Apples and Pumpkins at Mimis...Oh My!

The kids and I made a weekend trip to Bapa and Mimi's house, Sept. 15-17.  Our main mission was to make applesauce.  My Grandma Bomgaars had a love for apple trees and planted several of them on their farm, where my brother now lives.  The tradition of making applesauce started several years ago and has carried on ever since (minus last year when we never made it up to my parents house during the fall).  Hudson was super into the whole process and was an amazing helper.  He was the apple washer, 

the apple cranker, the writer of the date on the bags and the applesauce stacker into the freezer.  It keeps three people busy to get the job done.    

The apple harvest was super small so mom purchased several apples from an area orchard.  They were selling them at discount because they had gotten hailed on, but were perfect for making into sauce.  

Mom adds some sugar and a taste of cinnamon and we let it simmer in the roaster for awhile before packaging it.  When it was all said and done we made over 50 containers/bags of applesauce.   

This stuff is finger licking good and we are happy to help make it because we all love to eat it.  

While Hudson was busy with us in the kitchen Greta had some extra time farming with her Bapa Rog.  She requested Ranger rides so that is exactly what she got.  

She even fell asleep nestled up next to Bapa.  Put this girl in a moving vehicle mid to late afternoon and she is out like a light.  

On Sunday Mom made a delicious lunch and Jori and Cameron Steenhoek (dear family friends who both go to the college in the area) came over to enjoy it with us.  

Monday morning we visited Pumpkinland near Orange City.  Its a classic fall destination if you are in the area.

  

Greta has grown a lot this summer.  We can really tell she is getting taller because her summer clothes are getting smaller, she is eating well and sleeping well.  

Mimi, Hudson and Greta making their way through the kids corn maze.  

A classic painting with the faces of these two cuties.  

Hudson was interested in feeding the animals but Greta not so much (she is scared of most animals).  

A sure sign of fall...

Still Summer but Feels Like Fall

Hudson has had a little job this summer getting our neighbors mail every weekend.  He would collect it Friday through Sunday and Monday morning he would go over to Mrs. Diane's and deliver her mail and newspaper and they would have their "Monday morning talk."  She was generous and Hudson was thrilled.  They have a house at Clear Lake so she got the kids each a shirt to thank them for their help this summer.  

Preschool is in full swing.  Greta started off learning about the letter Aa.  She is eager and excited to learn and I am thankful to be her teacher.  A is for Aunt Ang.   

Taking a walk on the path near our house to check out Little Walnut Creek on a lovely afternoon.  They could spend an hour throwing things in the creek and watching them float away.   

Nature Hike BINGO with our homeschool co-op group.  

We had a fantastic time exploring around the park and crossing off all the nature things we could find.  

We also did some leaf rubbings using the leaves we found.  

Walker Johnson Park is one of our favorite spots because there is so much space to play and explore.  

Celebrating the birthday of a sweet friend with Scratch cupcakes.  

Laura, Ashlyn, Karleigh and Greta.  

For the 2nd week of preschool she learned about the letter Bb.  Bb is for beautiful.    

Omaha Zoo

We met our friends, the Tetschners who live in Lincoln, Nebraska, at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo.  It was such a treat to spend the day exploring, watching the kids enjoy being time together and taking every moment to chat and catch up on life.  

The Desert Dome was our first stop of the day.  

It was probably not my favorite stop, but it really has some unique animals and settings.  

Ready to go check out the Gorilla House.  

The monkeys were probably the most entertaining animal of the day.  

We enjoyed a picnic lunch near the train track.  

The zoo has a new splash park, called Alaskan Adventure, and it was very impressive.  The kids spent over an hour splashing around.  It was a perfect opportunity for them to cool off and for the parents to "rest" a bit.   

I have decided that Greta is at about my favorite age right now, love her stage of development.  

Hannah and Hudson are about 8 months apart.  I still remember Nikki calling me on the phone that she was pregnant with Hannah just days after we took Hudson home from the hospital.  They were good buddies and enjoyed being with each other.    

The Alaskan Adventure was so cool, so much water and such a creative setting.  

Daddy and his favorite Greta girl.  

Checking out their maps to find out how to get us to the Butterfly and Insect Pavilion.  

Cousin Clara likes butterflies so we took this picture for her.  

The fish wall was a bit mesmerizing...

Touching the starfish...

The kids thought it was pretty neat how you could walk through the "glass tunnel" and the water and fish were all around us.  

Then we headed to the African animal exhibit to end our day.  First we watched the giraffes.    

Roy kept a close eye on the score of the Cyclone football game.  

We only saw one elephant.  He trumpeted at the animal keeper to communicate that he wanted to go back to the barn for the night.  

The Tetschners = Nikki, Andy, Hannah and Ty 

Our last picture of the day.  So thankful for a fun filled day with my favorite crew.  

We arrived at the zoo around 10:00am and stayed until nearly 6:00pm when it closed.  Yet, we certainly didn't see everything.  The zoo is huge, well kept, has so many amazing exhibits and unique animals.  The kids had a blast, we walked several miles and were thankful the temperature was very comfortable.  We grabbed a quick dinner at McDonalds (Hudson's choice), said good-bye to our friends and headed for home.  Thanks to the Tetschers for a fun filled day at the zoo!  

Embassy Suites

Roy and I have been wanting to take our kids to the Omaha Zoo for awhile now.  Greta had never been and Hudson last went when he was about 1 1/2.  My brother gave the kids a gift card at Christmas for their admission into the zoo so we wanted to cash in on that and take advantage of getting one more family fun weekend in before fall harvest kicks off.  We had originally scheduled our Omaha trip for July but had to reschedule, so the anticipation was high.  

We left on Friday afternoon around 2:30.    

In January we stayed with my parents at Embassy Suites and the kids have been talking about it ever since.  They loved everything about it and were asking us to take them back.    

Hudson asked me to take his picture by the revolving doors.  

The Manager's Reception is from 5-7pm and has fun snacks and drinks.  

Nana Sue loves malted milk balls so we took a few home for her.  

Roy and the kids went swimming while I sat on the side of the pool and did Pinterest searching for home decor and homeschool stuff.  :) 

And the Embassy Suites breakfast, must not forget what a treat that is.  Hudson loves the pancakes (and the bacon apparently).   

Enjoying some TV time with their favorite pals on Saturday morning before heading to the zoo.