I Heart Fall.

Saturday was just one of those days...One of those golden, picture-perfect Fall days that I've tucked into the depths of my heart as a gift from the Lord.  One of the family traditions I hope we always continue is an annual trip to the Apple Orchard.  I'm not kidding when I tell you it's one of the highlights of my year! 

The kids had such a good time and so did Travis and I.  We kind of decided to go last minute because we wanted to take advantage of a warm, sunny day and I'm so glad we did.  I had "picture opportunities" on the brain, so fair warning, I did not disappoint myself!  I took 150 pictures and picked 30 to share with you .  Excessive?  I don't care.  I loved the whole day and night!  Last year we stayed home because I was due any day with Carter and just couldn't imagine all the walking.  Two years ago we took Ava, who was just 6 months old!  I can't believe that was 2 years ago...

So this year, with 2 kids in tow, the blessing was not lost on me.

Travis and I did this kind of thing for years before we had kids.  I love those memories with him and I'm grateful we made them, but so often I would look at all the women who had their arms full of babies and strollers and wonder, "Will that ever be me?"  Four years ago, I was only weeks removed from a miscarriage.  I was reeling with grief and disappointment and honestly I just wasn't sure how much more  I could take.  We had been trying for a baby for years and finally I was pregnant.  And then I wasn't. 

What I couldn't see then in the midst of my pain, was that the Lord had this day, already planned for me.  He had my best in mind and He had Ava and Carter in mind.  He knew my arms would be full one day, but not until the time was right.  Seeing these two little people is seeing God's faithfulness and His character on display.  I just love Him so much and days like this just make me want to throw my hands up in praise.

He has been good to me.

So here are some of my favorite memories from our day...

Saw this old truck when we arrived and knew it was a great picture spot!

My new favorite picture with my little Ava Page.

Checking out the goats! 

Does this kill you like it does me???

Look at those little jeans, side by side. 

Carter was so thrilled that was tall enough to stand and look over that fence board.

That hat.

So hoping we're going to get a second year out of it.  I love it on her!

And then there's this little heartbreaker.

Can you stand those eyes and that little chin???

Carter looks so much like my nephew Dominic here and like Travis and his sisters.  He is definitely taking after Trav's family!

Kids for sale?  Only when they're naughty :)

I took at picture of Ava in this spot when she was 6 months old and it's probably in my top 5 pictures of her.  Ever.  I so desperately wanted the same picture of Carter but he was all about going anywhere but there.  He was moving so fast I barely caught a glimpse of him :)

I did manage to get this one to sit still and smile!

A profile shot was as close as I could get, but I wasn't sad.  I love that little profile!

And I love this little nut too.  She was loving that window!

Pictures like this one make me fall in love with this guy all over again. 

So glad he asked me to marry him :)

This cracked me up.

This orchard has a scarecrow festival and lots of people enter and compete.  This was someone's take on Hulk Hogan and I thought it was hilarious.

There were also some traditional scarecrows for all you purists out there.

Carter was missing his nap, but he was so good trying to hang in there.

He's always up for some cuddle time with his Mommy, thankfully.

I even got some cuddles out of both of them!

Ava had her eyes on this little train from the minute we arrived and her sweet Daddy happily went with her.

Around and around they went :)

After the kids played a little bit, we took off for the orchard and the pumpkin patch.

We went on a tractor ride to get to the pumpkins, which was the hightlight of the day for Ava.  She looks so serious here, but she was really just out of her mind excited!

And Carter just soaked up the chance to get some more snuggles.

Ava found the perfect pumpkin and was very proud that she was strong enough to pick it up and carry it.

And Carter approved of the pumpkin we picked for him.

My favorite shot of the day.

My two little loves.

It was a precious first orchard trip for this little guy!

And also for this little gal.

So crazy to think she was only 6 months old the last time we were here! 

She saved her biggest smile of the day for dinner.  When she successfully stacked 6 coffee creamers on top of the ketchup bottle.  Which made the whole table proud and rounded out our perfect day at the orchard :)

These are the smiles of two grateful and contented parents. 

We had such a great day with our kids at the Orchard, but even better, we have such a great God. 

In the words of my handsome husband, "Happy Fall, y'all!"

Thinking Pink!

This is my sweet friend Nicole, who is expecting her first baby in just a few weeks!!  On Saturday I got to help throw a shower for her and it was so much fun.  She is a treasure to me, we've been meeting together for a couple of years now.  We started meeting after we both went to a luncheon with older women and younger women.  Guess who was the "older woman" in this scenario???  ME!  And I'm so grateful the Lord has brought us together for this season in our lives.  There is something so fun about watching someone become a Mom for the first time and standing by them with encouragement and support.  We've prayed for this little girl for a long time and I just can't wait to meet her soon!!

We've also bonded because we are both Iowa girls :)

Her Mom and Grandma both drove up for the shower, which was fun for her to be able to introduce them to her Minnesota friends.

I was busy this week doing things like baking and cutting out circles.

Lots and lots of circles!  Ha ha!

Cupcake circles and Menu circles...

Although I was kicking myself for not getting a picture of all the food before we ate it all, this is what we had...So yummy on a Saturday morning!

I also made some blocks that turned out pretty cute and were super easy.

It's pretty hard to screw up a baby shower for a little girl, everything is also so cute together!

