Agabang in Anyang

For our first Midwestern Fall with Children, we were casually determined to do fun Fall activities. We jumped in leaves, yes, and we also went apple picking. We drove out to Overhiser Orchards in Michigan, picked a bushel full, then ate at Big Boy for lunch because it was almost 1 o'clock, and Dan can be very convincing to a hungry person. All I wanted was some immediate food.

It was a nice experience. Joash sort of cared, but it does get a bit repetitive. I thought it would be prettier, like more stunningly autumnal and wildernessy, but it's just rows of trees. I know everyone else knows this, but I had different expectations. No, but we had fun. Fun and apple cider doughnut samples. And now we have a ton of apples to eat. I've already slawed some, and I intend to cake some, challah some, and pie some. Overhiser had a pumpkin patch, too, so we picked some pumpkins to carve and to pie.

Joash brought his rake in case there were leaves to attend to. There were! But he didn't rake them. In the end, he just dragged the rake around the place like it was one big apple-dotted zen garden. He has gone fruit picking before, for tomatoes, and he wore this shirt, even. He started picking up rotting apples from the ground with earnest before he realized how gross they were, so we found some low ones for him.

So, this is our first family photo in the year since Ammi's birth. We took so many more when Joash was a baby. I actually feel no remorse about this, because I don't want my children to have a hoarder's share of photos to sift through when they're old. 

The sun was very bright, a formidable foe to the camera facing skills of amateur babes.

Ammi playing peek-a-boo.

Joash offering me an apple, and then picking off all of its leaves. He was adamant that our apples would have no leaves!

Dan and his apple picking staff.

We found a ladder. Dan's face is on account of Joash saying something hilarious and nonsensical about monsters.

He just does stuff like this without thinking or being told. He might as well be Snow White.

And Ammi just does this sort of thing without thinking or being told (eats wooden apple crates).

Apples of my eye, of course.

He carried quite a few apples in his little apple basket, even when it got pretty heavy.

Old tractors for my dad.

We heaved them up onto these pumpkin faced hay bales. Joash enjoyed it. Ammi wanted to throw herself on the ground and freaked out when she realized she couldn't just. 

Good sport.