Thursday, October 22, 2009

Last Weekend, part 2 - Young's Dairy

If you missed Last Weekend, Part 1 - Glen Helen, scroll below this post.

Young's Dairy Farm is an annual fall must do in our family. We usually get our pumpkins here and have our first tasting of pumpkin and cinnamon ice cream.


No matter how cold it is out we must have our ice cream.


Even me!


This guy was fun to look at and even let me pet him but he kept trying to eat my blanket!


M loves to feed farm animals. She could spend her whole day doing just this!


Or this..... thankfully she isn't old enough to be driving just yet!

The 20th of this month marked our 3 month anniversary of having K in our lives. So much has changed with this little girl in this short amount of time. She has become much more relaxed in her surroundings and we are learning more and more about her with each day.

For example, we didn't know she was an expert pumpkin picker outer.


I see it! Over there, that's the one!!


Follow me, I'll show you....


Perfect pumpkin!


And a perfect day!


Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Last Weekend, part 1 - Glen Helen

Last weekend we were able to get away to one of my favorite places, Glen Helen Nature Preserve. The nature preserve is the legacy of Hugh Taylor Birch, who, in 1929, donated the wooded glen to the local college in memory of his daughter, Helen. Glen Helen has a raptor rehabilitation center we like to visit before setting off on our hike. We were so pleased that on this day the birds were out of their cages for an open house event.


What a beauty! So elegant!


Such a sweetheart face! Can you see the reflection of it's handler in it's eye?


Yikes! So glad I'm not a mouse! Giving me it's Halloween look!


On the trail to my favorite two places. K actually stayed awake this whole hike!


First favorite spot - this tree. I've been visiting this tree for over 10 years. Yes, I think I have a bit of the druid in me. This ole guy (yes, its a HE don't ask me how I know) has been in a whole host of photos marking events in my life. When I was carrying M we shot me and my nine month pregnant belly portrait here. Okay, maybe too much info.....


My second favorite spot is simply called "The Pines" named that even by the locals that hike the area. The path opens up into an area of only very tall pine trees. The forest floor is soft and deep with fallen pine needles. You bring a blanket because you must lay on the ground and gaze up at the pine tops that dance in the breeze. Also this is a good spot to unload the little one (K) from your back and allow her to stretch her legs.


I'm free!


I love this place!


It's magical......

Last Weekend, to be con't.......

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Catching up!

October needs twice as many days for us to do everything we'd like this time of year. I can not even begin to express how much I love the Fall season! I just hold a grudge against Summer and Winter for seeming so long, the months drag on. Fall, on the other hand is gone in a blink of an eye.

Here are some pics of what we've been up to so far....


Lots of nature walks! Love the colors this time of year!


Bundled up and enjoying the view!


Apple picking time! I see applesauce, apple butter and pie in my future!


Soup season, yea! Last year I started cooking my way, page by page, from the A Beautiful Bowl of Soup, pictured below. I don't normally eat soup when the weather warms up and stopped cooking right before the recipe Chestnut Soup. This is where I will pick it up so I was pleased to find the chestnuts (pic above) at the farm stand where we went apple picking.


I also plan to start the doing the recipes from the other book, Vegetarian Sandwiches. After all, man can not live by soup alone.....


We did a little clean up of our garden and harvested the brussel sprouts. I don't think K knew what this was. Toy? Food?

And finally..... We have a tradition of putting M in one of my old dresses every year on her birthday. We use the same dress so we have pictures of her growing into it. We planned on doing this with K also so we purchased a dress in China for the occasion. Having the same birth day makes it even more special. Their pictures will now be together in their "birthday dresses". Their birthdays are in June and you'd think once we got home with K in August we'd do this right away. I'm embarrassed to say that we just got to it.


K could not figure out what was going on and it was cold outside.


Trying to walk in an adult size dress was a little challenging.


Posing nicely and getting a good picture was a bigger challenge.

For more of what's going on check out: http://www.molly-corner.blogspot.com/

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Mid Autumn Moon Festival / Willie Phoenix Band

What does the Chinese Mid Autumn Moon Festival and The Willie Phoenix band have in common? Well, nothing that I know of but we did both this weekend on Saturday.

About a week ago we ran into M's international drumming teacher, Ray Winburn who plays in the Willie Phoenix band. He told us that they'd be playing at the North Market on Saturday and to come on down. We did! Check the video below with M playing the conga.



What a blast! A BIG thanks to Willie and Ray for giving M, as she puts it "The best day of my life". When you get a chance check out the web page for the band at www.williephoenix.com
find out where they're playing and and go see them in person.

Two hours later we were at the Central Ohio Families with Children from China (COFCC) Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. I don't know if K really got alot out of it, except some Cheez-its from a very kind lady sitting next to us. Daddy and M made paper fish lanterns, everyone lined up and marched arou
nd the field. Still too light out to see the lanterns glowing but had fun with everyone. Later we ate Moon pies. Traditionally you'd eat Moon Cakes but the Moon pie's were too hard to resist..



A weekend to remember!