Emerson

I tell ya, this girl is a gem.  I keep reminding myself that this is the best it will probably get in life, but not in a depressing way, just in a 'take it all in' kind of way.  Two kids happily at school.  My 'baby' still at home with me and if there isn't a more fun buddy to hang out with all day....  The worst of our problems are 7 and 5 year old dramas.   This I can take, teenagers, I can not:/

Speaking of teenagers, this happened last night:

 She went with her sweet friends and I shed a little tear.  They rolled up in the driveway to pick her up, 3 giddy girls with a hint of makeup on, heading out to Taylor Swift.  She didn't get home until 11:45pm - on a school night;)  I can't even wrap my brain around her doing this without a parent; just when you get to the stage in your life where sleep returns because all your kids want to sleep in, it'll be the endless nights of staying up late until you know everyone is safe and sound in their own beds. Excuse me while I start looking into some prescription meds for me.....

Apple Picking

We did our annual Apple Picking at Eckerts in Illinois over the weekend.  Always fun, always a hit and this year we went with friends.

 Emerson had fallen asleep on the car ride over and apparently didn't appreciate being awoken for this...she was quite the pistol for awhile.

 I took one for the team.....rode this damn ride that might look innocent enough and apparently if you're under 8 you're immune to nausea.  The only other mom on it and I were about to heave...

 The child below was a stinkpot.

 Until she found a pile of sand, then the switch flipped and voila....happy again.

Oh how I love apple picking....that time of the year when we spend a mortgage payment buying 243 pounds of bruised apples because the girls swear they will eat them all.  Ha.  

School pics

I always order the cheapest package when it comes to school photos because, this day and age, we have a zillion better, more candid, shots of the girls with our own camera and even iPhone and Instagram pics.  Regardless, it's still fun to see the envelope of pics come home in their backpacks.  I love how Reese has her tongue out therefore making it look like she's lost all her teeth:)
Ryan - 2nd grade
Reese - kindergarten