Shadybrook Farms Apple Festival

I don't know about everyone else, but after a truly, long, hot summer, I've been ready for signs of fall. For once, I didn't mind seeing Halloween decorations in the store...in August. I've started setting aside a few new soup recipes I want to try and Norrin has begun asking, "is it fall yet?". So, when I saw Shadybrook Farms was having an apple festival, I thought weather be damned, we're gonna pick some apples! It definitely was not fall weather and it wasn't exactly a festival (four random craft booths and a bouncy bounce), but it didn't stop Norrin from enjoying their super fun playground and picking some apples.



Of course, first, there was a nap.
Pumpkins!

Norrin's favorite part of the playground- the playhouse. He said it was Norrin's special house. Downstairs were all his toys and movies and upstairs is where he sleeps and when people come to visit he gives them milk and cookies.

Peek-a-boo, Da!

On the tractor ride to do some apple picking. Norrin wanted his bag open and ready and got mad at me every time I tried to crinkle it up.

He loved climbing the ladder for apples.

But Mommy had to carry him when he wasn't climbing ladders.

Picture of our family photographer taken by himself. Poor Da...if it wasn't for him none of our adventures would ever get documented properly.

Waiting for the tractor to pick us up.

Playing with Da in the "tickle plants".

What a fun day!

Soaking Up The Last Bit of Summer

Its been all about the playgrounds for this active lil guy. We're still having quite a few hot days, but we know the weather will be changing soon and we'll be forced to find other ways to exhaust the toddler energy.

I love his flushed cheeks...looks just like his mama...and his da. Man, we're a pale family :).

Happy Anniversary!

Thanks to this wild man...
I truly value our quiet moments together :).

Four years of marriage have flown by, but they have been truly happy years. Thank you for being the loving and amazing man you are. Words cannot describe what a great husband and father you are. I love you, Todd Michael!

NJ Sheep Breeders' Sheep and Fiber Festival

Yesterday, my loving husband humored his knitting-obsessed wife and took me to a sheep and fiber festival. Its a four barn setup and it was actually a lot of fun. They had sheep, goats, alpacas, llamas and angora rabbits. Norrin ran and climbed and enjoyed posing in front of the painted cutouts of sheep and pumpkins. I enjoyed the yarn :).

Photo by Norrin. Wish I could say I'm sticking it out, but I've been bloated and round for about a month now.

Caught by Todd loving the yarn.

Photo by Norrin- Da through the cutout.

Taa Daa!

Baaaa!

Ummm...other way, Nor Nor.

The end result-After a beautiful day spent outside, I left with a skein of blue for Norrin's winter hat, five skeins of that yummy yellow-orange and one giant skein of the pumpkin, as well as some roving and a hand spindle to possibly learn a new skill. Norrin decided he wanted to get out the swift and ball winder last night and he started making my skeins into "bird nests" as he calls them :). He's getting pretty good at winding Mommy's yarn.

Our Adirondack Vacation

So, we left good ol' Philadelphia for a lil bit of mountain air. There was a pit stop at my mom and Wayne's before we were off to a cabin on Lake Vanare in the Adirondack region of NY. Below are just a few of the many photos we (Todd) took. It was tough to narrow them down, but I think you'll see just how much fun Norrin had :).



There are a few things Norrin must always do when he is on the farm. Swing really high on grandmom's swing. And for the record, Da swings him much higher than Mommy. Norrin made a point of telling me that numerous times.
Look out Da! He's about to charge!

A picture by the pond...before the frog hunt begins.

Lots and lots of bouncing on Grandmom Jump's trampoline.

Some quality time spent with Blue.

And a little rest on a big bale of hay.

Once we got to the lake, it was time for a canoe ride with Mommy and Da.

We got a visit from this family! We haven't seen Nicole and Collin in years and it was our first time meeting Corbin.

Corbin and Norrin became quick friends. They played on the volleyball/badminton court...

Climbed walls...

A lot of wall climbing...

And ran down stairs at speeds so fast, I'm pretty sure we all had a small heart attack...

Collin was sweet enough to take a picture of our lil family with the gorgeous view of Lake George behind us.

Norrin and I ventured out a little farther on the dock...

...but he was ready to turn back halfway down :).

He made many visits to our floating dock outside our cabin.

He picked up leaves and floated them into the lake.

Our cabin is the one on the right. Lots of time was spent out back by the lake or on our balcony overlooking our beautiful view.

There were also lots and lots of large rocks for Norrin to climb on.

And for one of our last adventures, we took him to the Magic Forest, which is part of the Storybook Land franchise. Everything was perfectly kid-sized and needless to say, Norrin loved it. Da went on the Ferris wheel with Norrin (please note the look of fear in Da's eyes...he is not a big fan of Ferris wheels).

Mommy went down a giant, plastic, narrow slide that was obscenely high in the air and had a weight limit of 150 pounds. Thank goodness this picture is slightly blurred so you can't see just how utterly terrified I was. And yes, I did drag my hand behind us in a futile attempt to slow us down. Goddamn fearless child!

After Norrin was done terrorizing his parents, we explored all the little buildings. Norrin loved the Snow White house and this giant pumpkin.


See how much happier Mommy is to be firmly on the ground.

All in all, it was a wonderful end of summer vacation. Lake Vanare is small and family-friendly. We did so much, but never felt like our days were rushed to get it all in. There was tubing down the Hudson River, miniature golf, Water Slide World, visits to Lake George for ice cream and breakfasts at a wonderful place called Molly's Mason Jar. We were close enough to Albany that we got visits from Grandmom Jump, Uncle and Pop Pop Fish. Norrin took naps almost every single day, which allowed me some knitting time and Da some reading time. The weather was beautiful and it was a really perfect way to end the summer.