.....Everything on this particular birthday weekend was perfect.....the weather, the sky, the smell of fall in the crispy air....the lingering smell of pumpkin bread Elsie and I made on Friday afternoon.....the scent of homemade pancakes and steamy coffee on top of spicy pumpkin bread that loomed from the kitchen the next morning, just as I was rubbing the dust left by the sandman out of my eyes.....good talks with Stefan on our gorgeous drive to the apple orchard and the joy of watching our two daughters fall in love with a traditional activity I adore doing more than anything else for fall fun....apple picking....
.....and there were good laughs throughout the day....like when our drive took us much longer than anticipated and not having read ahead about what this orchard had to offer, we parked our car and got straight to a late lunch.....spreading our picnic in the back of our ride......
......only to walk a football field distance into the orchard gates and arrive upon live music, wine tastings, a puppet show for kids, animals to see and picnic tables galore.....we laughed for a while at the upbeat ambiance of the orchard compared to our picnic lunch in the dusty parking lot.....but it only made the day even more sweet.....because it's those hysterical mishaps that make a splendid day even sweeter.....
.....and since tractor rides are off limits for pregnant women, we hoofed it through the orchards.....and I wouldn't have had it any other way....the walk was breathtaking.....it's sometimes hard to believe that such beauty and natural tranquility is an easy afternoon drive outside of our hustling and bustling city.....
.....and watching our girls wrestle with an apple that wasn't quite ready to be taken was funny too.....each of them tussled with such sheer determination and were elated and ever so proud of their accomplishment....
.....we spent time focused on picking the best looking apples, while other times we focused on snacking and lounging...... simply taking in the beauty around us......
.....and just as the hustle and bustle of home keeps us moving, busy and invigorated, the calmness of the country keeps us serene, grounded and peaceful....we live in a place we can get the perfect equation of both surroundings.....
.....and that ying and yang makes for a happy birthday girl....
.....and just when I thought the entire day couldn't get much better, Stefan and Elsie picked out my beloved Carvel cake.....there is nothing like an ice cream cake with chocolate crunch infused between vanilla and chocolate ice cream......and for three straight pregnancies now, I have to have ice cream after dinner....so I am set for the week....
......and while Stefan went to find matches for the candles and Elsie went to help her Daddy, I looked over at the bar to find Callie taking very good care of my cake.....
......I finally intervened after this nose dive into the sugary, cold frosting.....
.....and after a beautiful serenade and two little helpers that assisted me in tearing open presents, we made for a gratified group that was ready for some story time and our warm, cozy beds....
.....and opposed to New Years resolutions, I prefer to make my self proclamations on my birthdays.....it's my time to declare my promises and commitments to the things I want to do or change over the next year of my life....
.....and this year, I vow to continue to cherish, adore, treasure and preserve each breathing moment with my family....because when I take time to look back at the things I have documented on this blog, for my children, I am heart warmed at the phase we are in and the joy that they bring me....I don't reflect on a day at the Brooklyn Bridge or a jaunt to the zoo and remember the tantrums, the struggles or the heavy labor to get to an event.....rather, I am flooded by the memories of the little things, the simple moments, the emotions of the time we spent together....
.....and this blog enables me to capture the moment and multiply it.....because after I live it, after I mull it over in the quiet moments in my home after I tuck my littles in tight; I can write about it to ensure that we remember it the way that it was.....and days, months and years from this special time in our lives, we can relive it again and again and again.....
.....and so I vow to taste, savor and foster more than I did yesterday or the day before that.....because life is going to get busier, more crazed; hectic at times in the months and years to come......and I don't want to let any of it pass me by......
......and we love these pictures because they capture a real moment on our magical day in the country.....Callie was so angry that we took our camera from her as she was playing say cheese.....she would not lose her pout or irritation for the photo.....Elsie wouldn't put her apple down and kept gnawing on it as our stranger, photographer friend snapped away.....and Stefan and I.....we laughed our way through the picture....and these two photos are our absolute favorite ones.....sure, they're not perfect photos of four smiling faces, but it captures our perfect, family moments.....
.....and those are the times I want to remember....
