Fits, Cuddles, & Lots of Apples

Wonder what's going on back here?


Unfortunately, it was Anna's first full blown fit. Apparently, she doesn't realize she's just 18 months old, not 2 yet! She got in trouble and afterwards thought she could get Daddy to award her cries with being cuddled and held. Thankfully, we make a pretty good team and Daddy went ahead and broke her heart and agreed w/ Momma that she had to go in time out and apologize for her grievance. By the end, it kind of seemed like we broke her spirit too! :( We both struggled to hold her down in time out......she was so angry and distraught and turned that into some impressive strength. We finally got through to her that she had to stay in time out and so she did, but while continuing to cry and scream like crazy. After her time was up, we both tried to get her to get up.....but she ignored us and kept lying in time out, alternating mild crying w/ pitiful body heaves. It was quite the sight and quite sad!


After our attempts to free Anna from time out failed, her loving brother decided to give it a try. He loved on her and layed with her and asked her over and over again to get up. She eventually did, but it took quite the effort from all of us to get her to stop laying there in sadness!


When I looked over at Benjamin while he was sitting w/ Anna he was looking quite sad. When I asked him why he looked so sad, he declared that he in fact wasn't sad and to prove it started to make some funny faces for me!

Daddy gave the kiddos apples for a snack the other day. It's quickly becoming one of their favorite snacks...........

Snack time is of course followed by cuddle time!

It works out nicely that the kids all of a sudden like apples so much, b/c we decided to make our annual trek up to a local apple farm. We went there for the first time last year and got apples and picked our pumpkins. We were hoping to repeat this, but they didn't have the pumpkin patch open yet. We still had a wonderful trip though!!!!

Our little preschooler! :)

When we went to feed the animals, Benjamin wanted to go right over to this donkey and seemed to fall in love with it! :)

I asked him what the donkey's name was. He asked if I knew and I said I didn't, so maybe we should come up with one. He never picked one, but he stood here like this for a good few minutes thinking hard on a name for his donkey! :)

Feeding a mom and baby goat!

This is one of the few pictures I got of Anna actually feeding an animal. She was so funny and would put her hand out and let Dave give her some food in it, then walk up to the animal, and as soon as the animal went to eat some of the food, she'd pull her hand back and shriek with delight!

Tunnel slide!

After Benjamin went down the second time, he stood back and waited to watch Daddy and Anna come down. I couldn't resist taking his picture as he grabbed his bottom, which he told me hurt just a little bit b/c the slide was bumpy!

Both kids really enjoyed the slide though and wanted to keep going down!

I told him to pose with these three trees since he's three!

After the sliding, we went through this bamboo maze......

Close-up......

The kids enjoyed playing on this tractor.........

Dave felt the need to capture me resting on the hay stack!

My boys!

Up high!

I love the admiration on her face as she gazes at her brother! :)

Benjamin pointing out the apple trees to Daddy!

It was a great trip and hopefully we'll be able to go back and get pumpkins. I told Dave that if we come back after the baby is born, that it would be cute to get a Christmas card picture of the three kids on the hay stack. Dave asked, "You're actually going to let me take the baby up to the top?!?!?" I quickly responded, "I NEVER said anything about the top!!!!" :)