Sunday Snapshots

The Tree Picture

I was just editing photos that I have taken in the past month and was looking at a picture of Abigail, standing between the 2 trunks of a tree, a few days after she turned 8.  The picture was taken at a local park where we were on a short hike.

As I looked at the picture, I thought I had already taken one of her just like that.  So, I went into my photo files from a few days before she turned 3, and sure enough, there was a picture of Abigail standing between the 2 trunks of a tree at my brother's house.

I put the two pictures side by side and couldn't get over it.  The lines from one tree to the next.  Almost the same pose by my girl, 5 years and 1 week apart.  It looks like it could have been the same tree or a planned picture set, but it was all 100% happy accident.

Kenny Weekend

Cousin Kenny came to visit for the weekend!  

First, we enjoyed a fun trip to Alexandria for sushi and drinks before catching the pre-Broadway run of the new musical Mean Girls at the National.

On Saturday, Kenny came to cheer on Abigail in her last soccer game, in which the girls won(!) but we don't keep score.  The game was awesome; the girls had so much energy and did a lot of passing and were more aggressive than they were all season.  I am not sure if Kenny is their good luck charm or if not having 5 subs on a team that can only play 5 kids at a time was our winning strategy.  (I kind of suspect it was not having subs: the kids get bored and unfocused when they have to sit for 50% of every game.)

After that, we went on a short hike at Government Island and got caught in the rain, which was still fun.  

Additionally, the kids "helped" Kenny prepare some of his vials for his big "science fair" at NIH in Bethesda.  They were super impressed that Kenny is a Very Important Scientist and he taught them how to use the pipette correctly.  

Our favorite little mid-fielder in action!

Kenny the Human Sherpa (for carrying humans)

Fall Pumpkin Patch! One of my favorite days each year!

We tried another new pumpkin patch this year: Sneads Asparagus Farm.  It. Was. Awesome!
There was so much for the kids to do and the property was SO beautiful.  So much of it reminded me of my parents' farm which they sold last summer to move to Virginia.  Speaking of my parents, since they did move to Virginia, they were able to go to the Patch with us today.

It was 85 degrees so we enjoyed the Patch in shorts instead of jeans and fleecy sweatshirts, but I will keep enjoying these hot days for as long as we are lucky enough to have them!

Here are a few pics. 

Abigail's First Hike on Old Rag Mountain

Lar and I recently had the chance to go for a hike.  There is a massive 10 mile hike we want to do in Shenandoah, and also there is Old Rag, which we haven't done yet in 2016.  (Where did summer go?) But when Abigail expressed interest in going with us, we eagerly chose to hike with her on a shorter hike than go without her.  You have to nurture things like love of hiking and Broadway early!

So, we went on Old Rag on a crisp fall day, the leaves were just slightly past their peak and the temperature was somewhere in-between "I need two layers and I need only one."  Abigail only complained once around lunch time "when are we going to get there?" but when given the chance to turn around, she eagerly said that she wanted to keep going.  

We ended up going the first 3 miles up to what we call The First Break Spot, the big bald outlook before the all-rock scramble continues across the top.  (It took Abigail 1:40 to do this.) The 3 miles down from there were harder than I could have imagined.  Abigail declared "I agree with Mama.  I like going up better than down.  When you go up, the rocks help you but when you go down the rocks roll and try to trip you."  Preach it, girl.  (Wait until she has 40 year old knees!)

For lunch, we spent a leisurely half hour enjoying the view and greeting the other hikers coming past.  Abigail was by far the youngest.  Abigail loved eating Slim Jims and sipping "chicken breast soup" (broth) from a Thermos.  Larry and I loved giving her 100% of our attention for hours and hearing her stories from the world of 2nd grade.  ("We tried to spy on them at recess, but things didn't turn out as planned!" she said of the 2nd grade version of the Mean Girls.)

It was her idea to bring binoculars

We love her so much!

mmmm, hot broth on a cool hike

Where she is standing is rolling and steep.
This spot makes Larry hella' nervous, but what a great picture!

Standing on a spot that made Baba feel more comfortable.

Fall Pumpkin Patch Tradition

This morning, we decided to make the most of this gorgeous fall weather and spend some family time at a working farm that was doing a low-key version of the sometimes over-blown fall festival.  We had a favorite pumpkin patch farm in Pennsylvania, but the 10 hour round-trip seemed like too much for a great festival.  We chose a local farm with plenty to do for kids approximately under 8 or 9 years old.  They weren't overwhelmed with too many people or too much to do but they were dirty, exhausted and happy 2.5 hours later.

We found the Great Pumpkin!  Jos was SO excited.

A family pic in a tree house that we will not be
using for our Christmas card, so, therefore
you can see it now.

Joseph, pining after the tractor driver.

So much dust in the hay barn

Joseph's uncles nicknamed him Badger for his strength
but I think Abigail gets the toughness award here!

Joseph drove the pumpkins from the car to the porch using
his awesome tractor.  

