Labor Day Apple Picking

One day in August 2004, Jason and I were walking through a farmer's market downtown and noticed a flyer on one of the vendor's tents for a "buy one get one free" special on labor day for picking apples up at their orchard.  It sounded like a lot of fun to us, so we got a few friends together and took Maren up to the orchard for some apple picking fun.  We loved it so much we have gone back every year since (except maybe 2007 which I can't find any pictures from).  Each year more and more people came with us, and so now when we go up we run in to a bunch of people we know and it's lots of fun.  I look through these pictures and I can't believe how quickly time has gone by.  It doesn't seem like that long ago.  This probably won't be interesting to most people, but this is for me and our family history.

First year, in 2004:

Maren and her friend Sydnee

Daddy helping Maren

In 2005:

Maren and her friends Emma and Sydnee, and her new friends
Garrett and Amanda.  How we miss you guys! Also, this was Joshua's first
apple picking adventure.  Grandma is holding him in the background.  

In 2006:

helpful big sister

Apple picking with friends is more fun.  Unfortunately, her friends
Emma and Sydnee had moved out of town by this time, but we were
lucky to have Garrett and Amanda still around.  

In 2007:

Okay, so I don't know for sure if we went in 2007.  Christopher had been born in February of this year, and Jason had to be up in Cincinnati for all of July, August, and September. I don't remember  if he had labor day off and if we went apple picking or if we spent the day up in Cincinnati with him.  So, if anyone (perhaps Grandma? or Aunt Angela?) has pictures from this year that we are in, please pass them on. It may have been we just missed this year.  

In 2008:

One of my favorite apple picking family pictures

In 2009:

This is the favorite apple picking year to talk about.  Nathan had been born 3 days before labor day, and so Jason took the 3 older kids on our traditional apple picking adventure by himself.  It looked a bit stormy, but he was hoping it would hold off until they were done.  No such luck.  It started pouring and thundering.  They had to run back to the porch in front of the store and wait out the storm, along with all the other people who were picking that day.  The kids did not think this was fun at the time, and were screaming their heads off as it lightninged and thundered overhead.  A friend snapped this picture.  Jason thought the whole situation was pretty funny.  The kids can laugh about it now, but it was a sensitive subject for a year or two, with Maren yelling "It was NOT FUNNY!" every time Jason told the story.  

In 2010:

We didn't get a good family picture this year, but there are some cute ones of the kids. It also happened to be Nathan's first birthday, so we had a birthday party for him afterward.  

 In 2011:
Apparently it was a bit chilly this year.

We also love eating the fresh apple and peach pies with fresh pressed cider bought from the little store!

And finally in 2012:
We had a great day of apple picking with family and friends.  It was quite wet, as it had rained on and off the whole weekend, but we didn't let it dampen our spirits! (Oh man, I'm hilarious.)

My big 3 year old!!

It's hard to believe how big the kids have grown.  We love our apple picking tradition!