When Friends give you apples...

Lots and lots of apples :)

(gotta love a fun apple picking day with the kiddos...

... gotta love it even more when it's FREE!)

... You make applesauce...

Lots...

... and lots of applesauce.

ahh, I love the smells of fall canning season ;)

(except the canning of beans...

... yea, that one stinks pretty bad...

... it's worth it, but it does stink.)

First Day Pics

The whole school-aged gang... from 3rd down to pre-school.  

How did Time zoom so fast??

I love that this is Sarah's favorite jacket...

and I love that I got it at a 50% off sale at the good will store! (can you say $1.99??!)

This was as good as I could get from Seth...

And even this took many threats of bodily harm to get him to stand for the 'first day' shot

Don't worry, Ben hasn't worn this cape every day to kindergarten...

He has alternated with the "Jedi" robe...

(Hey, I'm just grateful he's finally 'lost' this...

... which he has sported the majority of days since last HALLOWEEN!)

This picture truly captures the essence of Joshy and all of his "TA DA" glory.  

Look out Aldrich, Joshy has entered the building!

These 'jumbo' cookies where waiting for the kiddos on their return from their first day :)

... yes, even dietitians feed their kids giant chocolate chip cookies!!
... made with applesauce...
         ... and a little whole wheat flour...
                   ... and just one egg yolk to two egg whites...

Guatemalan bicycle caravans have nothen on us!!

Meet:

The Brewer Bicycle Caravan...

Yes, that is Jerry...
   Carting Ben...
        Who is carting Josh and Liz...

Rochester is a land of many trails
     Most of which have gone unexplored by us in our 5+ years of living here.
So for date night last night, we decided to explore one.
Jerry was instantly hooked
   (I've been hooked for a few years and dying to get some bikes for us so we could go on rides with the kiddos)

So after our little walk and yummy Panera dinner (another first for us... I know, I know we are WAY behind on the 'hip' soup and sandwich shops!),
We saw that we still had about 45 minutes to spare, so we decided to do a quick 'browsing of bikes'...

... which lasted about 1 1/2 hours...
... and had us walking out of the store with not one, but TWO bikes, a bike trailer, a bike pump, and some bike water bottles (ya know, for our extra long bike trips we are sure to take...).

... THANK GOODNESS for end of summer clearance sales!! (seriously cheap, folks!)

We were so giddy, we put everything together right when we got home last night, and could hardly wait to show the kiddos (in fact, Jerry had them out in the garage at 6:30 in the morning showing them!).

... and we spent most of the morning

going on ride

after ride

after ride

Now, if someone could just order a little extra side of summer, we would much appreciate it, thanks!

Bye Bye Ben...

is what we told this big guy...

(yes, the cape is still in tact under the coat... I'm choosing my battles, folks, choosing my battles...)

... when this turned the corner...

And though he couldn't wipe the smile off his face

and didn't get a bit scared, even when sitting on the bus...

... I felt a huge lump rise out of nowhere and engulf my energetic wave as I watched this...

... so I wandered back home, 

and did what any self-respecting, laid back, go with the flow,  non-helicopter parent would do...

... I jumped in my car and stalked the bus all the way to the school...

... just to make sure my precious cargo arrived in tact and un-scathed.

... Wow, this whole 'letting go' part of motherhood is hard.

Back Then...

Ya know, back in the Olden Days...
... like when I was on my mission
... a whopping 16 years ago...

I have now reached the age of 'stone age' living in my child's eyes.
Here was the line pulled from our dinner conversation last night as we were telling mission stories to the kids...
Seth, "Mom, back then, there was no electricity, right?!"
Me:  Completely dumbfounded as I turn to my hubby, who is about to fall off his chair from laughter...
"I just got 'Back Then-ed'!!!"
Hubby:  Still rolling with laughter... until I remind him that his back then was even backer-thenner then my back then!

... and I was instantly transformed to a moment in time from my childhood, when upon my mom telling me about some things from her childhood, I asked, "Mom, back in the olden days, did you feel bad that you were living in the olden days?"

 I have now officially eaten my words.
... and they taste... well... pretty old.