APPLE PICKING WITH BABES

Yes it's true, another post about apple picking! Get excited, you have apples and babies coming your way. 

It was a cold and blustery morning, and we bundled up with hats and scarves and left the house 50 minutes after we had planned. That still felt like a victory;  getting four adults and three kids out the door, fed and dressed is worth celebrating. And we were duly awarded- the crowds hadn't formed just yet, the morning was brisk and sunny and the Fuji apples were ripe for the picking. I had been hyping this up for weeks with Sloane and I was pleased down to my toes that she was excited for it too. She wanted to pick her own apples and ate through about 5-6 little ones, most of them unfinished before being tossed on the ground for the sake of another one asking to be picked: "Papa said I could throw the apple like this here!" I chomped through three big ones - they were SO GOOD. Crispy and ripe apples straight from the tree is probably in my list of top ten best foods ever. 

For starters, an adorable little bear of a baby. I miss her all the time. 

The first thing we did when we got there was fill our bellies with apple donuts and apple cider. I highly recommend this sort of pre-game.  

She loved her cup of hot apple cider.

Teeny tiny people! who are climbing towards the grove of Fuji apples. While we were going up the mountain, I was walking right in front of a group of people who were discussing where the best apples were: "I heard that the best apples are over....." "Wait, you should whisper," said his friend jokingly. "We don't want people to hear," and gave me a big wink and grin. "Ha ha I was totally listening in for it, " I responded jovially, hoping my cheer would mask my deathly serious determination to find the best apples.  It must have worked because they spilled the beans.

I captured this moment because this is Ken polishing off an apple he picked for me.  He may not have meant it that way, but in my book, this is a romantic gesture.  Next up, I'm trying to get him to plant me an apple tree in our backyard.

Look at these cuties! 

Let's end it with the sweet baby bear, shall we? She slept most of the time we were there, but while I was snapping a photo of her she opened her eyes and looked at me like this.  What gives, mom?

oh wait, I'm not done yet.

Family photos! look! we each have one to hold!