Apples!

We've been talking about apples, counting apples, reading books about apples, and even painting with apples this week for Liza's preschool co-op. So as a special treat, we took a field trip to an apple orchard yesterday. The orchard was just over an hour away in a beautiful farming community. It has been rainy all week, but the weather cooperated for us during our morning out. All the kids (and moms!) had a great time going on a hayride, tasting apples, learning about how they press apples for cider and applesauce, how they clean and sort the apples for sale, then finally getting to go out in the orchard and pick our own apples to take home. We were all muddy and tired by the end of the day, but this is certainly something we'll do again!

I love 2-year-olds

 

 
Grant is such a fun boy. He's always got a train in his hand and a smile on his face. He likes to pretend with Liza--they'll play anything from pets or babies to trains to hide-and-seek. He and Kimball have this thing where Kimball says, "Grant, best friends?" and Grant answers back, "Yeah! Best friends!" I love his soft heart, how he wants to make everyone happy. Tonight I told him I was glad he's my baby and he wrapped his chubby arms around my neck and said, "Me too."

Soccer

Kimball had his first soccer game of the Fall season on Saturday, and his team won 12-1. The best part about the game was that Kimball scored his first goal ever, then went on to score two more! He was one excited kid.

Gymnastics

Liza started her gymnastics class last week. She was just the cutest thing out there in her leotard, looking so excited and so proud of herself. I loved being in a gym again! So many memories came flooding back to me of my own years in gymnastics. I had to stay in this little room to watch Liza's class, and it was all I could do to keep myself from running out to join them. :) I think this is going to be a fun thing for cute Liza, and for her mom.

Finally

Yes, I'm finally entering the blogging world. I just got rid of my flip phone. I just added texting to my plan. I guess I'm finally embracing some of the technology that I've been avoiding all these years.

Once we finished medical school in Utah and moved away from all our family, I started thinking about creating a blog. But it has taken me a year in Washington, a cross-country move, and more than a year in North Carolina to finally go for it. I'm obviously hoping this blog will help me keep in touch with family and friends, but I'm also hoping it provides me a place to write and share what's on my mind.

My little family is loving our life out here in Durham. We are surrounded by amazing people, beautiful scenery (you should see this place in the fall!), wildlife (we've seen everything from frogs to possums to deer just in our yard), history, beaches, mountains, diversity, and opportunity. North Carolina has become a happy home for us.

These days our life is filled with Mark's busy residency schedule (he's an ophthalmology resident at Duke), church service, school, preschool, soccer, gymnastics, piano lessons, Thomas trains, baby dolls, potty training, and all that comes with having three active, awesome kids.

So yes, I am happy to be starting a blog. I think it's finally time.