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Celebrating fall with apple picking

Happy first day of Fall! We went apple picking this past Sunday and I thought the first day of fall would be the perfect time to share!

baby boy holding and eating an apple

It’s been our tradition to pick apples to kick off the Fall festivities. And I guess if you want to be technical, we didn’t actually go in fall . But I say it still counts! To start out, the number one rule when you go apple picking, you HAVE to buy apple cider donuts. Don’t argue with me, just do it. Trust me. The kids already started scarfing them down before I could get a decent picture. They are totally worth all the sticky fingers and faces that will follow.

toddler girl eating an apple cinnamon donut

girl taking bites of the donut

Desmond’s face just proves that he agrees.

cute baby boy smiling

At the orchard we go to, there are a few places for the kids to play (the bounce houses cost extra) but they are always more than content with even the simplest playground equipment. Don is working on some new projects with the GoPro (borrowed from our dear friends.) I hope that he is able to share those with you before too long! I just couldn’t resist this picture of Kingston’s pure happiness, and Desmond’s pure boredom.

After a bumpy tractor ride to the orchards, we were ready to pick some apples. I’m always jealous of those people who experience those beautiful overcast days for apple picking, perfect lighting for gorgeous photos. We had the full on sun, hitting our faces awkwardly at almost all times. Anyone have advice for shooting in direct daylight? Anyway, a sweet woman asked if she could take a family picture of us. The kids may not look super thrilled in this photo (maybe a bit confused? haha) but it’s still a sweet picture and I was so thankful for her thoughtfulness!

big family

boy holding a green apple

Desmond is super serious about his apple bites. He was cracking us up. As long as he could gnaw on an apple, he was content (even while making this adorable scrunched up face!) But if he got peel in his mouth, he would start spitting it on the ground and then throw the apple. But then his apple was gone so he’d start crying for another one. Repeat cycle–over and over haha. We love going to Thierbach’s because you can eat as many apples off of the trees as you want. And our group ate quite a few.

I thought I could easily stand there all afternoon, watching her take her bites, quietly munching, while she watched her brothers pull apples from all the different trees.

Don snapped this of me and the crew. We weren’t winning any group photo awards that day haha. At that point, everyone was ready to head back to the tractor and head home.

Love this little crew—sun spots and all!!

Apple picking is just one of my favorite ways to celebrate fall. And while I’m not a fan of pumpkin flavored anything, I do love visiting the pumpkin patch! So that will be on our agenda pretty soon. What are your favorite fall activities? Any good ideas for us to do as a family of almost 8??

September 22, 2016

All Videos, Blog, kids, new house, product review, Videos

Kids’ Room Makeovers Part 1 (Featuring Beddy’s)

It’s been a busy month as we’ve been preparing to add a new addition. As soon as I check something off my to-do list, I add about 5 more things. So I’m not sure that why, after living in our house for a year, I decided it was an urgent matter to fix up the kids’ rooms before the baby is born. But when a pregnant woman (or any woman) sets her mind to something, you’re probably not going to talk her out of it 😉

A few months ago, we had painted Evangeline’s room a pale pink (it was originally a very dark purple.) But besides that, their rooms were pretty much the same as the day we moved in. I had spent the past year scouring the stores and internet for bedding for their beds. In the meantime, they had mismatched sheets and blankets that made their room look sloppy. It’s almost too embarrassing to share–but I will, just so you can see the difference!

It was bad, right? That’s when I came across Beddy’s and I was immediately fascinated! I reached out to them about reviewing their product and was beyond excited when they agreed to send me one. I had already done a lot of research and knew that this would be such a sanity saving thing for us (and they were kind enough to offer a discount) that I went ahead and ordered two more for the other two beds.

Disclaimer!

I am not being compensated for this review–all these thoughts are very much my own! I always have and always will share my honest opinion here–I only want to share about products we truly love and I know that I always rely very much on others’ reviews when researching products! (Also, I posted a short little video with our Beddy’s that you can check out at the bottom of this post!)

little girl reading books on bed

beddys bedding

Beddy’s is an all in one, full zip up bedding set. It fits on the bed like a fitted sheet, with the comforter attached with a zipper. That means that those difficult-to-make bunk beds and beds against the wall could now be easily made with a simple zip! I am very OCD about making beds (just ask my husband–sometimes I start making the bed before he even gets out of it haha) because I feel like the look of a made bed instantly takes away stress, even if the rest of the room is a mess.

kids zipper bedding

And What Do The Kids Think?

What I don’t enjoy is making everybody’s beds every day. The best part about Beddy’s is that the kids are all able to make their own beds every morning. Actually, that’s not the best part. The BEST part is that they enjoy doing it!! We’ve had the bedding for about a month now and they all still wake up and zip their beds before coming down for breakfast. Evangeline (3) is still learning to remember to do it, but I can’t even complain because I just walk in her room and quickly zip up the sides.

little girl zipping up bed sheets

beddys reviews

Now I know that some of you will click over to their site and be shocked at the pricing. I understand! I had the same initial thought. But I considered a couple of things that make the price totally worth it. First of all, it’s a full zip up bedding set. It’s the sheet, comforter, pillow case(s) and sham(s). You could probably find sets in the store that would be a cheaper option.

But to me, what really makes the price worth it is the time/sanity it’s saving me. Instead of sloppy beds or comforters that come untucked (has anyone ever attempted to put bedding on the top bunk before?!) the kids are able to make their beds all on their own and it actually looks nice! That alone is worth so much! And these are sure to last them for many, many years.

beddys zipper bedding

boys reading books in bed

Totally their idea for the posed “fake sleeping picture.”

A few other things:

The underside of the comforter is lined with a minky material (pictured below)– the kids love how soft it is!
They wash easily–I can just throw the twin set in the machine as one piece. With the full size, I unzip the comforter first but wash it all together, per the website’s recommendations.
When the bed is made, you can’t see the zipper
The zipper moves smoothly–making it easy for young children to zip up (this also makes it a great option for those with disabilities or the elderly!)

Evangeline has the Chic White set– so simple and beautiful for a little girl’s room. The boys have the Game On Gray. The modern striped pattern is exactly what I had envisioned for their room (and the colors don’t bleed in the wash!) They also just released this Goldie Dots set that I’m dying over! Follow them on instagram for discounts and giveaways!

Here’s the video we made! Stayed tuned for the rest of the room makeovers in the next few days with before and after pictures (I couldn’t fit it all in one post!) Thanks for reading!

September 12, 2016