Rover's Grandmother's Park with Papa

Kate demanded to go to "Rovah's Grandmother's Park with Papa!" on this nice fall day. The park is actually called Cambridge Common (right before Harvard Square at the corner of Mass Ave and Waterhouse). We have been going here for over a year, but for some reason Rover's Grandmother has won the namesake. We spent one day here with her when she and Rover's Opa were visiting from Holland. She obviously made quite the impression! Maybe it was the beautiful Knuffle Bunny she made for Kate.

They have great blocks there and Papa built Kate her own castle.

Kate being Kate

Will she kill me someday?

Kate loves my Wolford tights (as do I but I can't fit into them now..). How ridiculous is she?
Oh, you're right. It needed a white headband.

"Mama, Butchie wants to eat in your bathroom. He needs to be alone"
She is half Vermonster.

And half Steve. Kate: " Mama, let me organize your groceries"

Keeping warm on the potty.
Other Kate comments this month:

Mama: "Oh, Kate. Do you have to grow up? I love having a little one"
Kate: "Mama, I have to grow up. I want to do bigger things. Big guy things. Dangerous things"
...
Kate at Ikea: "Mama, ya know what I'm thinking? I'm thinking papa needs a new lamp. Does that sound good?"
...
Kate is also in the thick of the "why's?" Why, why, why why....When I finally turned it on her and asked her why: "Mama, because it makes sense"
...
Mama (testing the gender constancy principle- I am a psychologist): "Kate, do you want to be a boy or a girl when you grow up?"
Kate: "A boy"
Mama: "Why?"
Kate: "Well, I'm already a girl, so..."
Mama: "So why not try both"
Kate: "yup!"

Apple Pie

What to do with a peck of apples? It became clear pretty quickly we couldn't possible eat them all as snacks and that we'd better get baking. I dusted off an old recipe from Shelburne Farms, VT.

Kate unloading the apples. All of the pics are grainy! I really hate my camera (Canon Powershot). It takes OK outside pics, but terrible inside pics unless I use the flash (which looks terrible; see below). I have tried it all. I think I will go for a Casio Exlim next time; I had great luck with that in England. Any suggestions from my photo friends would be appreciated!My best helper
Some animals helped
I love this recipe because it only uses a bit of brown sugar (no white) and a ton of maple syrup (which I have a surplus of thanks to our sugar house trip this spring).


Discovered the hard way that nutmeg isn't as nice to taste as cinnamon...
It's on


It was Kate's idea to break out the play dough cutters for the trimmed dough and decorate the tops of the pies.
Masterpieces
They tasted good, too!
We waited til after bath and for papa to come home before we sampled it. What a wonderful day (and I mean day. Have you ever baked 2 pies with a toddler? I think it was 3.5 hours...then clean up...)

Apple Picking

We took a drive out to Stow, MA to Shelburne Farms to pick some McIntosh apples. Kate immediately picked an apple and ate it (much like her strawberry-picking strategy). We had a wonderful day together.
Not quite ripe, mama

She was able to get into the spaces her preggo mama could not. Toddlers are natural pickers!

Mama and Kate

It didn't take us long to fill up a peck!
Shelburne Farms is wonderful. They have homemade cider and cider donuts. They are made to order and are served piping hot. They also have a great gift shop stocked with John Deere toys (Kate left with a nice tractor). They also have a small petting zoo, hayrides, hay mazes, and bands on the weekends. I think we will have to come back when the foliage is peak!

Kate imitating me holding my camera for a self-shot. Smile for the donut shot?

Lancaster Fair

We were up in VT for Labor Day weekend and decided to drive across the border to NH to go to the Lancaster Fair. It was our second tractor pull of the summer! We had a great time.
Kate and her Grammie

It was a true country fair! My first. They had Oxen obstacle course races, sheep shearing contests, 4-H everything, tractor pulls, and helicopter rides. It was a whirlwind!

Petting
Mini horses

Baby goats
Kate and her Papa
They had a lot of kids' rides. When Kate came across this firetruck ride, she begged to go on. When I explained to her that we couldn't because it was the type of ride that mamas can't go on and she would have to go by herself, she thought silently for a minute and then confidently declared "I want to go on my own self". And she did! I was very proud of her. After that she couldn't get enough. My baby is growing up!

Rainy Day

Yea! Rain! We couldn't wait to try out the new gear. We took a 1/2 hour to walk to the cleaners so we could enjoy every puddle

Going for a Run

Kate was 'helping' me do laundry (note she is wearing Papa's socks) when she came across my running tank and headband. "Look Mama! I look like you! Going for a run! Bye!"

Do I look this good while running? I bet not.