Fall fun with family

Grandpa Ron and Grandma Lorrie are in Ohio now, visiting from sunny Florida. They came down (from spending the week with family up north) with Aunt Krissy on Saturday to see us. We met them at Ethan's soccer game. We played the Sharks again, which was the team that we played for the first game, and they... well... they are good... okay, they completely dominated the game. Ethan did however do really well this game, making a lot of contact with the ball. We were very proud of him. And he only did one really silly thing... he got on his knees at one of the goal pylons and put his mouth around it. I assume he was going to use it like a megaphone, but I didn't ask. We were a bit shocked actually. But I'm going with he was going to use it as a megaphone.

We then went on to the apple orchard which was bursting with golden and red delicious apples. The boys all had a blast. They even got to pick up high thanks to grandpa.

The boys in red, sizing up a tree for picking.

Ethan and Aunt Krissy. Or as he told Steve and I this weekend, "I can't wait to play with Aunt Krissy. She's my favorite other parent."

Grandpa giving Ethan an assist. Ethan thought they made a great apple picking team.

Grandpa giving Oliver and assist. He thought it was great.

Collin loved to hang out under the trees and reach the apples at his height. He absolutely LOVED to pick apples for the bag, whereas the other two were more in it for the eating.


Ethan trying to pick apples upside down...

Oliver eating an apple almost as big as his head.

Collin and Grandpa picking an apple.

Afterwards we went over to the orchard's pumpkin patch. The twins got their first hay ride. You really had to see it. Ethan and Oliver sat on the hay bails in the center of the tractor (the only place there was hay) and Oliver just beamed. His smile was huge and non-stop. He said "I'm riding on a train" and we didn't correct him because he was just so happy... how could we. At one point they let us off to pick apples (just one or two for our own eating) and Oliver cried. He didn't want off. And when it stopped altogether, he melted down.

Collin was unsure about the ride at first, when he was sitting on the bench seats. However when he moved to the hay, he loved it. Ethan is a veteran hay ride child at this point, so we knew he would love it. And he did.

The beginning of the beaming smile.

Daddy, Collin and Grandma Lorrie. Collin at this point is not so sure.

One of the many attempts to getting them to all look at me on the hayride. As you can see, didn't go so well.

Another attempt when much to my surprise a rocket ship flew at the camera... being flown by one very ornery little boy.

After the hay ride, given the no nap and busy day status to that point, we headed over to the pumpkin patch. The boys all loved that. Though it was a whirlwind... seriously I just want them to stay still long enough to get those beautiful, but candid, shots of them for the memory book (or in our case, memory blog)... but I can't manage it. They are darting here and there and well... you get what you get. Oh well, they had a blast and that's all that matters.

Steve found a woolly bear caterpillar on a pumpkin. The boys were fascinated by it.

Oliver trying to pick up a pumpkin.

Rocket ship landing on a pumpkin. Collin had no interest in picking one up.

Ethan's pumpkin. He found it, told us "this little guy needs me" and on the way to the car he kept telling it "don't worry little buddy, I'm here for you. I won't let you down." Thankfully he didn't ask for it to sleep with him though.

The boys surveying the patch.

Thank you Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Krissy for coming to visit us the last two days. We had a lot of fun and look forward to seeing you again soon! And... we almost got to see the first win for the Brown's this season today. Ripped away in the final seconds of OT... but still for us 'lifers' it was a good game... all things considered.