Apple Festival!

Two Saturdays ago, we went to Carter's Mountain with some friends to attend the annual Apple Festival. 

After spending over 90 minutes in the car trying to get to the orchard that is normally 15 minutes from our house, finally getting there and being assaulted by the hot sun and swarms of stink bugs, moods were not the best:

Poor Lance. I kept telling him to improve his attitude, but honestly, I think we were all feeling a little bit like this in the beginning.

Some shade helped a bit.

We ended up having a blast! Once in the trees, the weather was perfect and the bugs weren't as bad. We put Jude in a little carrier and he was totally content to just hang out. He even got to do a little "off-roading" while we tried to get to the best apples.

Lance was a great help getting the apples. And if you're wondering why his eye on the right side of his face is scratched, he was swinging earlier that day and jumped off. Unfortunately, he landed on his face--not really what he had planned.

Where's George?

Jude LOVED chewing on an apple. I think he munched contentedly for more than half an hour before he accidentally dropped it.

Our friends the Baileys were the ones who invited us to come. They were really nice about letting Lance help them get the apples. Lance thought it was awesome to be so high and try to find the perfect ones.

Me and Rachel. Our husbands are in Med School together and we both live in Married Student Housing.

Beautiful view from the top of the mountain.

Lance and Jude had fun playing in the dirt under a deck while the the adults talked and ate amazing apple donuts and drank apple cider. The Simmons came too, another Med School couple here in Family Housing. When I get my hands on the group picture, I'll post it.

We had a great time! And the best news... going down the mountain and all the way home only took 20 minutes. Score!

Are we crazy?

One of the many wonderful things about living in our apartment is all the families with kids the same age. It's great we can walk a few feet outside our back door and meet up with friends. Lance loves it and told me yesterday his favorite thing to do is to play at the park with his friends. 

We are part of a babysitting co-op where five families take turns watching all the kids while the other couples go on a date each Friday night. It's great! You pay your dues for 2 1/2 hours once every 5 weeks and in return you get four date nights with free babysitting. 

Last Friday was our turn.

11 children, all 5 years old and younger

+

150 minutes of chaos

 +

Popcorn and crackers smashed into the carpet, toys everywhere

+

Four weeks of free date nights

=

Totally worth it!

(And if you're wondering what exactly Lance is wearing in the picture, he dressed himself in 3 sets of shorts. Yes, just shorts. He said he was dressed like an Indian. )

Paint--Do Not Eat It!

For Family Home Evening on Monday, we painted pumpkins. The boys had a great time and George and I loved watching them have a ball with the paint. This was the first time we've attempted anything like this with Jude and all in all, he did a pretty good job.

The "before" picture. Look at all that clean!

Pumpkins are for painting, not eating, Jude. He tried anyway.

Lance had a very specific idea in mind for his pumpkin and was uncharacteristically careful with the paint.

Jude caught on pretty quickly and did a surprisingly good job using the brush end to get paint on his pumpkin. He didn't need very much help at all.

George was creative (as usual) and sprayed paint in a plastic bag and then rolled his pumpkin all around inside. It turned out fairly pretty and very unique.

Lance painting faces... and staying clean.

Not so clean...

Another face painted and still clean! It's a breakthrough!

Yep, he tried to eat it. Good think the paint is non-toxic and washable!

And... I knew it was coming. After he had finished his pumpkin and Jude was getting a bath, Lance decided it was time to have his typical fun with the paint:

Bathtime was interesting, to say the least. I love my boys--my crazy, paint-y, silly boys. They really are what makes my world go 'round and what puts a smile on my face every day.

Transformers, a Tent, and Tons of Friends

Highlights from the past couple weeks:

Lance and Jude are starting to play pretty well together! It takes a lot of patience on Lance's part, but he's getting better about including Jude. He even let him play with his Transformers, which is a pretty big deal.

Lance got a Toy Story bed tent for his Birthday last month and we finally got around to setting it up. Lance and his buddies from next door had a great time playing it when we set it up in the living room, but as soon as I tried to put it on his bed, it broke! I couldn't believe it! I felt pretty bad, so I quickly set up my brother's old tent my mom gave us. This tent has got to be at least 22 years old, maybe older, and it's still in great condition! Just goes to show you--they really don't make things like they used to!

