Hudson Valley

We went to the Hudson Valley in New York for our annual fall extravaganza. Mom, Dad and Zahra met up with us and had a great time. We went to Philipsburg Manor (a revolutionary war home), Sunnyside (Washington Irving's house), Kykuit (The Rockerfeller mansion), The Culinary Institute of America, and we capped off our weekend with the Great Jack O'Lantern Blaze. The Blaze gets better and better every year, and never ceases to amaze me. I loved the pirates this year, Carter loved the dinosaurs hatching out of gourds. Aidan wanted to be carried, and we had to keep Dad from falling every other step. (Dark, uneven spaces are never good for a natural born klutz.)

Fall is for Apple Picking

We took the boys apple picking 2 weeks ago, and came home with 60 pounds of apples. Aidan had recently made applesauce in school and "taught" Jason how to make it. (He told him to put in 3 apples, a big cup of sugar and cook it for 8 or 2 hours.) We then spent the next day canning all the applesauce that 60 pounds of apples make.
The boys had a great time picking and it always feels like fall when you settle down to some homemade apple treats.

Sharing a Moment

Keaton is starting to get very demanding about getting his fair share. If anyone is eating something, he screams a high-pitched, blood-curdling scream until he gets some too. The older boys have finally realized that if they give in quickly, the screams stop. Here are Aidan and Keaton have a sharing moment.