This was my favorite craft of the week :)

I found the idea on etsy and just made my own version of it.  I love how it turned out!

I mean seriously.

How cute is that???  This is why I'm always a fan of finding out the gender of your baby!  It makes the gift giving so much more fun :)

The upside to buying too many mints is that I had plenty to snack on in Church today!

I also roped Travis into helping me ice 3 dozen sugar cookies at 11:00pm the night before! 

He is a good man people, a gooooood man.

They are baby rattles but I do realize they also look like upside down snowmen.

That's what you get for making creative decisions late at night :) The dots seemed so cute at the time, but in hindsight, they make the perfect face...

Oh well.  They tasted good so all is forgiven I think! 

We had a precious time celebrating Nicole and her little girl.  I'm so glad she'll be staying home with her too because I'll get to see her more often now!!  I currently have the baby bug, but I attribute that to a friend who is about to give birth and the reality that my newborn will be 1 next week.

 All this baby stuff makes me very excited to throw baby showers for my sisters someday!!  Stacie and Jennie, you better get going before I have another one :) 

Just kidding of course.

Sort of...

Looking Back on the Week...

Whew!  What a week!  I have been running from one place to another this week and trying like crazy to keep my ducks in a row.  Travis' student ministry team is in the process of moving their offices from one floor to another.  They're getting a new suite that they've asked me to re-design for them, so lots of my free time lately has been spent working on that.  Hence the blog silence this week :( The wheels do not move quickly at a big Church because there are so many hands and departments involved, but I'm hoping they will be in their new offices by the end of next week!  It's been a really fun project and I'm loving the way it's turning out.  I'll take some pictures when it's done and share them with you. 

I've also been busy this week getting ready for a baby shower that I'm throwing for a dear friend tomorrow.  Some other friends are helping me, but I've definitely got my hands full today!  I've set up camp in my kitchen and will be here for most of the day I think :) I do love throwing/hosting/planning parties, but it's always a struggle for me to mix reality with creativity.  I always have a million ideas and rarely the time or  money to pull them off!  Ha ha!  I've been working on some cute things though and I'll be sure to take lots of pictures of the set-up tomorrow too.  Right now I'm letting some dough chill for a few minutes so I have a little break to show you some funny pictures from our week...

I know I've shared before that my little Ava LOVES when the garbage truck comes 3 mornings a week.  We live in a condo and from one of our windows, we have a perfect view of where the garbage trucks pulls up to access the dumpster in our garage. 

She hears the truck every week and goes running to the window to watch it, and now to wave and say hi to the garbage man, who so sweetly looks up at her and waves every single time.  It's so cute.

Well recently, Carter has picked up on the commotion that the truck brings and he crawled his way to the window to watch on Wednesday too.

What cracked me up and made me tear up, was that Ava saw him next to her and as she waved and yelled "HI!" she put her arm around Carter and yelled, "This is Carter!"  I know he couldn't have heard her and I didn't tell her to do that, but it was so precious.  I literally laughed and felt my eyes well up with tears.  I just love to watch her little nurturing instincts come out! 

Squealing with delight at the sight of...garbage. 

Ha ha!

As the weather gets cooler, one thing I am LOVING about Carter is getting to dress him in little sweatshirts and jeans and track suits!  He's so handsome in his warm stuff, I just love it!

And I'm starting to get used to his big boy haircut now.  It's taken me a full week to look at him and not mourn his long, baby locks.  I see so much more of Travis in him and I'm starting to accept that his 1st birthday is just a little over a week away...

I posted this picture of Ava on facebook yesterday, but thought I would share it with all of you too.

She was playing with chalk while I was doing the dishes and I kept asking her if she was remembering to draw ONLY on the chalkboard.  Each time I asked she said, "Yes, Mommy" and I believed her.  Until she came to the kitchen for a drink and I laid eyes on her :)

Me-Uh oh Ava, did you draw on yourself??

Ava-*shakes her head*-NO.

Busted!

This little nut has also made my head turn this week as I've caught a glimpse of her and thought,

"Wow. She looks so much like a little girl now." 

She talks a mile a minute and it's very easy to understand her now.  She's remembering so much and all of her little teachers in the nursery at Church tell me the funniest stories about her. 

Between the ponytail and this precious outfit that her Nana and Papa sent her, I just couldn't take my eyes off her on this day :)  I always wondered what she'd look like, when she was just a baby, and now I'm getting a good preview of the years ahead.

Hello little teenager...

You are a beautiful sight in our eyes Ava!

Here's a good picture of this handsome guy, going "King Kong" on us.

He loves to haul his little buns outside to this table so he can pull up on it and shake it with all his might!  It's hilarious, but the first time he did it I had to SPRINT out there to stop him because that table was holding 3 heavy pots of dirt which he had dancing on that table top!  I'm sure we were seconds from it landing on his head!  That's a good picture of what life with Carter is like right now.  He is ALL BOY and roams this house looking for things he can shake, throw, bang, break or destroy :)

I know.

This sweet face is capable of all that chaos!! 

I love my kids.

And my husband. 

It's been a busy week but a good one too.  I am sure soaking up the nostalgia of really one full week left until my baby turns one.   Wasn't it just yesterday I was pregnant with him??? 

Happy Friday friends!