We've had a very busy fall, which was especially fun because it's our first real fall in a long time. It involved a lot of cooking and baking, as all good seasons should! We started off with some yummy baking. I found an awesome price on bananas (20 cents a pound!), so I bought a ridiculous amount and made 8 batches of banana bread. Our freezer is now stuffed with mini-loaves.
Our next fall activity was picking apples at a local orchard and making the apples into applesauce. Amy loved picking the apples and sampling them along the way. 
Matthew liked it too... until we lost his pacifier down one of the rows. Of course we didn't have a backup, and it was his hospital pacifier... the only one he had ever used... and the only one he liked! We've since broken him of his need for that pacifier, but it made for a grumpy baby for a little bit. He liked sucking on the apples though. 
It took a lot of work to make our applesauce (thanks for the directions Mom Laudie!), but we ended up with some delicious cinnamon applesauce, all bottled and sealed so that we can enjoy it all year long! Amy really liked helping!
We got some pie pumpkins at the same farm that we got the apples. I've never made pumpkin puree, but it was super easy and we're excited to get to try it in our pies and breads and pumpkin rolls this holiday season.
Our non-food related fall activity has been, of course, playing in the leaves! We've enjoyed the beautiful leaves here in Ohio. Unfortunately, I wasn't very good about taking pictures of them. I swear I had some, but I'll have to find them. But Mike and Amy have spent many nights raking and jumping and sliding in the leaves!
We were able to visit Historic Kirtland, which included the Newel K. Whitney store and home, as well as other historic homes and buildings. 
We were able to meet up with Elder and Sister Crosby from Mike's parent's home ward who are serving a mission there. Amy basically adopted them as her grandparents for the day. 
After spending most of the day at Historic Kirtland, including a nice picnic lunch and visiting with the Crosby's, we headed over to the Kirtland Temple. It was a magnificent building! What a special thing that was accomplished by those early saints!
After another nice evening around the campfire, we went to church in Kirtland and then headed to the Morley and Johnson farms. We really loved learning about these great families, especially the Whitney's, and the sacrifices they made for the growth and development of the church. 
We enjoyed a great, relaxing day, complete with Amy's favorite: WATERMELON! 
On Monday, we headed out to Amish country. We didn't really find much to visit and enjoy, but we did pass a horse and carriage and see several Amish families, which was kind of cool. 
We headed up to the beach at Lake Erie after that. We wish we had gone there earlier! It was really great. Amy loved feeling the sand between her toes. Unfortunately, it started to POUR about a half hour after we got there, but it was fun while it lasted. 
Matthew loved the water too! He thought it was hilarious. He just kept giggling. 
Ultimately, it was a very enriching, fun trip. It is definitely a challenge to do with little kids who are restless and want to touch things, but it was fun to experience these things together as a family. If anyone is interested in going, we provide a great place to stay over on your way to Kirtland! Again, more details from Mike coming later.
Amy is OBSESSED with animals! She can spot one across the park every time!
