Two Years

Yesterday was our 2 year anniversary. 2 years, I can't believe it! We have so much fun together that 2 years has gone by very fast. Okay, okay some times it goes by very slow, like when it's bedtime and he suddenly remembers the "gift" he got me that day, usually a goose or a tickle which totally defeats the purpose of quiet time before we get in bed. Anyway, we have come a long way in 2 years. Here are a few of our highlights.

Dating

Engaged

Our wedding day

Newlyweds

Pregnant

Meeting Reese

And our greatest highlight of all

The Pumpkin Patch

Today we decided to go to Papa Charlie's Pumpkin Patch. It was a great time. The girls were able to do all kinds of fun things there. There was a maze of hay bales, a big slide, miniature tractors to ride on, a train, a pumpkin bounce house, swings, a hay ride and so much more. It was nice that there was really something for everyone. We all were able to pick out a pumpkin to take home and we enjoyed the beautiful sunshiney day.

Gangsta

For those of you who follow Pioneer Woman the way I do, you might find this funny that both of our posts today are titled this. Mine is somewhat titled that because of her's but also because of me too.



You see, Saturday, we took this picture of Reese.



And all I could think that day was, "Damn it feels good to be a gangsta." You know, from the movie, Office Space. It just popped into my head and I thought it was funny and she looked a little ghetto with the open zip up hoodie and the hat.

But then, Ree, over at the Pioneer Woman, quoted that exact line from the movie and I just thought it was too much of a coincidence not to mention it. I NEVER quote that movie or even think of it for that matter and twice in two weeks! Well, it must be a record.

So, I thought I would leave you with my little "Gangsta" today for you to enjoy. She looks pretty cute and this was a great excuse to blog.

Wordless Wednesday

Applesauce

My parents have a couple of apple trees that are ripe right now. Everybody and their brother has been there picking apples for pies and apple butter and whatever else. They're REALLY good apples so I wanted to do something with them too and Marsha, Dustin's sister, and I talked about making and canning applesauce so I decided to try a test run to see how it would turn out.

How they turned out was delicious! Wow were they good. I was quite a process but definitely worth it. Plus right before they turn to applesauce they are just the right texture for a baby to chew up without teeth. Here's the process, I totally recommend you try it yourself!

First you must wash and peel the apples. This is by far the least fun part but it actually goes quicker than one would think. Even chasing my beautiful helper around it only took about 20 minutes.

Here she is "assisting."

And here are all the peeled apples.

Then I cut them all up in chunks, nothing fine cut about it. Just big hunks of four. I threw them in a medium low pot with some cinnamon, allspice, vinegar, a pinch of salt and sugar. Delish!

Then comes the cooking. It really takes quite awhile, but it is low maintenance. Just put the lid on them and stir every so often. It probably took a couple of hours, but it is soooo worth it. When the apples break up just by stirring, they are done. It is pretty easy to tell. I just took them off the heat and let them cool enough to put them into plastic bags.

I put in about 4 ladle fulls in each bag and let them cool completely. Then you can put them in the freezer and have applesauce all year long! And trust me, it is worth it!

A few Things about our Weekend

Can we just say: Separation Anxiety? Wow! That kid is going through a phase in a major way! We traveled to Brookfield/Meadville this weekend and Reese wasn't quite sure about all the people we saw. We hadn't been home for quite awhile so she wasn't used to all the faces, even the faces of the people who love her most. This I know is pretty typical but stranger anxiety is still a new revelation in Baby Reese's world. That child hung on to my shirt for dear life, she wrapped her legs around me as tight as they would hold and she cried anytime she was separated from me with more than a five foot radius. But the good news of this was she was extra cuddly and extra sweet with her head on my shoulder. It's nice to be loved.

We also were very excited to see Deakan, my nephew. He is getting so big already but he is becoming cuter by the day. His hair is starting to come in and it looks like it is going to be pretty light. He's really filling in and his adorable little outfit just made him look like a hunk! I am looking forward to seeing him a lot in October.

While we were home we also attended the wedding of an old friend. While we sat there a special friend of mine walked in. He is a friend with Down's Syndrome and there was a time when we spent a lot of time hanging out. I miss him very much and I almost never see him nowadays so when he walked in I saw him look over and recognize me. He kept glancing back to see if I was still there so I walked over to introduce Reese to him. He hadn't seen me for awhile and he was a little shy but I could tell he was happy to see me. Almost as happy as I was to see him.

As a little sidenote on my friend, I have a great story about him. When we were younger (he and I are the same age), I tried to teach him to say "I Love Mommy" for Mother's Day. I kept saying to repeat what I say. I would say, "I" and he would repeat, "Love" and he would repeat, but at the end he always ended up saying "Linsseey!" He never did learn to say I love Mommy but every time I said "I Love" he would end it with "Linsseey!" Nothing ever made my day quite like that. It was good to see him this weekend and I was glad to introduce my baby to such a good friend.

Overall it was a good weekend. Both of us our beat tonight. And we have several more to go this month. But, it's fall and hunting season, so if I'm going to be a hunting widow I might as well be around family!

Flash! Friday

Today is picture day. The girls are all spruced up in dresses and curly hair. They are excited about the colored chapstick their parents let them wear. They are ready to tilt their head and smile pretty. Little do they know that one day their 3rd grade class picture will be one they laugh at and are embarrassed by. It doesn't really matter how trendy you try to look, in fact, the trendier now the dorkier later. Elementary class pictures are just terrible in 20 years no matter what you do to prevent it.

Now the boys on the other hand are a little different. Mostly they are in their usual jeans and a t-shirt attire. I have one in a cub scout uniform but then I have one boy who came in wearing a shirt saying: "You can email me at: who@cares.com." This is the conversation that he had this morning.

"Hey, did you know it is picture day?" Boy 1 said.

"Yeah, I know, I got a hair cut." Weird shirt boy replied.

"What's up with your shirt then?" Boy 1 said back.

"Oh I don't know, I didn't even look at it." Weird shirt boy said.

He worried about it enough to get a hair cut yet he wears a shirt saying that? What were they thinking this morning? I don't think he is too worried about how he is going to look in 20 years.

I would leave you with a little snapshot of me in 3rd grade, (it's sitting right here on my bulletin board because I always put up my class picture of the grade I teach) but apparently I didn't get the side ponytail and big bangs will be dorky in 20 years memo. Oh such is life.....