Apples!

It's funny how I've transitioned into being a mom of boys, after being a mom of girls for so long.

I tell you, it is an entirely different role. I used to do GIRL stuff all day long, and my days at home were filled with constant chatter and giggles and squeals. And I do mean constant.

Boys, at least these ones of mine, are so different. They are quiet and thoughtful and prefer to play alone. I drove a group of preschoolers home the other day, and of the five small children in my car, only one was a girl. And she carried the conversation all by herself!

No really, when we were about a block away from home, she finally took a breath and said, "Wow, that was a long story!"

That is what I'm used to!

As a girl myself, I'm not really sure what to do with these morose, silent, introspective creatures who sit somberly in my car. Don't get me wrong, they can certainly be loud and wild and rough at times, but it doesn't seem to be their default state somehow. At least not on the way to preschool.

Anyway, I'm trying out my new role as a mom of preschool boys instead of girls. This week we joined a large group of friends for a trip to the apple orchard! We carpooled with a friend (who has two girls the same ages as my boys), in order to balance out the awkward car riding part.

 Oh my heavens, I'm pretty sure this slide was more fun than the wildest roller coaster could ever be, from the looks of it!

 Receiving some pre-orchard-venturing instruction about which apples not to pick (the yucky ones).

 Here's another key difference between being a "girl" mom and a "boy" mom:

The Hair.

You'd think this one would work in reverse - that having girls means worrying about curls and tangles and pigtails and bows.

Nope.

I can french braid like a boss, you guys.

But give me a boy and this mop of bedhead, and I am lost at sea.

I'm like, "Yep, you look great! Hop in the car!"

And Travis comes home and is like, "So... did you let him go to school looking like that?"

Yes. Yes I did. 

This picture pretty much summarizes how Nolan felt about the whole outing.

It is also one of the only pictures I have of him, because he was glued to my hip as usual and I can't take pictures that close!

Okay, well, I can, but... yeah.

After we filled our buckets with apples, we went off on a hay ride!

Super hard to get pictures of that, but suffice it to say that it was fun.

See?

 

If that isn't a little boy who is thrilled beyond words, I don't know what is.

That's his "Mom, I'm having the best time of my life!" face.

Just trust me on this one.

He DID enjoy the animals. (From the safety of his perch on my hip!)

 They were chasing the chickens - see them down there in the underbrush?

And Nolan was happier when we ate lunch.