Hiking Trip #2

We had so much fun the first time so we took the kids hiking again this past weekend. We have been unusually lucky this fall given the fact that we have had 3 consecutive weeks of beautiful weather! There has been very little rain and above average temperatures for this time of the year. That puts us at around 70 degrees and sunny clear skies most of the time! So, we've been taking advantage of it and every opportunity that we get. This time we went to a place close by in Ames where Thomas and I used to go when we were dating. It's kind of nostalgic and a fun place to visit and take the kids. The trails are not too difficult which is perfect for us right now. We like the idea of easing our way into the whole idea of hiking and backpacking. We have talked about making camping a family tradition when the kids get older. We both remember doing this as kids and we have so many fond memories of the whole experience. It should be something fun that we do in the years to come. Ethan did fantastic and never really complained. He does tend to stop quite a bit and observe the world around and although we don't get too far on our hikes, who wants to stop a young boy from exploration? Simon enjoys watching the view from Thomas' backpack. He stays pretty quiet and shows no real interest in getting down and walking...yet! We probably hiked a total of a mile this last weekend which doesn't sound like much but it probably took us a little over an hour to complete the trail. Nevertheless, it was a great time and after two hiking trips thus far, Ethan would still like to go again. He loves the "nature walks".

We were also able to celebrate Thomas' 29th Bday this weekend. The boys helped HTomas open some gifts and we all shared to cake (or brownies actually) together. We decorated the house with balloons and streamers and the kids had a blast! Happy Birthday Thomas. I couldn't be more proud and honored to be your wife.

Lastly, and for the 6th and possibly final time, we went to the Apple Orchard today and this was a nodal event for Simon! He LOVED the corn pit! He hasn't like sitting, touching or even entering the barn with the corn pit in it but today, he was all about it! I was SO proud of him. He slid down the slide, jumped off the hay bales, and played endlessly in the corn. I think he just needed some time to get used to it and now it's really a hit! He also liked the jumping pillow which he has been leery of as well. There were no other kids on it, which I'm sure helped quite a bit, and the two boys jumped until they could barely stand up! They were exhausted and ready to go home pretty soon after we finished jumping. We shared a spiced donut together (which was one of the best donuts I've ever tasted and will now try to make one at home), bought some more delicious apples, and started the trek for home. I dont know if we will make it again, but it has been soooo worth it!

Baking a giant chocolate chip cookie doesn't come without its challegnes. Peeling the entire cookie off of the waxed paper and placing onto the baking sheet without it tearing into pieces and baking the cookie until the perfect consistency was no small task. I offered to bake a cake for Neomii's Bday last weekend and she requested a Pizookie. I had no idea what a pizookie was until I did a little research and found out that basically, it's a giant chocolate chip cookie served warm with vanilla bean ice cream on top. I was pretty excited to give it a go after I found a good recipe. It came out great and I decorated the top to wish the Bday girl a Happy Day. It tasted great and I saved the recipe in the event that I would make it for other parties or maybe just a family tradition once in a while.

We also baked some peanut butter play-dough creations with a friend of ours, Chrissy. Chrissy came up with the idea and had a recipe for PB dough. I thought this was a fantastic idea because Simon could join us and would be ok if he ate a bit of the dough. Despite all the salt in regular play-dough, Simon still eats it. So, the boys molded away and we made a wide variety of shapes. We made a snowmen, squirrel, witches hat, pumpkin, trees, flowers and a few other creations. It was good fun and we baked them when they were ready. This didn't change the consistency much like we hoped but they held there shape and were very tasty! I think it was a hit!

After so many visits to the apple orchard, I decided that I would use some of our apples to bake my first apple pie. I think I mentioned it in a previous entry but I forgot to include a picture. I also forgot to take a picture before it was cut but since there were a few glitches within the whole process, I think I'll be baking another sometime. I'll remember to take a picture, fresh out of the oven when I bake another.

Hiking with the Family

This past weekend we took the boys to Ledges State Park and we went on a hiking adventure. We packed our hiking back packs, one of which carries Simon as well as has some other storage for snacks, water, etc...Ethan packed his back pack with snacks, toys and his water bottle and we set out for the trail. Ethan did surprisingly well. We didn't know how long he would be able to make it walking on his own, but we probably covered about 1.5 miles. We stopped and had lunch by the river and the boys played with some pebbles and rocks. The way down went pretty quick and as you can imagine, the way up took a bit longer. Ethan walked about 10 steps up and Thomas and I both took turns carrying him the rest of the way. It was a good work out for us all. It was a beautiful morning and Ethan talked about his hiking adventure all afternoon. Hopefully we can take another adventure soon!

Another Visit to the Apple Orchard

We loved the apple orchard so much that we thought we would take both sets of grandparents to see the place. The Grandma and Grandpa Fawcett along with Leanna and Grace came to Ames a couple weeks ago and we shared a wonderful time together, riding the Thomas the Tank Engine Train in Boone, IA. It was a blast and the kids had so much fun! It's one thing to watch Thomas the Tank on television, it's another thing to actually ride him! It was a hit. We then ventured to Cambridge to visit the apple orchard together. There was absolutely no one there so we had the whole place to ourselves. It was a bit chilly and wet, but that didn't stop the kids one bit. They rode the tractors, fed the animals, jumped in the corn pit, and went down the monster slide! A few days later, grandma Shiplett wanted to go with the kids so we went with my mom, my sister and her kids and Jeanie (my sister's mother-in-law) and we had a great time once again at the orchard. This time we spent most of our time on the giant jumping bean doing some major tricks! I think we all (mostly the adults) were a little sore the next day from the twisting and flipping we did. It was well worth it though. I think we might head to the orchard this week and try to make it with Thomas once more before the season is over. It's been well worth the cost of a season pass! It also inspired me to bake my first homemade apple pie! The apples are delicious from the orchard so I used them up in a pie I baked for some guests. It came out pretty good, flavor great, consistency was a little off. I'm hoping it's the first of many to come! Enjoy the pictures!