The enormous piles of sand filled with dump truck, back hoe, and excavator toys made it worth the price of admission for both of my kids.  They also loved picking out their pumpkins, petting animals, and swinging in a hay barn.  They were fascinated by the free-range chickens, in love with the fresh popcorn, and delighted that their grandparents could once again join us in the fun.  Joseph liked the hay ride and would like to grow up to be the tractor driver.  

Happy fall, y'all.  It is my favorite time of the year!!
(Can I pull off "y'all"?  I've been south of the Mason Dixon line for about 16 years.  It doesn't really roll of my tongue, but maybe I can get away with it in print?)

Sunday Snapshots: Pumpkin Patch

They did this jump castle slide
for about 25 minutes.  Over and Over and over.

Jos and Abigail with cousin Zoey: a big pile of Asian kiddos in the
jump castle.

More Asian cutie mosh pit action in the jump castle!

A Fall Weekend at the Farm

We went to the farm last weekend.  I love the farm in October.  I love fall.  We went when we did to help out my parents, who have had some medical things to deal with in the past few weeks (like emergency surgery for one of them and a respiratory infection for the other one).  

But there was still plenty of time for fun too.
We took the kids to a fresh apple market that also had a fall festival/ pumpkin patch.  I don't have pics of that because none of us took our phones and I didn't have my camera on me.  

But the kids played outside all day/ all weekend in the warm fall sunshine and fresh fall air.  I love the farm.  (Well, not in the winter.  It sucks in the winter!  But it is absolutely lovely in the fall!!)

Enjoying some of the many apples they
ate this weekend

Swinging from one of the apple trees

Joseph found my favorite childhood stuffy:  Mulligan the Mouse

Me with Mulligan about
35 years ago!

Sunday Snapshot(s) Kiddie Hiking

He ran or walked for most of 2 hours!

It was the most beautiful fall day today!

Cuties

Fall Trip to PA, part 3

Sunday morning started out a little drizzly, but eventually we made our way to a local pumpkin patch to enjoy the festivities.  We started out with the requisite faces-behind-the-cutouts pictures.

Then Abigail climbed on round bales that were laid side by side and up to 2 high.  And she climbed some more. And she climbed some more after that. As she continued to climb, she became more and more brave until she was jumping off the tops and landing on more hay below.  And then she climbed even more!

With much persuasion, she then rode on a hay ride out to where there was a corn maze ending in the pumpkin patch.  She took an eternity to pick out her pumpkin.  Like as much time as she spent on the round bales.  Larry could only compare the experience to watching a women shoe shopping.  Then we figured out what was taking so long:  Abigail was confused and upset that none of the pumpkins had faces.  Once we explained that she would carve it at home and give it a jack'o'lantern face, we were happily loading 2 pumpkins onto a hay ride back to the barn.

 Abigail also "milked" a cow.  She was very persistent at this.

Then she climbed on the round bales some more.
We finally convinced her to say good bye to the hay when we bought organic burgers and dogs from the farm to eat for a late lunch.

It was a really fun day and I am glad that Abigail got to share it with 2 of her 3 grandparents.

Fall Trip to PA, part 2

Another highlight of our trip to PA was that I got to see my oldest friend (we have been friends for 23 years: since junior high school), her wife, and their baby girl.  

Abigail had some wonderful "big sister" type moments, when she pulled baby E in a wagon and gave her a piggy back ride (with my dad's help) and showed baby E the horses on the farm.  

But Abigail also had some challenging moments too, that we need to address before (and probably more after) we bring her sibling home from China.  For example, she wouldn't share with baby E, even if the item under contention was one that Abigail NEVER is interested in.  She didn't want to share a ball, any of 3 pumpkins, some baby toys, a toy rake; whatever the baby took interest in was what Abigail wanted at that exact moment.  Often, I can talk to Abigail logically on her level and get her to think clearly when she is making crazy decisions, but that didn't work this time!

Fall Trip To PA, part 1

Since our country still celebrates that largely irrelevant doofus Columbus, who accidentally "discovered" America half a millenia ago, Larry and I had a 3 day weekend.  Not that I am complaining about that, but it would be nice to forget Columbus and have a new holiday for someone a little more worthwhile.

Abigail running through the leaves while
my father raked them for her

Anyhow, we took an amazing mini-vacation to my parents' farm in western PA, where we were surprised to see that not only were the leaves still on the trees, but they had barely turned color!  That was unheard of in mid-October while I was growing up, a time in history when my mom designed Halloween costumes to fit over snow suits.

But it was so beautiful.  (With over 200 pictures, I am going to blog this in several entries.) On Saturday, it was one of the perfect fall days, cool but not cold and Abigail spent many fun hours with the tiny pile of leaves that had fallen (notice how much green is still on this giant red maple tree though).  Abigail loved to run through the pile of leaves, kicking them in all directions as she did and giggling maniacally as my parents feigned exasperation at having to rake the pile together again.

Yinski pretending to be irritated with Abigail
for messing up the pile of leaves

It is like trying to locate
E.T., but without all of
the stuffed animals!

She is such a joyful child!!

Interesting look

It is a shame we don't have
a happier child!

What is going on in her head right now?

My mother gave her the idea of throwing leaves at me.
Abigail thought she was pretty bad-ass to do this!