A little while ago, we went apple picking one afternoon with some friends (homeschool perks!). We had a lovely time... the afternoon was picturesque. A pretty orchard, a play house for all those girls to play in and a picnic. It was lovely! Here are some photos.

PS: I can't pick apples without fondly remembering picking apples in California at Gizdich Ranch. Take a walk with me down memory lane here. And here are some pictures of apple picking with Greta two years ago - what a cutie!

Sundays are a weird day. Love me a sabbath and do I ever need a day a rest after homeschooling each week, but Holly and Greta? They do not feel the same, they want to go and play and do and be! Conor is up at 5AM on Sundays and out of the house at 5:40 (I think? I dunno, I'm not up until later) and we have church at 9AM. It's a full morning! We're trying to figure out what our Sundays look like these days... email me with suggestions! Here are some photos of our most recent Sunday.

PS: Maeve's hair.... her sisters love to put it in a ponytail and sometimes they do it before I tell them no and then Maeve hair is all crimped that direction and I just have to go with it. If you've got it, flaunt it. 

We had our first day and week of school! We are homeschooling (!!!) this year and it has been quite a journey so far. Tons of up and down, a total roller coaster. Hoping I settle into our new rhythm and find our new normal soon. Some days I can't believe I'm doing this, but I think for our family, this year it's the right choice. There are a lot of things I love about it. Just working out the kinks and the anxiety! 

Maeve obviously loves having her sisters around. I think she would find herself feeling lonely and sad without those two each day! 

My darling Holly was baptized and became a member of our church on August 12, 2017. It's a pretty special thing! We feel grateful for our family and friends who joined us to celebrate and we are grateful for those who celebrated with us from afar. Wishing I had taken a few more deep breaths and enjoyed it a little more. Fortunately I can work on that for the next two baptisms in our family! 

I love Holly and her enthusiasm for life. She's so positive and loving and fun to be around! She's a really great kid and the best big sister our family could have. I'm proud of her!

We spent a week at Echo Lake, Montana with Conor's family. There was so much good in the week. Here are the highlights:

• Playing with my nieces and nephews
• Sitting in the lake every afternoon with Maeve
• Skinny dipping
• Wake surfing
• Watching Holly knee board
• Ripping around on Nathan's sea doo
• Catching a minnow with Lola
• Tubing with Josh
• Watching relationships between my girls and their cousins grow stronger