Apple Picking

Aunt Beth came to visit this weekend. She sent us an email on Thursday and said she was in the mood for "something Fall" we told her we were planning on going apple picking on Saturday and she jumped at the chance to join us. So she booked the early flight Saturday morning and we picked her up at the airport and headed west to an orchard.

Just starting out. Ally loves to hold hands when we walk (any where, the park, inside the mall, at the orchard - I love it that she is a hand-holder) of course a favorite thing is swinging!

It was a long walk to the Bosc Pears, so I carried Ally on my shoulders and we munched on Honey Crisp apples on our walk.

Mama carrying Ally on her shoulders, Ally picking pears.

Aunt Beth climbed a ladder to reach high up in the trees and then would hand them down to Ally to put in the bag that Becky was holding. I just took pictures.

Then Ally had to climb the ladder.

After picking some pears, we took a hay ride back to the apples.

Even Aunt Beth carried Ally on her shoulders.

Ally really enjoyed picking her own apples.

When we were done apple picking we went to the farm stand for apple cider donuts. Ally loved hers.

Aunt Beth got a caramel apple with nuts.

She let Ally have a bite.

Ally liked it!

Family portrait at the pumpkin patch!

They also had some farm animals to see and feed. Ally said feeding the animals was her favorite part of the day.

Worms

There is something so ironic about my beautiful little girl dressed in pink digging up worms and showing them to me with pride. She loves worms, snails, bugs, and animals of all kinds. She also likes princesses and pink.

We love her.

Halloween Preview

Pumpkins are out and there is a crispness in the air. School has started and fall is almost here. That means Halloween is just around the corner. One of Ally's babysitters asked her what she was going to be for Halloween and Ally told her "Jessie". So we got out her costumes and she tried them on for Becky while I was at Parent Night at preschool recently.

I think she really likes this Jessie costume. (Jessie is the cowgirl in the Toy Story movies). Ally has been a fan for about 2 years and we got this costume on super clearance about 6 months ago.
Checking out the sequins on the sleeves - if you click closer you can see her sly grin.

Showing off the cowboy boots my mom bought her 2 years ago - they finally fit!

Look at me!

Then Ally had to be bribed with marshmallows to try on her other costumes - yes plural. Last Christmas we bough the peacock costume above on mega-super-clearance. I figured even if she did not wear it for Halloween it would be great for dress up. Becky reports that the skirt was itchy to Ally, and Ally insisted on wearing pants and an undershirt because she was "freezing cold" in the top.

Last year's Panda Bear costume still fits!

But I think that Jessie is her favorite one.

First Day of School

Today is Ally's first day of school for this year. Phew we are so happy for school to start. This year Ally is a Blue Otter. The classroom is upstairs at school and is much larger than her last year in Purple Fish.

I went to work at 6AM, and then went home at 745 to walk with Ally and her babysitter to school for this first day. This is how Ally looked when I got home. Can you tell she was excited for school to start?

Had to get a close up of that smile.

Lauren, her babysitter is great, and she suggested taking one of Ally and mommy.

Then we walked - well Lauren and I walked, and took turns pushing Ally in her stroller. Ally ate her granola bar, drank orange juice and relaxed on the "commute" to school. She was sporting her sunglasses for the ride, because it is sunny today.

When we got to school Ally was a little bit clingy. But we parked the stroller and showed Lauren around school and then walked up to her classroom. Ally clutched my hand but did not cry at all, we walked around her classroom and she was excited to see her teachers, and that there was a writing center and a table set up with paper and scissors for cutting. After our quick walk around I asked her if she wanted to sit and cut with her teacher Jill and she said yes. So I gave her a big hug, told her I was leaving and would see her in the afternoon, and brought her to the table with Jill. Jill asked her if she wanted to put her family picture in a frame now (we all brought in family photos for the kids to have at school) or use the scissors now, and Ally said she wanted to do cutting now. So I said good bye and Lauren and I left.

