Apple Holler Apple Orchard

Isn't that a great name for an apple orchard? We got a kick out of it! Last weekend, we decided to head up to Kenosha, WI to spend the day at Apple Holler. Living in a big city, you don't often hear about orchards anywhere nearby, so we did a little research and found that this one was about an hour drive and it seemed like it would be well worth the effort.

We arrived to find rows and rows of apple trees, a big pumpkin patch, tons of activities for small children, and of course apple cider donuts! We started out at the petting zoo, and Cassidy squealed and kicked her legs every time a baby goat would approach her as she sat in her stroller, leaning right up to the wire fence for licks. Next, we went on a hayride through the orchard, pulled by a big tractor. Erik was telling Cassidy about all the apple trees we were passing, and he asked her if she saw all the red apples. She responded with "app-o!!!" She's learning new words every day, and this was the perfect place to master that one! Once we got to the outer edge of the orchard, the hayride makes a u-turn through what they've named the "Enchanted Forest" - basically a setting of huge, old trees that form a big canopy over the trail, and they've adhered wooden cut-outs of all sorts of storybook characters to all the tree trunks as you pass them by. All the little kids on the ride where shouting out left and right to their parents, naming all the characters from the stories they knew. It was a fun ride! After the hayride, we had lunch and donuts - then off to the pony ride. At first we thought Cassidy might be too little for it, but we saw other little kids her age sitting on the ponies with a parent's help, so we decided to give it a try. I took pictures while Erik held Cassidy onto "Buttercup", her chosen pony. I don't think she quite knew what to make of it, but she seemed to enjoy herself!

We tried a few times to get a nice family picture, but it seemed some of the folks spending the day at the orchard were, let's say, camera-challenged. We first tried with a nice man in line at the pony ride. We got all situated on some nearby hay bales, and got Cassie to look the right direction, and he counted down and said he got a great one! Come to find out a few minutes later that he actually didn't take a photo. So, onto the next nice lady who was just resting in a chair - she was happy to get up and take our picture, but she was holding the camera backwards - trying to find a viewfinder on the front of the camera. I got up and turned it around for her, trying to kindly show her again where the button was - but when I sat back down, she flipped the camera backwards again. Eeeek, this was really becoming a lot of work for the orchard folks! We righted her once more and she eventually snapped a photo. The picture took - hooray! - but the 3 of us were over in a small corner of the shot, about 12 feet away - so much for centering! Thank goodness for photo cropping, what a great little tool. Anyway, here's the result! Certainly not our best, but pretty good given the circumstances. Erik and I had a good laugh after that lady made her way back to her resting spot...

We visited the petting zoo once more before heading home. We came away with a big bag of honey crisp apples and some extra donuts, and have been enjoying them each day since. We're thinking we'll make the orchard an annual trip - maybe Apple Holler, maybe others - there seem to be a bunch out there in the far suburbs that had a lot to offer! And of course we love Edward's Orchard near my parents house in Rockford - we try to get there each year as well.

As I mentioned in my last post, I had not done a great job of taking pictures recently - so this week I kept the camera out and took some shots of Cassidy doing her day-to-day things. Now that the leaves are falling around our courtyard, she absolutely loves to toddle around and collect them, or even better, to sit down and have them piled all around her! She also really likes to play with the rocks that a few of our neighbors have around their trees. She takes them out one by one, then puts them back, usually trying to take a lick or two before I take them away. She is also really into wearing dress-up jewelry and playing with items from the kitchen. This picture is a typical afternoon for her, wearing her necklace and using wooden spoons and pots and pans as her drum set. She keeps us busy - we're having so much fun with her! Hope everyone is enjoying the start of fall...

And Baby Makes Four...

We're very excited to share the happy news that Cassidy will become a big sister in March 2009! We'll fall into that category of parents with 2 under 2 - and we can't wait! We always talked about having our kids close in age, and as it turns out they'll be about 20 months apart! We are prepared for some chaotic times, especially in the beginning I'm sure, but we couldn't be more thrilled at the idea of adding a little one to our family. So people have been asking me - "What are you having???" And this time around, that detail will be a surprise! We've decided not to find out if it is a boy or a girl. I must admit, this is mostly Erik's choice - I had wanted to find out with Cassidy, and we did, so it's his turn to choose - so a surprise it will be! March 16 is the due date we've been given...who knows, perhaps we'll have a St. Patty's baby!

Well it certainly seems that fall has arrived - we're spending Sundays rooting for the Bears, the pumpkins and gourds are out at the grocery store, and Cassie toddles around our driveway picking up the fallen colored leaves to collect in her push toy basket. We're also excited to have a 1st place Cubs team to root for! Most years, September is a dreary month for Cubs fans - but this time around it seems our 1st place position in the NL Central is nearly clinched. So, between keeping up with the Illini, the Cubs, the Bears and virtually every other NFL team since fantasy football makes each game crucial for Coach Erik, we're watching a lot of sports in our house! I always feel like I should be making a big batch of chili or gametime appetizers - however most of the time it remains just a feeling rather than a reality...

