Yesterday the kids and I arrived to my dad’s house on the farm. As we drove past the apple orchard at the top of his long drive, we noticed plump rosy apples scattered at the base of the trees. The apples are ripe!
Later, we all walked down to the orchard with a big basket and wheelbarrow in hand. In previous years I would have had to do the picking, or at least help with reaching the tallest branches or to explain which apples were ready for picking. But not this year. The kids climbed up into all the trees and collected apples all on their own. I picked one apple just for nostalgia’s sake, but the rest were picked by the kids, working together as a team – one child high up in the branches handing apples down to the others on the ground.
I watched from the old wooden fence on the outskirts, my camera in my hand and my heart bursting with pride. This simple act of picking apples kept them busy and happy, working together as they filled the wheelbarrow.
I’m pretty sure Marlow ate about six apples while the others picked. She walked around the orchard with an apple in each hand, sneaking bites from alternating hands. It was just last year that she was probably in my baby carrier, snuggled up and sleeping during this afternoon hour, still a baby and still somewhat separate from the big kids.
This summer has been the summer where my four kids became one big team, independent from me and happy together. My mama heart could not be more full.
p.s. Quin took the last two photos. I got cross with him for messing around with my camera… but then I saw these photos and was thankful he snapped them.
It is just so lovely that you share such happy, simple times with your beautiful family. I have been a Babyccino follower for years now, and always enjoyed your blog posts, but not until reading these few posts did I really become engaged in your “writing.” You certainly have a storytelling talent, and you can tell how much admiration you have for your children within your words .I am very much so looking forward to following along on this journey you and your family are embarking on. Thank you for sharing and always enlightening me as a mother, to step back and learn from my children, pay attention to the little things, and let them be as they are- all done with immense pride. So again, thank you xo
Thank you so much, Laura, for your sweet comment. I have found it to be a funny adjustment, writing here on this more personal blog. I suppose I’m still trying to find my writing voice, so it’s especially nice to hear this lovely feedback. Thank you. xx
So nice to see some pictures of Easton, weirdly he and my 2 year old boy look very similar, it’s a bit like looking into the future for me lol! Good luck for your travels, it will be amazing 🙂
My twins are 7 and they love apple picking. We look forward to it every year, and it keeps them entertained for a long while! Beautiful pictures but I would strongly encourage you to remove the two of your daughter’s underwear showing. Just one mum looking out for another.
I’ve spent a chunk of the morning looking through your posts, you have a beautiful family. I have to agree with the above poster though, up shots of a young girls underwear on a very public blog aren’t really appropriate. It’s sad, but the reality is this blog is probably already being followed by those with less than pure intentions, best not to give them anything.
Such a beautiful family! You are an inspiration to me! Thanks for sharing your experiences and emotions!
wonderful
Oh Courtney, these photos are so wonderful! You’d talked about a photography course and with such compliant subjects, how could you not snap away all day long?! The capture of Ivy reaching is stunning.
The photos are so so cute)))
Divine divine divine – just lovely. X