The Apples of My Eye

 

The boys have been talking about apple picking for a full year without pause. Ever since we went last year, it has come up at least once a week... and finally the day arrived! We went apple picking at Minnesota Harvest in Jordan, MN, and I would highly recommend this orchard to everyone. It had everything we wanted (tractor-pulled wagon, you-pick apples, super affordable and gorgeous pumpkins) and loads of things we didn't know we needed (a sunflower maze, kiddie train, petting zoo, live music with Cactus Willie) that were offered free of charge. It was large and well-run, but it still had the feel of a family-owned orchard. 

Max spent most of the day up in the trees helping Paul find the very best apples, Lucian found sticks and brandished them like swords as we hiked through the apple tree jungle, and Audrey got her paws on an apple and wouldn't put it down. The kids were all thrilled to have my mom join us for the day, and we ended up being there for almost four hours. They had wagons sitting around the grounds for anyone to use as needed, so we claimed two of them for the later part of the day as little legs started getting tired. (Remind me to add a wagon to my Christmas list... SO awesome!) The kids got pulled from the pumpkins to the petting zoo to the old tractors to the playground, munching apples all the while.

I mentioned to my mom that sometimes the best part of outings with children is the memories, because the actual event can be super stressful. Not so with this orchard; it was a child's dream come true. No hushing, no corralling, they were free to roam and explore, while we were free to relax and enjoy. And we did!

  

Ethel

Oh child. Oh my dear, dear child. What am I going to do with you? Your new-found mission in life is to reach the altar during Mass, and when you are prevented from accomplishing your goal, you kick up a fuss to rival anything I've yet seen from one of my children. You want what you want when you want it, and you want the world to know! You are sassy, spunky, bossy, crazy; if you're not in a good mood, everyone pays for it. I think I'm losing my hearing from your screams in close quarters during car trips. But when you're on, you can charm the socks off of anyone who looks your way. You've got the Miss America wave down pat, and your new favorite game of "Where's Audrey's Nose" is a winner in any crowd.

Being with you is sometimes exhausting, because your energy is boundless. If you get an idea in your head, there is no stopping you. Trying to do an art project on the table yesterday nearly left me in tears because you decided you had to be on top of the table, but none of the art supplies were allowed to be there with you! So we abandoned the project in piles on the dining room floor and went outside to let you run off some energy. Hopefully we'll return to it soon when you are sleeping (the only time you sit still).

Darling girl, you drive me up a wall when you insist on playing the piano with your feet; the keyboard is not a dance floor! Your name, Audrey Therese, is so sweet and calm, it sometimes doesn't seem to suit you. It's a good thing St. Audrey had such an awesome full name... when you are on a rampage, or getting into something you shouldn't, Daddy has taken to calling you Ethel (to Lucian you are "Effo"). I bet by the time you turn two, you'll have heard it so often you will think it's your real name!

Honey, feel free to slow down a little any day now. I don't know how much longer I can keep up! But please don't ever lose that spunk and spirit. 

How About a Bedtime Snack?

What happens when the man of the house has a hankering for monster cookies at 7:00 pm? This!

And boy were they delicious.

The boys cleaned up their toys in record time to ensure that they could have a cookie fresh out of the oven. Seriously, I blinked and the living room was spotless! And then my dear husband may have mentioned that there could be more cookies for breakfast... well, at least they had oatmeal in them, right??

It's been awhile since I've cooked with the kids. Actually, I can pinpoint it to when Audrey learned how to crawl onto the table. Now, rather than the dining room table being a safe zone, it is more like a magnet. ("'Oh, they put something on the table! They must not want me to have it... onward and upward!")

But maybe I'll try again soon during nap time, it is apple season after all... so many delicious options, where to begin?

Time for School!

Max, Kindergarten (5 years old)

Lucian, Preschool (3 years old)

A month into the school year, and I'm finally getting around to posting about our experience so far! It was a crazy, exciting September, but things have finally settled down around here. Our school year started as soon as we got back from Ely, and we kicked it off with a pizza party and ice cream with Grandma and Grandpa Radecki and Uncle Ben. For the second year, the kids each received a book as a start-of-school gift... check out what we chose for Max (I'm a sucker for anything by Don and Audrey Wood), Lucian (Currently, his life's goal is to be a garbage man) and Audrey (Did I say I love Don and Audrey Wood?)

The morning after our pizza party, the kids woke to crowns and wrapped-up school supplies. It's amazing how exciting a package of washable markers is if it's wrapped in colorful paper! Then I unveiled our motto and patron saint for the year. After lots of thought and prayer, I decided on this for our motto:

"I want to do everything, even the smallest things, for the greater glory of God."

It is a quote by our patron saint of the year, Dominic Savio. He was a student of St. John Bosco, and he was well known for being compassionate, charitable, kind and virtuous even as a young schoolboy. What better example for our family as we begin our journey into the world of schooling? Max took a great interest in him right away, and I look forward to learning more about him as the year goes on.

So far, I love our school time together! It seems that our best days are the ones where we spend the entire morning at the kitchen table. Lucian comes and goes, Audrey is constantly underfoot unless she's napping, and Max is soaking up information like a sponge. I love teaching my children, but most of all I love learning with them!

I Do!

Kelley and Tim tied the knot last weekend in a beautiful ceremony at the Cathedral in Rapid City. We are overjoyed to have Tim as part of the family; his presence during the last days before the wedding brought a sense of calm and humor to the last minute craziness*. Up until the wedding weekend, I had not spent much time with Tim, so I was glad to get a chance to know him a bit better. All I need to say is that it is obvious how much he loves Kelley, and they are truly great for each other.

