Apples and Harvest Festivals

We have had a summer that keeps on shining on, but fall is in the air.  We've had a few cooler nights and even some "frost on the pumpkin".  I love it!  I also love the Harvest Market:

Hazey and Henry singing for a crowd

Face Painting 

We even had a visit from Uncle Mark and Cousin Chris:

And there is no better place to pick apples than Shelburne Orchard.  Especially with great friends and fun music.

 A parting shot of a lovely bike ride in Underhill:

Art Hop and Tunbridge Fair

Art Hop is a favorite event for me and John.  This year the kids insisted that they get to go for Saturday's kids day: 

 It's been so fun to see these two together lately.  Below are some pictures of them doing a weekly scavenger hunt at the Jericho Farmers Market.  If they get the questions correct, they earn $3 in produce money, which they can spend at any vender who sells fruits or veggis.

Meanwhile, the parents got out for a fun date night seeing the Infamous String Dusters.

And a biking date:

With Zephy:

And we made it to a favorite event, the Tunbridge World's Fair:

petting a 4 day old calf

riding the ferris wheel

Ferris Wheel Gal

Sliders

Checking out the "one room" schoolhouse 

not too old for a pony ride

I love Vermont!  It's such a treat to live in this beautiful place with so many wonderful events.  It's hard to leave.

Hermit Island

A week before Labor Day weekend, my old friend Carlota called to see if we could join them at Hermit Island for the holiday weekend.  There were two camp sites left at the campground and we jumped on it.

 The weather couldn't have been more amazing!  It was the most relaxing and fun weekend-- a perfect way to recharge after a hectic end of the summer.

First Day of School

The first day of school is bitter sweet.  I think we were all ready for a little more structure and a little time away from each other, but that transition is always a little more abrupt than we'd like.

The weather didn't cooperate, but the kids were so excited to meet their new teachers and see their friends.

It was such a weight off our shoulders to know that Cally would look after Hazey and he would look after her. And they were both so happy to be sharing Jericho Elementary with each other.

I'm lucky enough to have a schedule which allows for the kids to be dropped off at my school at the end of the day (not every day, but most days).  The sun was shining and they both had smiles on their face at the end of their first day.

End of Summer Bucket List

When I got home from Maine, John was immediately thrown into the fire of Trek.  50 leaders were soon to arrive to be trained and a week later 250 students were going to hit the backcountry for a week of adventure.  In the meantime, the kids and I had some items on our summer bucket list to accomplish. 

  

So here is what we checked off on the list:

• Hike Mt. Abe

• Jump at "Get Air" -- an indoor trampoline space

• Pick blueberries

• Hike Mt. Mansfield:

• Bike the causeway:

I let the kids drive the bus on this one.  They wanted to hike and they did a great job.  Friends joined us for some of our adventures.  We made sure that all of the experiences were fun-- bottom line.  If they weren't fun, we weren't going to do it.  The spirit that the kids approached these adventures with was what mattered most. They love it.  I loved it, but I was exhausted by the time I needed to be back for inservice. 

While I went back to the classroom, the kids spent some time with sitters and did four days of field hockey camp:

And even with all the hecticness, John and I managed to get out on a date!

And we even got out for a family date night in Burlington.