Amazing Apple Orchard

I love that even though the boys are over a year old, we still have plenty of "firsts" to go!  On Saturday, we attended an MVMOM event, an orchard outing, and the boys took their first hayride.  And it keeps getting better: first, the orchard was just a couple miles away, and second, HONEYCRISP APPLES ARE IN SEASON!

(Forgive me, but there are a few reasons I love fall, and this is one of them.  Be prepared for some more excited blog posts because two more are coming up in the next week: my birthday and The Amazing Race premier.)

If you have never eaten a honeycrisp apple, you just haven't lived.  You absolutely MUST find an orchard or grocery store near you that carries them and buy them up because the season is only a few weeks long...during which my birthday occurs and the Amazing Race premiers.  Does life get better?

Yes!  We took the boys on their First Ever Hayride! (Okay, I know I'm a little excited, but I had a lot of coffee and a great morning with some fab women at Mom's Group, AND the boys are sleeping and the sun is shining!)

Back to the hayride!

Here we are, gettin' ready to go...

This one is my favorite, taken just a second before the tractor took off, M kicked off a Croc, and Mr. J., the man next to me, jumped off the wagon to retrieve it!  The boys did seem to enjoy the ride, something I conclude by the fact they basically didn't try to jump off our laps.

There was also a "maze" for the kids to explore and M and N did what I expect them to do the rest of their lives: divide and conquer!  Daddy had the camera and M duties, so we got these cute shots of M exploring the labyrinth:

Follow me!

Look, a plane!

Yeah, planes have nothing to do with the orchard, but the boys point and call out every time they see one.  Which is All. The. Time.

Great fun was had by all and we'll go back again because we'll need some more honeycrisp and some adorable pumpkin/football shots when they're in.

Amazing Race Application

If you know me even a little bit, you know that Steve and I are Amazing Race GEEKS! If you've never heard of it, go to http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race/ and check out the show. Season 16 premiers Sunday, February 14, so you'll need to learn a thing or two about the show because.....
WE APPLIED FOR SEASON 17!

Yep, I just got back from the post office, where I overnighted our application forms, photos, and a DVD of our two-minute application video. Can you believe that? Me neither!

I think the cuteness factor was over the top because we dressed the boys up in their Phillies Phlyers snowsuits, gifts from our dear friend, Uncle A, and took them out to one of our local 10,000 lakes to touch snow for the first time! (Insert huge THANK YOU to Steve's friend M for his videotaping skills here!) The boys were not too sure what to think about it while we were taping, but when we posed them for these two quick stills afterward, Matthew voiced his opinion: IT'S COLD AND I DON'T LIKE IT! We're right there with ya, buddy.
You also know that Steve is the brains when it comes to technology, so you'll have to wait a few days for his return to upload the video to our computer before I can post it here. I'll update this entry and re-post it then. Believe it or not, I did try, but not very hard because I really don't want to screw up the computer and be without the internet until he comes back this weekend. (Insert huge THANK YOU to E&S here for their DVD-making skills, since we had to outsource the job!)

I don't know if we stand a chance to get on the show, but even just completing and sending the application is a thrill for us. For crying out loud, I have no idea what we'll do if we get a call for a semi-finalist interview! Probably scream and jump up and down and wake the babies, only to realize we'll have to make it to the out of town interview with our ankle-biters. But I'm pretty proud of us for crossing off one of our "Bucket List" items: apply for the Amazing Race, something we've been talking about doing for years.

We'll let you know what happens! Wish us luck!