Apple picking

Ever since the second I watched Anne of Green Gables, I have totally romanticized the idea of picking apples. In those long dresses, with your hair up, climbing ladders and putting perfect apples in your wicker baskets while you talk to some cute boy. I mean, what little girl wouldn't love this fantasy?

A friend of mine put together an awesome list of stuff to do around the area in October, and one of the events was apple picking. Oh yes- I was not going to skip this year without doing that...so this Saturday, we drove the family to pick some apples and it was awesome.

$35 dollars later, we have bowls and bowls of apples, we had apple pie tonight, and now I'm scratching my head thinking about what I'm going to do with the rest of them. But- they are DANG good. And, it was a great Saturday morning activity.

Here are some pics of the day:

A whole bunch of Firsts....

We have had a lot of "firsts" around our house in the past month or so, it is overwhelming. Of course, all good things, so we have lots and lots to be greatful for. And, no one has been left out- so here's the low down:

First and most importantly (hee hee), Maddie got her first pedicure a couple of weeks ago with one of her best friends, and she had a blast. I mean, who wouldn't? They were so cute to watch- especially because the could both sit in a chair. Very cute. This place rocks! Only $18 bucks for a pedicure?! And, it is still going strong (almost 3 weeks later).

Picking out their colors!

This girl is a treat to be with- she has been a superstar kid lately. She started spanish preschool (yes, all in Spanish), which I'm sure has been a hard adjustment, but she is being a champ :) Hopefully she'll be teaching me how to conjugate my verb tenses soon!

What a goof.

She is obsessed with taking pictures of me with my cell phone. This is the best one- even though extremely embarassing. I love how I have a zit right there for all to see. Aren't I too old for acne??? Really?

Ok- drumroll please.

Presenting : Emilie, the champion potty trainee ! I started potty training her a couple of weeks ago, and this is how it went:

Monday: "Emilie, we're going to go in the potty from now on ok?" "Ok mom."

(A couple of accidents)

Tuesday: Went to the bathroom every time.

Wednesday: Went to the bathroom every time.

Thurs: See above.

Fri: See above.

Sat: Etc

WOWZERS! This kid is AMAZING. I am not going to lie- this was a gift straight from above. She has been a CHAMP! If only everything could be as smooth as this :)

AND we finally moved this little one to her big girl bed- no more crib. She was so happy, she couldn't stop bouncing off the bed- so now they are in bunkbeds, Emi on the bottom and Maddie on top.

I miss my babies- now they are past that stage that we can never go back to (tears...), but you can only cherish the moments that you have- so I try to concentrate on that. They are one of the biggest blessings in my life.

Our garden gearing up for the winter harvest. We have always been big on gardening, but haven't tried to do a full winter garden. This year, we are going to attempt the "winter vegetables," lots of salads, broccoli, herbs, chives, carrots... we are super excited. But- where are the tomatoes? They were SOOOO good this year, we are going to miss them. Steve reminded me today that we probably only have 40 more summers left. Can this be true? Holy cow. Puts things in perspective.

The first Gluten Free Foccacia Steve has made. Delicious.

I signed these girls up for tap/ballet for the first time, and it has been a hit. They both love it, and it has been really cool to see them in a class that I can see... I am dying to see their performance/moves at the end of the year.

A cute photo I had to sneak in... running through the sprinkers. Yes, it is still HOT here.

Now for Steve's HUGE first. Steve has been working out of our garage since we moved into this house. It has been amazing- to see him build medical devices out of our garage? I just can't believe it sometimes. But, the day has come- when they are expanding!! They can't do everything they need to to do here anymore (hire people, have clients etc), so they moved to a great space in Mountain View. (more pics to follow). They demolished the warehouse, have spent hours building, designing the space (chose awesome colors for the paint, redid the floors, are making a loft, conference rooms)... it has been amazing.

I will miss Steve not being home, but it isn't that far- and I am so proud of him.

And, then there is me. To make a long story short, I decided to go back to work part time. The position is the best there could ever be- 7-1 M, W and F. So, I never miss Maddie when she is in school, and Emilie is with the best nanny you have ever met for 12 hours a week (seriously, this woman is the cream of the crop). I've been lucky enough to go back to a lawfirm that I worked at before... and I have truly enjoyed it. The work has been great- super interesting, and it's just the perfect amount of time for me. Of course, it has been an adjustment, but so far, it has been more than great, and I am super greatful for their flexibility. And, I appreciate every minute (most every minute) with my kids and am so excited to be with them when I am :) For me, it has been a perfect balance.

And so it goes... lots of great firsts.

Now on to October where I hope and need to post more :)