Your Golden Ticket Blog: Easy Canvas Prints Review and Giveaway (Ends 10/1)...

Please check out this blog and the giveaway! I was honored to take photos of these gorgeous people and was so excited to see the images come to life on canvas! Read on for Samantha's review!


Your Golden Ticket Blog: Easy Canvas Prints Review and Giveaway (Ends 10/1)...: Photo Canvas I love to document every second of our life with photos and video.  It drives my husband batty, but I insist that we ...

Apple Picking 2012

I grabbed one of my best pals and neighbor, Wendi and her 3 precious kids, my lifelong bestie, Sophie and her Thomas and we make the annual trek here...

I love this place for so many reasons.

1. My children have the organic opportunity to see food grow and harvest it. They understand that produce doesn't just appear on supermarket shelves. It is planted, grown, harvested, transported and sold.

2. Walking into the orchard is like leaving Las Vegas and just BREATHING. The air is fresh and crisp and the endless green is calms the mind. You can just be.

3. The crops! Eggplant, zucchini, Roma tomatoes, arugula, sweet potatoes, crisp apples, cucumbers...I could all of those, everyday!

4. The signature apple cider. I always buy a bunch of bottles. This visit they had pear cider too! I'm about to go grab a bottle now! mmmmm. Here is a blurb from their webite: "Almost minutes after our apples are pressed and the cider is bottled, they are sent to our on-site freezer to protect the freshness and extend the shelf life because we don’t use any preservatives.  This is why when you come to the Orchard to buy cider it is often still frozen.  Once the cider thaws, it remains good up to two weeks in the refrigerator."

5. Coming home and watching my family enjoy the "fruits" of their labors.

My "Super Princess" - her self-appointed nickname

A boy and his admirer

The whole crew minus Kaylee

Maddie and Logan against the grain

She poses of her own volition, I swear.

Yes, we got some of these cukes!

Add caption

Loved her reaction to all the baby apples

Scrutinizing the goods

Just love this pic of them

I like this version too.

I just like her curls and her perfect lips

My little star

I like her moment of solitude here.

Bein' brave

We had a great haul and the kids had a blast. MeThinks we shall do this again.

It's Good to be Behind...

Since I've been so busy living life, the blog has fallen by the wayside. 
But that's a GOOD thing!

Here is a taste of what's happened.

This girl started PRE-SCHOOL!

Maddie is LOVING Miss Terri (who wouldn't?). I swear, without Miss Terri, my kids would never want to leave my side. Her sweet demeanor taught my girls that teachers won't eat them.

This girl started FIRST GRADE!

Hannah is so comfortable with Mrs. Mata and I'm grateful to volunteer a few times per month and get to know Hannah's awesome classmates!

Mommy gotsta brag real quick: First graders are required to know and spell 300 sight words over the school year. Hannah already knew them so Mrs. Mata sent home a list of 300 MORE words for her to learn. She already knew those too! We are loving her LOVE of reading. She makes it look easy. Instead of pushing her harder and asking for more challenges, I'm going to relish in the fact that she is right on task and enjoying school. WOO HOO!

We spent the summer in Grandma and Grandpa's pool (seriously, I don't think we ever got out). Since school started, we've been playing with our best friends, going to local festivals and fairs and just enjoying life. 

Hannah is back in acting class with Mr. Tomasello and her first group performance of the session will be on October 20th. Can't wait!

Phil has an amazing new job and he is happier than I've ever seen him, which makes me happy all the time too. 

This week we are busy planning a Lalaloopsy birthday party for Miss Maddie who is turning 4 next week! She is beyond excited and I'm thrilled for her! Right now, my little buddy and I are off to the library for Rhythm and Movement class!

Stay tuned for Lalaloopsy Madness and more Hoffman adventures coming soon!