Deer Lake Orchard

We went to the apple orchard last Saturday with Harper, Grandma and Ryann and Grandma Vicki! It was the most gorgeous morning and we enjoyed every second of our time there! We fed the animals, chased chickens and baby goats, had yummy snacks, went on a bumpy wagon ride and rode the pony! We spent 2 and a half hours at the orchard and the girls were great!! 

Everyone had a great morning playing! While we were having our apple fritter and apple cider snack, talking about the wagon ride we were going go on next, Avery suddenly flew off of the bench of the picnic table backwards onto the floor and began screaming at the top of her lungs-- I knew right away-- she had been stung by a bee! I ran around the picnic table and scooped her up, whipped down her pants to see her thigh and it had stung her twice! No wonder she flew off the bench!! 

The ladies working in the barn came over right away to help! One lady brought us a baking soda compress and asked her how she was doing. Avery replied, still sobbing "that bee thought I was a flower... and he pollinated me" 

Of course, that was the most adorable thing everyone had ever heard and the whole place giggled at her. 

She sat with the compress on her leg for a while and then quick gobbled up the rest of her snack so we didn't miss the wagon ride! She was tough and never said another peep about it the rest of the time we were there! 

Unloading the Dishwasher

Avery was helping me unload the dishwasher the other morning and I asked her to please put the spatula away... She looked at me like I was crazy! 

Here is how the rest of our conversation went: 

"Mom, what's a spatula?"

"This, right here, this is a spatula" I replied as I handed it to her! 

"Mom, this is a carrier, not a spatula!"

"A carrier?!?" I asked her, probably looking at her like she was now the crazy one! 

"Yeah Mom, a carrier. You know, a pancake carrier!"

"Oh, a pancake carrier! Yes! Of course, I knew that! Silly me!" 

I JUST LOVE THE THINGS SHE COMES UP WITH!! She has forever changed the way I look at the world- and at spatulas! 

AVERY

Avery has been working hard on writing her name! She is making great progress in just a few weeks!! 

Apple Jack's Orchard

This morning we went to Apple Jacks with Jessa and her daycare kiddos! Our visit was short and sweet, but very fun! We played, climbed, and ran around on everything possible then visited the animals and washed hands and went in for a yummy apple donut (my favorite part). 

The weather was perfect, the bees were better than I expected and the field trip groups were very respectful and hardly in our way! We were able to do all of the things we wanted to do before heading home for lunch and naps!! 

Dance Class!

Avery had her very first night of dance class on Wednesday! She sure loved gymnastics, and Miss Aimee, but now that we are 1 1/2 hours away from Classic Gym, it is no longer an option! 

Avery asked to try dance class after going to watch Harper's dance recital last May. "Mom, can I try dance class? It's good to try new things, right?" And she is right, it's great to try new things, so we signed her up! Natalie is the owner of On Stage School if Dance in Buffalo, and Avery's teacher this year! Natalie was also Ashely's dance teacher when she was a little girl, so that's why Harper goes to dance there. And since I know nothing about dance, I figured it was worth the drive into Buffalo so Avery dance with her friend Harper and I knew we were in a good studio, with an experienced teacher, making Avery's first experience in dance class a good one! 

She was SO excited for class to start, it has been a long 3 weeks since we bought her ballet and tap shoes, leotard and tights... She has tried them on at least 5 times, danced in front of the mirror plenty, and could barely contain herself the day of her first class! 

We got there, put her shoes on, said Hi to Natalie and Harper led the way to class, helped her find a cubby for her bag and they had a seat in class! As the other kids filtered in, Avery came running out, "Mommy, Mommy..." I was crossing my fingers that she wasn't getting nervous, or having second thoughts with all of the kids coming in or being in a room with out an adult she knows. 

"Mommy!!! Thank you so much Mommy for bringing me to dance class, I love it!"

Whew! And with a full heart and a "you're welcome" her little tutu butt was back in class for the next 45 minutes! The door closed, the music started and that studio was full of happy kids and proud parents! 

When we got home she went through her whole class with us, she was the teacher and Brandon and I were the kids following her lead! She must have really been paying attention because she taught us a lot! 

I never really thought I'd have a dancer on my hands, since it's nothing I would really encourage her to do since I never did it (and it's expensive). But if it's what she ends up being passionate about, then I guess we will be spending our Wednesday nights at dance class for the next ___ years! 

Preschool is in Session!!

"I love Mommy Preschool with you Mom!" Were the words out of Avery's mouth after doing her journal and workbook yesterday! At age 3, she can already identify 20/26 letters, can count to 29 (sometimes getting mixed up the the teens, but those teens are so tricky), and can write a handful of letters!! She is super interested in writing, letter, numbers and reading these days! I am SO happy that I am able to be home now with Avery and she loves it just as much! 

I didn't know how she would react when all of her friends "went" to preschool and she stayed home to do preschool. I was worried that she might think she would be missing out on something, but whenever her friends talk about going to school she says "I get to stay home for preschool because my Mom is a teacher!" The smile on her face and excitement in her voice when she tells people makes me know she really wouldn't have it any other way! ❤️

Busy in the Kitchen!!

This past week I have been busy in the kitchen!!! Our neighbors brought us over a huge bowl of raspberries, so we decided to make some jam... How else do you use 20+ cups of berries before they go bad?!? 

Then my Mom & Larry brought us over a few dozen ears of sweet corn from the farm so we could freeze it for winter! 

On top of that, I managed to make 4 big jars of salsa with all of the tomatoes from the garden and 12 mini loaves of banana bread! Avery has been in heaven helping with all of our projects and kids in the kitchen helping is such a great learning experience for them every time! I love that she can see where our food comes from... Starting as a seed in the garden to  delicious food on the table, right before her very eyes!!