We went to this amazing local farm. Best kept secret in town. The people there were so friendly and helpful, they had amazing apples and pumpkins. Not to mention the hay ride, corn maze, hay slide, and kids barn. We could've spent all day there!

He might look cranky but he LOVED the corn maze. He's just mad i made him stop to pose for a pic. He also dressed himself. A coonskin cap and rain boots are obviously the best choice for farmin'

 I can walk in the corn maze too!

 And you think Gabe looks like Daddy? Ha! I'm Daddy's mini-me!

The farm had this amazing pumpkin patch- probably over 1000 pumpkins and gourds to choose from. Gabe proudly picked his own and "one for baby sister". 

 Hay ride all to ourselves

Evie is such a stylish farm girl :)

Playing in the the "tiny folks barn" they had all set up for kids. A "corn pit" with tractors and dump trucks, a teepee, a haybale race track with trikes. Not to mention the cider and doughnuts and sweet corn. Was totally awesome! Kids loved it!

Last of summer pics

I forgot to post some of these cute pics!

Apple Picking!

Do you enjoy my apple-picking color appropriate pants? Good Stuff! We had to travel a bit to find some apples (Indian ladder had a bad season) but find some we did! We filled two bags easily with great help and enthusiasm from Gabe. Evie helped taste-test. We also made the necessary cider doughnut/cider purchases! All in all a nice sunday afternoon.

End of summer pics

 Somebody turned 1 about a month ago. Don't remind she's already 13 mths!

 There's so much i could say about you Evie, but i'll leave it at, WE LOVE YOU! Very very very much! You are so wonderful and precious to us, so even when you try to bite me or spit your food at me...i still always come back for more :) You're just the best!

 It was super-fun making these cupcakes. And they're just as delish as they are cute if you can believe it!

 gabe was not so pleased to share the attention

 all this stuff in the box is for me??!!

 love those cheekys

 my model children. I should make some $$ off these two- or at least some free clothes at the rate they grow out of them!

 tender

 college roomie/bestie came to visit. we love aunt paddles. she's a rockstar

 i like goats. and goat cheese. Think Ft. Carson family housing would object to us having one in the back yard?

 Uncle Greg got Gabe a glider.. can you tell he likes it?

 five rivers afternoon walk

We had a great summer, as you can see! Between the cabin, long island and family visits- it was jam-packed! Gabe is on his way to becoming a naturalist. He can identify numerous birds by their call or picture. Like, "hey is that the piliated woodpecker calling"?  Or "Is that a white-throated sparrow on your shirt?" Genius. He also is learning about insects (thanks mom) and loves to go look for them! He found a katydid on a walk with me at the cabin and was so excited about it. He's in love with swimming and got better everyday at it. His fav is playing "water ski" with the rope. He loves to yell "hit it" and be pulled in.
Evie is walking farther and steadier every day. I think she's motivated to get to the "steady walker" room at church cuz it has way cooler toys! She's a fruit-addict, will eat any kind i put on her tray. And some veggies too.

 This week starts my MOMS group and Gabe swim lessons. We did a test run at the Y and Gabe & Evie did awesome in the childcare. Gabe even comforted Evie when she was sad- what a sweet big brother.

Were down to about 2.5 mths left and re-deployment can not come soon enough! I'm tired of taking all these pics with no daddy in them :(. But I'm thrilled at all the wonderful experiences that my kids are having here in NY. So it's this constant emotional tug-of-war. SIGH. We just keep praying for safety and "peace that passes understanding". Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything , but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus". This has been my verse this deployment. Easier said than done, but it helps a lot. I try to repeat it over and over in my head when I'm getting anxious. So encouraging to know were not going through it alone, that God really does care about us and want us to be a part of His plan. We've come so far and were almost there! And we have lots more fun planned this fall which helps a lot. Not the least of which is a fun southwest trip in October :) Hope all my readers (all 5 of you) are doing well!  Thanks for all the continued prayer and support :) We are truly blessed and grateful!