Peach Picking

We were excited to find out that there is a peach orchard somewhat near us! We headed out to pick peaches Saturday morning. We couldn't really get too many between freezing some for pie and smoothies!

Peach Picking Smiles!

After picking 31 pounds of peaches (about 119 peaches!) in 15 minutes we stopped picking and enjoyed some of the other fun they had for the kids on the farm. There was a corn box (sandbox of corn), trike track, bounce house, playground, hayride and tire swing.

This farm also has a HUGE apple orchard and we plan to go back in the near future and do some apple picking. :)

Our Latest Activities

We have been working hard and playing hard.

We ventured out to the local lake. I was more than a little disappointed in it, but the kids had fun and that's what counts. :) Lorelei even went out and swam quite a bit even though it was way too chilly for me. Makin went about knee high most of the time.

A little backyard soccer. Both kids are into it. We missed signing Lorelei up this season but maybe when the next one rolls around. :)

Saturday morning scones. They were better than Starbucks! :) Lorelei got a second one and said, "I never get this many at Starbucks!"

I wanted to get a picture with Dan and Michelle for this adventure but everyone was hot and red-faced so maybe next time! Anyway, Sunday evening we took the kids on a bike trail and met Dan and Michelle who walked along with us. It was the perfect chance for the kids to ride as fast as they wanted without worrying about cars and driveways. They are both on bigger bikes now so are really enjoying that activity. By the end of the three mile trail we were pushing the bikes while the kids were walking (and being given piggy back rides) and this is Dan with the kids crossing the street back close to their house.

We got our library cards and found some Fancy Nancy books. Lorelei and I are now HUGE Fancy Nancy fans! :) Love 'em!

Lorelei helping me peel carrots! She was dying to help and she did a great job. We have been putting in more than a little kitchen time lately. We got carrots on sale as well as a bunch of sweet corn, so we worked on getting some frozen to enjoy later. I now know how to Blanche vegetables for freezing. Not my favorite hobby but hopefully it will pay off later. :)

Always find new kinds of fun with the giant Legos. One of their favorite activities for time with Daddy.

The kids spent a lot of time in the dirt making mud muffins. :)

The library has some fun activities in the children's section. On previous visits we have enjoyed puzzles, and one of their latest additions is a Lego table. :)

Watermelon Day

Yep, had to start their day with a photo shoot. :) We did head to the park after this so I'm not all mean. ;)

These two are having so much fun with each other!

We did a watermelon craft and they cut paper and made watermelon fans. :) Cute and functional.

After nap we headed out to the backyard for the annual watermelon in the grass! :) They had a great time. Makin dove in better than other years too so they are both all for it!

One last cheesin' for Mom.

Planes

The whole family was super-excited to go see the movie Planes. We have been looking forward to it for months. This was Makin's first-ever movie theater experience. This was the first one Lorelei really remembered, the last time she went was for the free movies when she was 1 1/2, so it was really fun to see their reactions. :) It was a GREAT movie. Makin was getting pretty antsy towards the end, though. :) So glad we finally had a good movie come out to enjoy as a family.

Starting Off In Our New Place

We got moved into our new house early August and are enjoying ourselves. :) Although we have WAY too much unpacking to do, I'm trying to make sure to balance it with some fun for the kids as well. The first week was the last week the pool was open since school was starting. We headed to the pool (extra fun with some kiddie slides etc for them to enjoy) and had a good time. Lorelei would have stayed all day. Makin and I were freezing! The weather was not cooperating for our time at the pool, but we did enjoy it as much as we could. The new camera can go under water, but neither of the kids were willing to put their face under, so we got underwater feet pics. :)

I was pleasantly surprised to see a sand section included with the pool! They really enjoyed it and it was especially great since it was chilly out.

One of our new weekly traditions (you might start noticing we have quite a few new things going on at our house!) is family movie night. We are now a TV free house!!! I have been wanting to do this for so long and this was perfect timing. The only TV the kids watch is for family movie night (and long road trips in the future of course) and they are doing phenomenal. The TV is in the basement, so I think it helps that they don't really see it. So much more playtime and I don't ever hear, "Can I watch a show???" which I heard anytime I tried to cook etc before. We rotate between the four of us who gets to choose the movie and saw a great selection at the library for us to choose from. :)

We are now having home-made breakfast roughly six days a week. This pic is the kids helping with blueberry muffins. I usually try to get it ready before they are up, though. :) But love the moment.

Hopping Balls All. Day. Long.

We love to eat out on the patio.

Thrilled to be in Nebraska just in time for their sweet corn! Nothing like it!!!

We are going to the farmers market most Saturday mornings for some of their produce. This last weekend was Columbus Days so they had a lot more going on downtown, including a giant inflatable hamster ball kids could try out. Loved catching the look on her face right after she got done. :)

Every Sunday night we are now attempting to master making the perfect home-made pizza. :) Our first attempt was better than previous pizzas we have made, but still room for improvement. :)


Another note along with this, Brad is juicing/blending usually two meals a day and eating suppers with us. He is likely going to have a couple of days each week where he does it all three meals. Still working out all the kinks but hoping for a healthy husband/daddy sooner rather than later!


Will try and take a video tour of the house soon, but was hoping to be a bit more unpacked first...taking longer than I would like! :)