The other news is that we've put our house on the market - with another baby on the way, we've decided we're in need of a bit more space. Of course, with the housing market as slow as it is these days, we also realize we may still be right where we are when baby #2 arrives - and that's certainly OK as well! But we figured we'd give it as shot, see what kind of response we get, and we can wait things out another year or two if need be. But we're certainly hopeful that a wonderful offer comes through and we could get settled somewhere in the next couple months! Only time will tell...

We're also happy to report that Grandpa Brown came home from the hospital tonight - he's on the road to recovery! After his bike accident 2 weeks ago, it was decided that he needed surgery to allow his collarbone to heal properly. So, he spent the past 6 days back in the hospital having a metal plate inserted into his shoulder area, pinning together the collarbone that had been broken into 3 pieces. He looked great tonight as he walked himself out of his hospital room, back in his regular clothes with only a black sling as evidence that he'd been there at all! He'll need to take it easy for a bit, which we think he should be doing anyway - he recently retired after all! But we're so glad that he's pulled through so well and we look forward to visiting again in a couple weeks.

So after a very rainy weekend here in Chicago (record-setting rainfall, actually!) we're spending our Sunday night watching Zambrano pitch a potential no-hitter (go Cubbies!) while we prepare for another busy week ahead. Cassidy and I are joining a fun new playgroup tomorrow and Erik will be traveling to Washington D.C. for work. We're still on the watch for Cassidy to try her hand at walking again - after taking 3 steps about 2 weeks ago, she's been back to her crawling ways! And she is cracking us up with her "talking" - learning new words every day and practicing them every chance she can get. Today's favorites were flower, ball and shoe. I'm realizing I haven't been doing a great job of taking photos - I just set the camera out on the counter so I remember to take some pics this week.

Lastly, we'll share a couple videos that have certainly made Cassie's Daddy very proud - guitar lessons! Erik and Cassie love to listen to music together, and lately they've been playing some guitar. A few nights ago, Erik and Cassie developed a new song based on Cassidy's favorite babble, "bla-dee-dah." She's also quite the dancer. Check it out!

Enjoying the Last Warm Days of Summer

Once Labor Day comes and goes, it always starts to feel like the fall season is upon us! But we made the most of the last days of sunshine leading up to the Labor Day holiday.

Erik and I enjoyed an evening amongst adults 2 weeks ago when we attended a beautiful wedding for our friends Laura and Ryan Kraus. Since Laura and I have been friends since we were 8 years old, I found myself catching up with old friends and grade school classmates throughout the evening. It's really fun to reconnect with people you haven't seen in such a long time! We stayed out as a late as we could, staying for the grilled cheese sandwiches and cheeseburgers that were ushered onto the dancefloor at some late point in the evening. We both had such a good time and of course are so happy for Laura and Ryan. Grandma and Grandpa Reder drove in to baby-sit Cassidy for us, and they wore her out with lots of playtime! The next morning, Dad and Erik played a round of golf - Erik's trying to play as often as he can and Dad is always a willing partner, so it worked out well! We also got to wish Mom a happy birthday in person, just a week or so after the actual day.

The following weekend was Labor Day weekend, so we made the drive out to Rockford to enjoy the last weekend in the pool at Grandma and Grandpa's house along with the Hardings. The weather was perfect and the water was warm. The moment we arrived, Cassie worked her way over to the back window and started pointing at the pool. She is such a water baby! Anytime we put her down, she would crawl over to the back door and make noise until someone took her out to see the pool. Most times, she found her way into the pool (with supervision of course!). She would splash so much with her toes in the water that her outfit would be soaked, so at that point we usually just gave in and plunked her onto the steps to play with the squirt toys. She spent what seemed like hours taking each squirt toy one by one, placing it in a plastic bucket on the steps, and then dumping it out just to start all over again. She laughed and splashed and had the time of her life. And when it came time to relax, she would happily move into her yellow floatie, lounging while someone spun her around the water. Does it get any better???

We also had fun celebrating Grandpa Reder's birthday while we were home. We opened gifts and had an ice cream cake. It's always fun to get family together for those great celebrations!
Labor Day weekend also brought about a frightening accident for another close family member. Grandpa Brown took a bad fall off his bike and was sent straight to the Emergency Room and the ICU thereafter. He is an expert biker and loves to ride fast, but unfortunately he took a sharp turn on some unstable pavement. He suffered 3 broken ribs, a broken scapula and collarbone as well as a punctured lung. He was lucky, as it turns out, because he fell right within view of a policeman who was able to call for an ambulance immediately. The quick work of the doctors and hospital staff really saved him from a much worse condition, as we learned later. He spent 4 days in the hospital, fighting through the pain and the frustration of being immoble in a hospital bed (so tough!), but he kept his spirits up high through it all and is now resting at home. It might be a little while before he is back out on the bike and the tennis courts, but he promises he'll be back there! And we don't doubt him for a second! Cassidy did her part in trying to cheer everyone up - she took her first 3 steps in Grandpa's hospital room! She's kept it hidden since then, but we can see that it won't be long before she's walking all over. We have the video camera ready...

Speaking of videos, we took one last week of Cassidy's newest activity. She has stared to "say" the phrase "I don't know?!?" complete with hand motions for emphasis. She likes to hide little trinkets, such as the rubber duckie in this video who hides in a jar of rice (one of mommy's homemade toys, courtesy of Parents Magazine), and pretends she can't find him. Anyway, it cracks us up. Enjoy!