meant to be

it's moments like these, where I know I am meant to be a mom

a glimpse here and there

over the past few weeks there has just been too much going on to make individual posts about each event. so here is a glimpse into the past few weeks here in the blissful life.

1. hanging with some friends at the bowling ally
2. showing off our 'mad skill' which correlates to gutter balls and low scores
3. visiting the apple orchard
4. making some amazing apple sauce
5. supporting my sister at an inspiring Rugby game
6. making chocolate chip banana bread with my new 'lil sis', Kayla
7. Kayla's spark and charm filling our home with joy
8. visiting the pumpkin patch
9. hosting a Lia Sophia party and catching up with the girls

strength in numbers

over the labor day weekend a group of about 15 packed our warm clothes, loaded up our sleeping bags and tents, and made our way to the camping grounds at buck horn national park. there were many aspects to that weekend that made it out to be an unforgettable experience:
: growing together in the word of our gracious father
: getting lost and ending up at the wrong camp site, but not noticing for about an hour
: taking a dip in the freezing cold lake
: not showering for 3 days {ewwy!!}
: playing Quelf {"to ancient times and distant music!!"}
: laughing so hard our sides hurt
: trying to set up the tents in the dark/rain on the first night....
: ....then going to plan B: sleeping in the car
: watching sam strut my clothes around in style
: sleeping 3 girls to a double bed with about 1,000 blankets
: trying to avoid the drips and the drops of the dreary rain
: making even stronger bonds of friendship through our common faith

so much to do, but so little time

this past week has been spent knee deep in the books, studying for my overwhelming finals. finals, wow it seems like only a few weeks ago that I just started at Globe and now I have completed my first quarter. sorry there has been a lack of posts in the past few weeks, but now that I am free of my classes I will fill you in on all the happening in my crazy life. I will also share with you some exciting news about a new addition to our family! stay tuned to hear about that story and those pictures in the next couple of days! there is just so much to get done, but there never seems to be enough hours {or caffeine} in the day. here's my list so far:

- clean my room {and I mean dust, vacuum, move the furniture}
- get out my winter scarfs, vests, jackets, mitten, and swap them with my tank tops, shorts, and t-shirts
- clean the computer room so I can actually see the desk top
- work on a few projects that I have been dying to start
- take a look at my books for next quarter {I know it's nerdy, I've already been told that, thanks Carly}
- watch season 6 of House
- do a little baby sitting with some pretty cute kids
- relax and have some soup on these chilly days

you know fall is here....

:when the weather is starting to cool
:when halloween costumes are starting to arrive in the stores {who am I kidding, they have already filled the stores}
:when I grab my mittens on the way out the door
:when the stores are filling with sweaters and the summer outfits are pushed to the back racks
:when the kids are back in school
:when soup and tea sounds so delightful while watching your favorite movie curled up on the couch
:when apple orchards are ready to be picked and turned into apple pie, jars or apple sauce, cider, apple crisp, and caramel apples

so that's what I did today. I visited the Eau Claire apple orchard and it was delightful mix of familiar fall smells and new fall experiences. I went with a friend and her two adorable kids. here are just a few of the 80+ shots that I snapped.these are the treasures I went home with by the end of the afternoon: a bundle of beautiful mustard colored dried flowers, some homemade pumpkin butter, and 1/2 a peck of apples just waiting to be turned into apple sauce

simple pleasures

sometimes it's the simplest pleasures that have the best effect. they can turn a windy cold morning of running around town, into a blissful taste of what's to come {fall}. there is nothing like the taste of a pumpkin spice latte from starbucks to set off all of those wonderful fall memories. it's hard to believe it, but fall is almost here and my taste buds couldn't be more excited!

girls just wanna have fun

{this picture basically sums up our day}

on saturday my sister and I got the chance to meet up with some of our oldest friends from California. we used to live a few precious minutes away from each other and enjoyed many fun filled days of playing together. our moms met when we were only months old and have been friends ever since. even though it had been some time since we had seen each other, it seemed like days instead of years that we had all been back together.