I was honored to stand up as a bridesmaid with Monica, Megan, and Kelley's good friend Brenna. Kelley was as low-maintenance of a bride as they come; she even trusted us to choose our own jewelry and make our own bouquets! Which, if I may say so myself, turned out pretty decent. It was a fun evening putting together our flowers and deciding how to wrap them. Then on Saturday morning, we revisited a tradition we started for Monica's wedding: bagels and mimosas at the hair salon! I was suffering from a killer cold all weekend, but even standing knee-deep in Kleenex couldn't ruin the fun of that time together. 

When we got to the church, we donned our cowboy boots (for real. SO awesome.) and our dresses, and prepared to celebrate two lives joined. The bride and groom were radiant, the music was beautiful (Monica did double-duty as matron-of-honor and cantor!), and Christ was truly present there as they said their vows. Good thing we all stocked our boots with tissues... there were a couple of tear-jerker moments.

The reception was a blast: prime rib buffet, 14 individual wedding cakes (one per table), homemade moonshine from Tim's neck of the woods, amazing toasts by the matron-of-honor and best man, two gracious and glowing newlyweds, and a rockin' dance party. Lucian followed Kelley around like a puppy dog for a good portion of the evening... I think he was awestruck by her beauty. Audrey cut a rug and charmed the socks off everyone she met. Max showed off his unique dancing style and struck up conversations with everyone who crossed his path. Even with all three kids in tow, Paul and I got to sneak in a couple of dances. It was a great night. 

Congratulations, Kelley and Tim! Thanks for sharing your joy with us. We love you!

Awesome photos by Jacques Daniel, http://www.danielphotodesign.com/

Also from Jacques, http://www.danielphotodesign.com/

 

*At one point, as Maureen tells the story, everyone was sitting around the table and tensions started to rise. Tim looked right at his soon-to-be Mother-in-law and, with conviction, began repeating, "I do. I DO!" as if to remind himself (and everyone present) what we were really all here for, even if his fiance was currently driving him crazy. The tension was broken, and it became a mantra throughout the week.

The Voyageur

One last post about our week in Ely, and then I'll be moving on to the start of the school year (lots to tell!). But bear with me, because you don't want to miss this! I'll be telling the story of Max's trip from my own perspective, but go ahead and ask him about it yourself- he will have lots to say.

The idea to take a vacation in Ely this summer started when Paul and my dad began hinting at taking Max into the Boundary Waters with them. They have been mentioning it for years, but when Max was four, I began saying that I might be O.K. with next year... when he's five... 

And then he turned five.

And they held me to it.

Honestly, I was not worried about his safety for a millisecond. I knew he was in capable, experienced hands, and that he would be well looked-after. But that doesn't mean I didn't have trouble sleeping the night before they left. My firstborn, five years old, was going to a place where I couldn't call him. I couldn't visit him. Communication between us was completely cut off for nearly two full days! I have spent time away from him before, but this was different. With no phone or internet between us, I could only guess at what he was doing, whether he was having fun, whether he had met a bear...

But Paul documented his trip well, as I made him promise. The look on Max's face in these pictures made it clear how at home he felt in the wilderness. He loved the lake, the canoe, fishing, swimming, helping Grandpa around the camp, eating food around a campfire, all of it. His daddy taught him how to whittle, and he made himself a spear to hunt for wild animals. Thankfully, none were found on his hunting expeditions, but he did manage to catch a real live chipmunk in a trap he set with Grandpa.

In fact, that was the first thing I learned about his trip; as they paddled toward the dock in the pouring rain, mosquito bite-ridden and soaked to the bone, he yelled out at the top of his lungs, "I caught a chipmunk! I caught a chipmunk! I caught a chipmunk!" We ran inside and dried off, but while I was dying to hear about every detail of his trip, all he wanted to do was read a book. Poor kid, he's never gone a day in his life without a book... I think of all the hardships, that was probably the worst for him. Ok, maybe second-worst, after the vicious killer mosquitoes.

Warrior Max with his spear and chipmunk trap

"I love the Boundary Waters!!"

Voyageurs

The rest of the week, he seemed older. He got to go with "the guys" down into a mine, hard hats and all. He baited his own hook. He just grew up a little. But it's ok, because he still gives me hugs and snuggles whenever I ask for them. He is only five, after all.

Kayak King

My turn! I had a great week at the cabin, alternating between kayaking in the lake, digging in the sand, and cuddling with Grandma. I completely attached myself to my "Gram-Cracker" (as I like to call her), and I wouldn't even let Mom help me wash my hands if Grandma was around to do it!

My favorite place in the world: Grandma's lap

I really wanted to be big enough to go into the Boundary Waters with Max; I even told everyone about my trip to the Boundary Waters when I was five. I remember it like it was yesterday... even though it was in my imagination. I helped out the best I could, but I still had to watch from the dock as Max and all the other guys paddled away. 

I sure missed my brother while he was gone, but I had Mom and Grandma and Great-Grandma to keep me busy. I got to take the kayak out by myself a few times, and Grandma and I went exploring together too! We paddled out and "bumped booties" with our kayak; I was so excited to tell Mom, but I don't understand why it made her laugh so hard! By the end of the week I learned that the things we bumped were actually called "buoys", but that's harder to say.

It was a lot of fun ruling the roost for a couple of days, but I was sure glad to see Max when he got back!

Other highlights of the week included: trips to the lodge for ice cream, throwing rocks into the water, and playing at the playground in Ely. But when it came time for us to go home, I was completely ready to sleep in my own bed in my own room. Adventure is fun, but I say there's no place like home.