Happy Halloween

Apparently 19 months old is old enough to know the difference between regular clothes and a costume.
Anni found this gnome Halloween costume for Elise, but we had been unsuccessful in convincing her to try it on at home. So, it went to school with her today for the Halloween party and, by golly, Elise was fine wearing it if her teacher helped to put it on her.
We'll try again at home Sunday. If the gnome is a no-go, there is a back-up bumblebee costume in the inventory. And if that doesn't work, maybe she'll go trick-or-treating dressed as a 19-month-old.

She wasn't as unhappy as she looks. I think.

The gnome and the skunk.

 Ever met a skirt-lifting gnome? Yep, she belongs to us.

 Anni manned the face/hand painting station at the school party.

 

My costume includes a glass eyeball.

Slice of life

In this house, if you want apple pie you need to work for it. And, yes, that means learning to cut apples. We're still working on the lesson that you cannot eat one apple slice for every two you cut.

Apples and good times.

The streak continues. 

The annual Wente-Singel fall apple outing took place a few weeks ago. We hit a local orchard with friends Dan and Erin and their daughter, Avery. Good times.

This particular orchard charged for each outdoor activity. Here, the shakedown begins: the ladies approach the hay maze, where the goofball high-school worker did not know how much to charge for an entrance fee. Sir, you have one job and you get to do it sitting down. Let's memorize that long list of two entrance fees.

I'm allergic to hay. They're not. Therefore, I take the picture, they stand in the hay. (By the way, how lame is a hay allergy?)

No windfalls for this lady. We go to the top of the tree.

Elise would be perfectly content if people would hand-feed her at all meals. She also would be perfectly content if all meals were apples.

Walking with a purpose.

Sometimes I forgot how quickly Elise changes -- until I look at old photos. Here is last year's apple-feeding photo:

Digging up old pics

I was sorting through photos and came across some taken on a morning in July, after Elise had spent some digging up veggies in the wet garden. (I know, it seems like we only take pictures of her in the garden.)

Before they get lost or forgotten, I figured that I would post a few of them. 

A modified apple trip

Mother Nature can be real nasty sometimes. Earlier this year, bad weather wiped out Afton Apple's strawberry crop halfway through the season, and pelted acres-upon-acres of apple trees with hail, ruining the apples long before they were ready to be picked.

But, alas, tradition being what it is, we still went to the orchard this fall and got apples -- it's just that they were from other orchards. You can't pick apples at Afton this year, but they still have you-pick-'em raspberries, hay rides, play areas for kids and other things to do. We did some of those -- and ate our share of apple donuts. 

Elise enjoyed the hay ride, was not thrilled with the goats at the petting zoo, liked picking up pumpkins ... and throwing them, and she, too, had her share of apple donuts. Good times.

The fall will not be complete, however, without the annual Wente-Singel orchard trip. There is one in the works, so I see more apple donuts in my future.

It kind of looks like Elise got pushed out of the way in this photo...

Relaxing in the raspberry patch.

A goodwill offering of raspberries from Anni's dad to Elise. Or maybe it was just bribery.

Hay ride hair.

Is she asleep? No, just hypnotized.

Who doesn't enjoy a hay ride in the fall in Minnesota?

I never realized goats have diabolical eyes.

Like the animals, this one likes getting fed, too.