APPLES. AND BABY SIGN.

I've taught both of my babies sign language, and it's pretty awesome. Let me clarify that we're not having full out conversations by signing, but they have been able to communicate their basic needs and wants with the signs that I have taught them. Some are correct and true to American Sign Language, others they have adapted themselves, and some I just plain make up on the spot and they pick up. It's pretty awesome when they can tell me all done, more, eat, drink, please, thank you, book, kitty, bunny, blankie, phone...and so on, rather than scream and point while I play a mad guessing game to try to figure out it is what they are telling me.

It's especially fun when you casually sign apple to your baby boy, not really trying to teach it to him, and three days later he sees an apple at the grocery store and touches his little fist to his cheek and shreaks "app app!". And you're all like "Really? You remember that? I showed it to you ONE time!" It's just major proof that babies are sponges and have so much to share with us. It's freaking awesome.

With Doodey's new proclaimed loved for apples, and the seasonal shift to fall here in Minnesota, I wasted no time in hauling my family to the local apple orchard. I knew Doodey would love it, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on all those fresh apples and make apple sauce, apple butter, and apple pies. Okay, okay, so i'm not really the pie maker around here, Nick is, but I still enjoy them :)

We like the quiet, just down the road style of apple orchards, and we are lucky to have access to just that. The kids were in apple Heaven, but also a little confused why there were hundreds of apples lying all over the ground, and we were screaming "No, don't eat that one!" to them. They quickly figured it out and learned to look up, not down.

We weaved in and out of apple tree rows, tasting and approving of various apple varieties, conferring on what kind would be just right to bring home.

I don't know what varieties we ended up with, we just went for sweet (not tart) and crisp.

We came home with an insane amount of apples, yet I still want to go back and get more. They are so good, I never want to buy apples from the store again.

And really, they're just like cheap insurance, because we've definitely been having an apple (or two. or three.) a day, and keeping the doctors away. Except my ob/gyn, we need that one.

So moral of this story is that we went apple picking. And Doodey learned a new sign. And we enjoyed a beautiful fall day and made some sweet memories. Love.

And I can just hear Doodey's little voice saying "app app!", can you?

xo.