Fled is how it felt actually. But I know Ally - transitions are best done quickly and its so much better not to linger or prolong the departure. As I exited the school, so many people were just arriving and I passed some still walking to school as I made my way back to my office. But for us, being on time and one of the first in the class helps Ally to acclimate and and its part of her routine. I had a nice chat with her babysitter on the way to school and a few blocks after dropping Ally off. I really think she is going to work out well this year.

Then I called my mom, but she was unavailable so I called my Aunt Martha and talked with her for a while. Thanks for being there, to listen and take my mind off it. School is really a fabulous place and I know Ally loves it. But another year, it makes me feel a bit melancholy.

Ally is growing up so fast.

A week with Grandma Barbie

My mom, Grandma Barbie came for a week to babysit Ally. Becky started back at school 2 1/2 weeks before Ally's preschool starts, so my mom came for a week, I took a week off and took Ally to Arizona and babysitters covered the remaining 2 days of time. Phew we will all be glad when preschool starts. Ally flourishes with routine - she has had very little routine in the past month and it has seriously affected to her sleep. As in she does not go to sleep at night until 3-4 hours after we put her down. Sometimes there is 2+ hours of crying. Some nights she goes to sleep fine, and then wakes up for 2+ hours in the middle of the night. It has been AWFUL. I am so tired. Becky is tired, Ally is not herself. My mom got to witness this all first hand, since she shared a room with Ally. Even she said it was awful. But we all agree it should get better when school starts. Here's hoping....

In the meantime - a recap from Ally's week with Grandma Barbie. It was super hot - in the 90s everyday. The first day we drove to the wading pool, in 90+ degree heat. Ally may look happy above, but

this is as close to the water as she got. She said it was "too hot" - the sun seems to bother her when its very hot, and it was pretty crowded so she refused to go in. After about 15 minutes we gave up, and went home. I know my mom thought we were silly, but I figured why should we all suffer in the hot sun if Ally refused to get in the water.

So we went home, set up our kiddie pool in our shady driveway and Ally played there for about an hour and half!. Every afternoon after that my mom would set up the kiddie pool for Ally. Becky and I would come home from work and they would outside having fun in the pool.

My mom has been working on a cookbook of her mom's recipes and in it is the recipe for coconut cream pie, my mom's favorite dessert. Grandma Mimi would always make it for her. I think its been 5 years since my mom has eaten it. So I made one for her. Turns out its super easy to make - start to finish about 25 minutes then an hour to bake. It was a cinch.

and well worth it to put this smile on my mom's face. She ate some every day and took the rest home with her at the end of the week.

One night we ate chips and salsa before dinner. Ally loved that she and grandma had matching straps on their dresses (her sun dress above, and the pic of my mom above that).

We went out for seafood one night.

Of course grandma read books before bed. Olivia is a current favorite.

Thanks mom for coming. It was a huge help, and I know Ally really loved having her grandma here.

Zoo with friends

Note - I am behind in blogging so I have a couple of catch-up posts.

One Saturday we spontaneously went to the zoo with Ally's friend Stella and her family. Stella and Ally are in the same class at preschool and we have gotten together for picnic dinner in the park a few times. As usual Ally had a great time at the zoo.

We tried something new and feed the budgies. Becky bought the feeding stick and held it out and the birds would perch on it and eat off the seeds.

Waiting for the train - its not a trip to the zoo without the train and the carousel!

We even got to pet the sheep.

One funny memory for me was that Stella was afraid of the peacocks, not that I blame her since one did come steal a cracker out of her 14 month old sister's hand! So Ally would shoo them away from Stella. All through lunch whenever one came near, Ally would get down from the table and walk over and shoo it away "shoo fly...shoo fly...away peacock" and wave her hands. It was adorable!

Return to the Farm!

Ally and I recently took a trip out to the farm where she and I went on a field trip with her class in May. You can find out about that trip and returning the chicks to the farm here.

Ally posing with her old pals, the chicks, now all grown up.

Ally and some of those Really Big Pigs.

Serious free range chicken kept tabs on us while we ate sandwiches.

Anyway, we had a great time visiting the animals and enjoying a beautiful summer day. We spent a few hours there - Ally didn't want to leave!