Apple Picking!

A couple of weekends ago Jason and I took the kids to Oak Glen for apple picking! We were all very excited because we had never picked apples before. First, we stopped at the Snow-Line Orchard for apple cider donuts. Yummy! They were fresh, and steaming hot. We were also able to see apples being pressed at their cider mill.

Next, we went to the Willowbrook Apple Farm. This is a very small family affair. It was their first weekend that they were open for the season. We had a wonderful time! They had apples and other apple products available for tasting, which were all delicious. The children enjoyed seeing the horse, the chicken (there was only one, as the others were eaten by a bear!), and the little dog named SugarBear.
This was our bag of Stayman Winesap apples. The children picked a few apples and then just wanted to run around and explore.

A rare family snapshot.

It took much coaxing to get Mercy to sit for this shot.

Joshua, is always willing to pose for a picture.

We were very blessed to have had this time together as a family. We look forward to making this a family tradition.

Rememberence Day

Trusting God With All My Heart

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. -Proverbs 3:5-6

This past week has found me constantly going to this verse for comfort and peace. It is hard to see why God would try us in this way again. But knowing that I don't have to understand it, just trust in Him and His purpose, gets me through each day.

We covet the prayers of all our friends and family. It gives us comfort to know that so many are loving, caring, and lifting us up.

A Mother's Song

Bravo! I thought this was so funny. I know I have said some of these things.

Sing Praises!

We are taking our morning break from school. Joshua is rebuilding his train track. Mercy is playing quietly.

Earlier, during our math lesson, Mercy decided it was a good time to sing. "ALLELUIA! ALLELUIAAAAA! LET ME HIDE MYSELF IN THEEEEE! ALLELUIA! ALLELUIA! YOU ARE MY GOD! YOU ARE MY GOD!!" I thought it was a lovely song, but I told her that now was not the time for loud singing. She said, "But Mom God always wants us to sing praises to Him!"

How can I argue with that?

A Chamber Music Performance

This past Saturday we took the children to their first classical music concert, which was hosted by the Western Society of Chamber Music. Jason and I have been wanting to do this, but we were unsure of how a fidgety six year old and chatty 3 year old would do for an entire performance. So we looked at the Society's webpage, it said that each event is "fit for the seasoned concert-goer, the new listener, and the entire family." Also, the event was FREE! We decided we had nothing to lose; if the children were misbehaved we could leave early without feeling like we wasted money.

There was a pre-concert performance by a fourth grade girl playing the violin. Joshua enjoyed that since he is taking violin lessons. The concert itself started at 7:30 with a presentation of the life of Johannes Brahms. The speaker was a little hard to follow, and I have to admit that I was a little bored. But then the music started it was wonderful. It was the Piano Trio No. 1 in B Major, Op. 8 by Brahms. This first half of the concert lasted about an hour. Then an intermission.

The children were a little fidgety. I brought some fruit snacks for them to share, & Mercy played with a couple of stuffed animals. At the intermission we decided to leave. The children enjoyed the music, but we felt that they may not make it through the second half. Joshua said that he wanted to stay, but we promised him we would come to another performance.

I would recommend the Western Society of Chamber Music to other families. The performance was very family friendly, the theatre was spacious, and the music was great. Also, the concerts are offered free of charge (they do have a case in the lobby for donations). We will definitely plan to make it to future performances!