Thurs. Sept. 19, 2013 - Apples and Gymnnastics

 The girls happily running down the orchard rows in search of apples

 They didn't have to search long, the trees were loaded this year

 So much low-haning fruit even Micaela could pick apples by herself

 We picked 22 lbs of apples and the majority of the work was done by the girls

Then they played on the hay bales

 And checked out the scarecrows

 The little doctor examining her patient

 Riley is taking gymnastics this fall

 Hopping over the stars on the wide balance beam

 Hanging from the bar

Teaching the girls one of my favorite childhood activities, hopscotch

Fall activities are in full swing! Appleton, as you might guess, is full of apple trees so one afternoon I took the girls to a pick-your-own orchard. It was a very good year for apples and the trees were so full of fruit the branches hung low enough for both girls to pick pounds and pounds of apples. We made apple crisp, applesauce, apple cupcakes and of course ate lots of fresh, delicious apples. We've gone back twice since, we all love the picking and the apples so much. 

Riley and Micaela are both taking gymnastics this fall. Micaela is enrolled in Tumble Bugs, a parent-child class and we both have so much fun. Micaela is quite a little monkey and loves swinging on the bar and doing summersaults. But her favorite thing is jumping off the trampoline into the foam pit. This is quite a big jump and she fearlessly jumps head first every time. I always race into the pit to make sure I am there to catch her because she will leap if I'm there or not. We're working on jumping feet first.

Riley is in the Tumble Stars class. I can watch her from the bleachers and its always entertaining. I'm always amazed at how these sisters are opposites in every way. Riley is more timid than her sister and until recently eased herself into the foam pit; she didn't like to jump for the first few weeks. But she is quite proficient on the balance beam; she likes the challenge of carefully balancing across  (Micaela doesn't like the beam because she can't run full speed). Riley has a great time and is always improving. I love finding things that both of the girls enjoy.