A Great Weekend

It was.

I don't know, it must be something about fall, but everything is just so GOOD right now! On Saturday, we hung around in our PJ's and made pancakes with real maple syrup for breakfast, then leisurely got ready for a trip down to Burnsville. We showed up just in time for lunch (completely coincidental, I assure you...) and left the kids with Grandma and Grandpa so Paul and I could run a few errands. Suit shopping (success!), haircut, seamstress, coffee (much needed. Lucian has decided this no-sleep thing is going to continue a little longer) and then back to get the kids.

Our friend Laura came for dinner and to babysit the kids while Paul and I went out for the evening. My brother Ben, his friend and I performed at the Eagle's Club in St. Paul. It was so much fun! Ben is a super talented guitarist and songwriter, and I love having an excuse to play my violin again. I hope we get to do it again soon! Thanks so much, Laura, for allowing Paul to come hear us for once, instead of having to stay home with the kiddos.

Sunday we got up slowly again, went to 11:00 Mass (saw Sara, John and Anna- getting ready for Baptism class!), then checked out the orchard by our house. Turns out they don't have the insurance to let people pick their own apples (bummer) but we picked up a bag of tasty Haralsons and a few caramels to go with them.

We took on the Cherokee Park trail again, this time making it all the way to the bottom and back up again. Max took his sweet time, stopping to pick up every rock and poke at every puddle he saw. The only thing that kept him moving was the promise of a caramel at the end of the trail... and even that didn't entice him at times!

The trail is awesome- there's a waterfall, old brick ovens, caves, fossils... it's hard to believe it is within walking distance of our house! However, the hike back up to the top was quite interesting. It was really too much to ask a two year old to hike these steep trails on his own, so Max go a ride on Paul's shoulders. This meant that I inherited Lucian and the backpack... I think that's the most exercise I've gotten in years!

We survived the return hike, made it home, and collapsed into bed- where we all stayed until dinner time. Well, except Max. He never actually fell asleep (just stayed in his room reading). After a two hour hike- are you kidding me?? Needless to say, he went to bed early and slept hard.

Our next goal is to find an orchard and pick our own apples. Emma Krumbees, maybe? The only (and I mean only) downside of fall is the inconsistency of the weather. Who knows how many gorgeous weekends we'll have? What I would like would be to see every single leaf change color before the frost hits.

Hey, I can dream, right?