Apple season

We recently headed up to Ellijay for some apple picking fun.



Juniper was excited to pick apples...



...until she learned that she couldn't eat them until we paid for them.



Jorge was a much better sport than Juniper.



Thankfully, there were lots of other fun activities:



Milking a dairy cow



Assorted tractors to drive



Pig racing



A warehouse where we could observe the commercial side of the operation



A giant "bounce pillow" ...



... which Juniper loved



Fun facts about cows (which our nerdy girl also loved)



Did we mention the tractors?



Next time we go apple picking, Hazel will hopefully be able to do more than just observe (and sample the goods).



You know it was a good day when the kids are this tuckered out at the end.

At the park

Ducks, a waterfall, and popsicles. What's not to love?









Juniper and her friend Kieva. With one girl who is big for her age, the other who is small for her age, it's hard to believe that they are only half a year apart.

Bubbles galore

First day of school

Bag packed and ready to go. It's hard to believe how much she has grown since last year.



While Aaron took photos, Juniper bounced and chanted, "I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT GOING TO SCHOOL!! I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT GOING TO SCHOOL!"



Juniper and her friend Claudia (who was in her class last year) decorate name labels to go on their cubbies.



More friends from last year. The very beloved Ms. Paula reads a book to Juniper and her son, Thomas.



"And look! They have a fire station!!"

Life lessons

Cost of space shuttle Lego set: $30.00

Cost of alien UFO Lego set: $4.99

Amount of allowance in Juniper's purse: $16.09

Likelihood of leaving the store with an alien UFO: 100%

Number of weeks it would take Juniper to save up for the space shuttle (assuming no additional purchases after the alien UFO set): 10

Probability of Juniper's getting a space shuttle Lego set for Christmas: High

Likelihood that Juniper is learning anything about the value of money and importance of spending it wisely: Unknown

Capt. Nemo learns to levitate

(Or maybe she's just jumping. Either way, I'm sure Nemo's extra energy is spaghetti fueled.)

Dragon Parade

Labor Day weekend is the annual Dragon*Con parade. Juniper was giddily excited the morning of the parade. She woke up at 5:30 to use the bathroom and hopefully asked me, "Is it time to go to Dragon*Con?" This year, she decided to dress up as a dragon for the parade.



Just an ordinary crosswalk in downtown Atlanta on Labor Day weekend. Juniper loved it.



Hazel, on the other hand, was hot and tired and bored and desperately wanted to go home and have a nap.



We met several friends for the parade, including Juniper's buddy Thomas. His favorite thing about the parade was the "Busterghosts" or "Ghostbustards." Juniper's favorite was Captain Planet. The morning of the parade, she expectantly asked whether we would see Captain Planet. I tried to lower her expectations, since this isn't exactly a popular modern comic franchise. I needn't have worried. In addition to Captain Planet himself, there were scads of Planeteers and even a couple of ecovillains. I wonder how many people at the parade recognized, by name, both Hoggish Greedly and his sidekick Rigger. Thanks to the $0.50 bin at the comics shop, we did.



After the parade, we went to Centennial Park to eat a picnic lunch and splash in the fountains.



Juniper and her cousins all had fun splashing and playing.



Hazel thought that the park was much more fun than the parade.



Till next year, kiddo. Your dad and I are officially and publicly promising that next year we will get our lazy act together to come up with some sort of family costume. Probably not Klingons, but we'll do something.

Babies are gross