I think out of both of them, Jude loved the tent the most. In fact, when I took out the poles to take it down yesterday at Lance's request, Jude kept trying to lift up the deflated tent and crawl inside. We'll have to get it out again soon.

Last Sunday before General Conference, we had a brunch in our "backyard" with all our Copeley friends. The Elmers (our neighbors) are always really good about having BBQ's and such, and they were the ones who set up the Conference Brunch.

The kids had fun playing in the little house, as usual...

...while the adults had fun eating and chatting.

Jude also enjoyed writing the dirt with sticks. He did have socks, but he pulled them off. Lance missed it because he was with his dad. :(

That evening we helped celebrate Bennett's 1st Birthday! It was a lot of fun to be with so many friends. Jude loved the party hats! We only got a couple pictures, but our friend Jamie (Bennett's mom) posted several more on her blog. Enjoy!

Killian, Jude, Bennett, Kendal, and Lucy

Baby Mason is Here! (And so was Chad!)

I waited to do this post until I had pictures from my mom's camera, but alas, her cardreader was nowhere to be found when I was up in Northern VA this past weekend, so the few pictures I have will have to do for now.

My first nephew on my side was born September 24th! I actually got to be at the hospital for it, although not actively participating. It was a neat experience to sit in the waiting room anxiously watching the door for any hint of the new arrival. My mom and Tyler's mom were both waiting as well. Lance, Jude, and I drove straight from Charlottesville to the hospital in Ashburn where we stayed for about 5 hours! The boys were great sports and I tried to make it more fun by treating them to lunch at the cafeteria and getting some tasty treats to share.

Lance asked me to take this picture of him in the garden outside the hospital.

Waiting...

Tyler's mom had the right idea and utilized her time wisely. I wish I could have done the same.

They were so good. We really spent about 5 hours in the same waiting room. Jason and Glenn came by for a little bit so that helped to break up the long hours. Lance and I read some books and played with some toys while Jude kept both himself and me busy by constantly trying to escape the waiting room. He would crawl to the automatic door and when it opened, crawl as fast as he could out the door! What a stinker!

After hearing that the baby had been born (the doctor actually walked out into the waiting room and told us he was born, and then went to another part of the hospital), we waited another HOUR before Tyler came out to give us the details. I guess they were just enjoying the moment alone before all the visiting. 

 Laura and baby Mason with our mom and Tyler's mom. 

The proud parents!

Lance actually wanted to see the baby (which is a big deal because he does not like babies at all... even Jude is a stretch sometimes), so when it was our turn to visit I took him back, only to discover that the baby had been taken to the Nursery! We got to peek through the window at him, but we both had to wait another day before we could hold him.

Chad came into town that same day just for the weekend, so we got to hang out a little on Saturday. It was so nice to see him! I miss him so much now that he's living in New York City.

Saturday night I got to go to the hospital with Mom and Amy to visit Laura and try to watch the Relief Society General Conference Broadcast on Laura's computer. We had a great time visiting and holding baby Mason.

On Sunday, Laura and Tyler brought Mason home, so we all got a chance to hold him and welcome the little one into our family.

Jude thought he was pretty neat and kept pointing at him and patting him. I'm not sure if really understood Mason is a person, but he seemed to know he was a big deal.

 Baby. Good job, Jude!

Even Lance got into the action and held him... something he did not do 9 months ago with Jude. I think little kids are growing on him.

There is something about holding a sleeping baby that is contagious. 

That night we celebrated Chad's 29th Birthday before he had to catch his bus back to NY.

I made him a three-layer chocolate cake for the party. Lance apparently was excited to try it.

And, of course, Lance had to help with the candles. I asked Chad if he wanted a 2 and a 9 candle or if he actually wanted 29 candles. You can clearly see his decision. :)

It was a fun weekend to be with family and enjoy the precious new baby! I'm so excited for Laura and all the joy that is coming her way. Being a mom is the greatest calling on earth. I wouldn't trade it for the world!