A Fall Favorite...

I have a new love for autumn since moving to Ohio. It's gorgeous here this time of year.
And today it finally felt like fall because we headed to MacQueen's to do some apple picking! It was fun to be out with friends. The boys loved it. Sam ran and ate apples to his little heart's content. And Max loved being mobile and helped himself to several apples...both off the ground (yuck!) and the branches. We ended our outing with MacQueen's killer 'apple cider donuts.' Heaven!

The only thing missing from our perfect fall activity...ERIC! Only 4 more days until he's part of the family again. We can't wait!

Worn out.

I'm a list maker. I love to cross things off of my to-do list. In fact, I often write things that I've already accomplished on my list, just so I can cross them off. Weird, I know, but it makes me feel like I'm actually getting things done during the day.

Lately, my number 1 "to-do item " is to completely wear out my boys. Both Sam and Max seem to have endless amounts of energy, and if I can help them burn some of that off, then it's usually a good day. And today was a good day. They are completely exhausted!

Sam spent his morning getting out his wiggles at preschool. It was his first day, and he loved it. He's had his backpack loaded up and ready to go for a week now, so he was thrilled this morning to actually use it at school. We're doing a little preschool with friends, and next week it's my turn to teach...wish me luck!

Then this afternoon, both boys completely tired themselves playing on the gymnastic equipment at the YMCA. They came home sweaty, stinky, dirty, and completely happy.

Any ideas of what I can do tomorrow to wear them out? They're going to be up in like 7 hours...recharged and ready to go.

Fancy Feet

This past week I entered a whole new phase of life...I became a Soccer Mom. Can I really be this old? Old enough to be driving a child to his practices and games? When and how did this happen?!

Sam is playing on his first ever soccer team this fall; and to say he's loving it would be an understatement. It seems he may have found his new passion in life!

Soccer practice was hysterical to watch. The kids were trying so hard and the coaches were being even more patient. I loved it. Sam seemed to be in awe of his coach. He wanted to sit right in front of him and kept telling him over and over, "I'm a good player. I'm a great player. I'm so good." I love his confidence.

Then came the actual game...that was even better. Somehow Sam seemed to know exactly what to do! He would run down the field dribbling the ball with his little feet and then actually try to kick it in and score. (Granted, he had his moments of picking up the ball with both hands, carrying it right in front of the net and then kicking it in. But still!) He was a natural, and anyone who knows me can vouch when I say that these athletic abilities certaintly did not come from his mother!

I literally had to drag him off the field so that his other teammates could get a chance to play. He did not want to stop. He was so proud of himself, and I have to admit that I was beaming. Watching him have such a great time was so rewarding. I loved it, almost as much as he did.

It's contagious.

Eric's got a bug. And no it's not the coughing, sick, throw-up kind. It's more like the can't sit still, gotta see somewhere new kind. He's had it for as long as I've known him, and it seems to hit him hardest when he has a day or two off of school.

His most recent onset struck him last week, when he realized that we had no plans of traveling during his week break. So, his symptoms began...price checks on hotels, searches online for notable destinations within driving distance, and of course trying to talk me into a road trip with 2 kids. Well, his travel bug proved contagious because once I saw pictures of Traverse City, Michigan, I was sold.

We booked a hotel and found ourselves on our way the very next morning...to the beach! Okay, so it was a beach in Michigan, that may not sound like much, but it was amazing! It truly felt like we were at the ocean. The sand was soft and white, the water was clear and beautiful (although extrememly COLD!), and the weather was perfect. We completely wore ourselves out during the day and a half we had for this mini-vacation, but we enjoyed every minute of it.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore was where we spent most of our time, and we'd recommend it to anyone! The sand dunes were a hit, along with soda pop tasting at the Cherry Republic. We also loved the views of Lake Michigan and picnicking on the beach. There was so much to do, and we feel like we only got a small taste of it.

I am so glad I got talked into going on a quick road trip with my boys. I love Eric's travel bug.