pumpkin fever

Fall time . . .cooler temps, crisp nights, crunchy leaves under foot, smell of fire, corn stalks, pumpkins, mums, scarecrows, bats, tombstones but did I mention pumpkin?  I think we have a little 'pumpkin fever'.

We colored our pumpkins like this with the plans to carve them closer to Halloween.

 

Today we opened one can (large can) of pumpkin puree and made the following:  pumpkin pie spice cheesecake, chocolate chip pumpkin granola bars, chocolate chip pumpkin muffins and pumpkin granola.  All of the recipes came from skinnytaste.com which features delicious, healthy, low fat, family-friendly recipes.  Now if you'll excuse me I need to go run around outside so I can enjoy some of these treats later . . .

powers farm market

Today was humid and 78 degrees today but we still went to Powers Farm Market to celebrate fall (weird fall huh?)  We saw turkeys, deer, sheep, mules, llamas and a peacock.  The boys fed some of the animals.  Blaise 'fed' the animals by dropping it on the ground and hoping they would pick it up.  He said it 'tickled' too much on his hands when they ate out of it.

 

 

 

We went inside a tee pee made out of 1500 cornstalks and poles from black locust trees.  I must say it is incredible that they have been making these tee pees since 1974!

 

We grabbed some donuts and went on a hayride.  We saw some interesting skeletons, spiders, witches and goblins along the way.

 

 

 

 

And lastly we picked out some pumpkins.  Blaise went for a 'huge' one and Ambrose went for one with lots of warts.  Good times.

 

 

fun times with classmates

One of the major fundraisers for the boys' school is the Marathon. The upper grades walk a few miles, K-2nd walk around the neighborhood and preschool (due to rain) walked in the school halls. Yesterday was the preschool marathon and Blaise was soooo excited as he had heard of it from his big brother.

The kids lined up and escorted by parents walked down the hall, up to the second floor and back down to the 1st where they received juice and a hand stamp. As a three year old is there anything more exciting then juice and a hand stamp? Survey in, no. And the best part of the whole thing, they walked around twice which means double the juice and double the hand stamps. Note though that means double the bathroom breaks for the teachers.

I love how Blaise goes to his 'comfort' zone here, the belly button.

Today, Ambrose had his first kindergarten field trip to Long Acre Farms. We learned about scales and weighing pumpkins, our five senses and what pumpkin fudge tastes like, fed the goats, played on the playground, went on a hay ride and took home a pumpkin and a gourd. What a fun, sunny, fall day!

Meghan, Ava, Sierra, Isabella, Jonathan (red hood), Glycka, Brad, Maeve, Claire, Lilly, Maya, Charlotte, Parker, Maeve, Nina, Ambrose, Joe . . .

Charlotte, Parker, Maeve, Nina, Ambrose, Joe, Aidan, Miles and Lucas

now: fall

This weekend we went to Gro Moore farms for some fall activities.

- apple tasting
- pumpkin head posing

- goats jumping up to greet us

- haunted house
- giant slides
-tractor ride
- pumpkin painting

My favorite season just started . . . so much more to come!

grandma and grandpa visit

The boys have been looking forward to Grandma and Grandpa Johnsman visiting for quite awhile. They are visiting us now and boy are we keeping them busy!

There's playground time - slides, balance beams, swings, giggling, tickling and oh so much fun. I still think it is funny that I don't even have to announce the time and my boys both come running over and say 'is it time for lunch'? Hardly any other kids stop running around long enough to eat, let alone for lunch. We found a bench all five of us could fit on and ate; after all if was lunch time.

peek-a-boo . . . now just one question - Who is the bigger kid here?


At the soccer field moving around while brother plays soccer.


In the fall, one must go to the wineries (all 6 of us!). Picnic lunch, beautiful weather, lots of wine - well lets just say we all slept well that night!


Three Brothers Winery - the boys in the bayou listening to some music.


Grandma and Grandpa (caught Grandpa inspecting the vines) . . . Grandma does this mean Grandpa might make wine again?


Museum of Transportation - trains, trains and more trains. Who do you think I had to drag off the train and say 'we are all done ringing the bell, give some other kids a chance'? You are right, Grandpa!


Stokoe Farms - corn maize. Grandma didn't we go this way already?


Stokoe Farms - a little help from Grandpa never hurts.


We had all the grandparents together for a lovely meal and conversation.


And yes, there is a lot more to come!

apples

Fall crispness in the air,
with thoughts of apple pies in our heads,
we loaded into one wagon . . .

crunched down leaves,
stepped on and squished overdone apples,
four little boots looking for more . . .

2 types of apples chosen,
2 hands eagerly grasping the buckets to carry our treasures,
46 lbs. of apples to make into pies, crisps, pancake dish, sauce and eat a few too . . .
anyone available for peeling?

picture fall

Today I started 'Picture Fall' an online photography class. Our assignment today was to take a picture of a leaf. I found this leaf in our yard and placed it on our wood pile for various shots. Ironically, the wind blew the leaf into this position (making it not so 'set up') and onto this beautiful heart shaped piece of wood.

This is so appropriate as I LOVE FALL!

tomorrow, the first day of fall

Tomorrow summer officially ends. That is certainly hard to believe as our windows are open and it hit 80 degrees today. We remember and are thankful for so many things this summer: seeing cousins, going to the cottage, traveling to the 1000 Islands, Saranac Lake and Lake Placid. For swim night at the neighbor's house, summer neighborhood camp, playgroup getting together weekly, RMSC camp, bible camp and so much more!

Now we move into one of my favorite times of the year . . . fall! I love apple picking, making applesauce and pies. Hay rides to pick a pumpkin, carving it and then roasting and eating the seeds. Walking through the leaves, hearing the leaves crunch under your feet, crisp air, warm sun and leaves turning brilliant colors of orange, red and yellow. We are blessed to live in an area that has a fantastic fall!

We decided yesterday to get an early start on fall. We took a hike around Corbetts Glen in Penfield. Not far from our house, it only took about 45 minutes (even with Blaise walking) to walk around the path and take in its beauty. A couple of my favorite shots to share: