man who is always on the go these days!

After James took his exam, he had to make up some time at work.  After he did that, we had two days before his semester started again!  We decided to take advantage of them in the best way possible and have a little mini-vacation.  One day at the beach, one day at the mountains!

Peter's swimsuit actually does fit, he just kept pulling it up over his belly!

 I love this one.  Charlie is so happy at this beach because it is actually a man-made lake.  He loves the water, loves the sand, but does not enjoy the motion of the waves!  So, this still lake, makes him very happy.

Day 2: Mountains at Shenendoah State Park.

 Everyone got a walking stick.

Charlie wanted a walking stick too.

This trail led to a nice little waterfall.

We got to see some wildlife too: a snake, some deer, butterflies, a frog, and the smallest snail you can imagine (Lucy spied it).

Admittedly, the hike back up was slightly less fun (300 and some foot incline), but we did it with minimal complaining!

We took a drive along Sky View Drive to see some more impressive views.

And played around the picnic area.

Here are a few taken from just a regular day in our backyard.  Goofers being goofy.

Big man with a stick.  

Peter enjoys holding this big stick and marching up and down the walk.

And no, I did not mean to dress them in matching white shirts and plaid blue pants.  Believe it or not, it just happened.

Check out the farmer's tan!  We have spent a lot of time outside this summer.

First day of school!

Lucy started her first day of kindergarten on Monday.  We're homeschooling and will be joining in co-ops for group activities on Tuesdays and Fridays.  She's had a great first week.

Charlie's first day of school!  Charlie will be going to a Montessori toddler room on Wednesday and Thursday mornings at our local parish, while continuing therapy at home.  Here are some pictures I snapped this morning before he had his introduction (ie. just him seeing the classroom and meeting the teachers for the time).  His first day with other kids is next week.  He was too busy and excited to pose!  He said, "School?  School.  Okay."