This week was full of fall traditions at the Davis household as we prepared for the start of school and took a trip to the apple orchard. Our favorite orchard is Sky Top Orchard with their delicious apple cider slushies and warm apple doughnuts, not to mention the endless rows of apple trees to pick from, all in the picturesque Smokey Mountains.
We met with our good friends Dan and Nikki Jones and their family on Saturday morning. Normally, we go much later in the season, but Honey Crisps are Nikki's favorite and Macs are Jeff's, so we went a full month early to catch the Honey Crisps and Macintosh apples. We were not disappointed and ended up with Gala, Goldens, Asian Pears and even some Concord Grapes as well. The apple cider slushies were still fantastic as were the sugary apple cider doughnuts. Aside from the weather it was a perfect trip.
Oh yeah, the weather. Here in Charlotte, it was a balmy 89 degrees, while in the mountains it was a mild 72, not bad right? Well it would have been if you don't count the rain...lots and lots and lots of rain. It rained on the way up to the orchard and stopped briefly while we ran out and picked dozens of apples. Then it started back up again and this time in earnest. Well if you know us, we never stop, even for a rainy day. We finished our picnic at the orchard and headed for Biltmore to see the fall flower carpet. Yes I said Biltmore...again (we are certainly making the most of our season passes). The rain followed us the 30 minutes from Hendersonville to Asheville, but with every mile it got harder and harder. Once we got to the estate we decided that Jeff would hop out and grab some pictures (umbrella in hand) and I would stay in the van with all 5 kids and have a snack. After an apple and several chocolate chip cookies each, Daddy came back with some great garden photos. The apple orchard was great even if the weather held us back a little. Biltmore was a bit of a bust, but maybe we will get back there soon...wait do we have plans this weekend?
Nehemiah's first apple! 
Goofing around!
Doughnuts and slushies our favorites.
They don't call it the Smokey's for nothing.
Beautiful gardens even in the rain.
These roses sure seemed to enjoy the rain...I'm glad something did.
Ah, on to the start of school, this is the one time of year that always greets me with such mixed emotions. On one hand I am excited for the kids to start school. This means ROUTINE for our household again after a "fly by the seat of your pants" summer break. The kids get to see all their friends again, I catch up on tons of household chores and we all get an earlier bedtime. Now for the downside, my sweet, energetic and often ornery little helpers are gone for the day and I miss them. Couple that with the fact that we all have a MUCH earlier wake up and school time is bittersweet. 
Waiting for the bus.
Home from school, time for cookies and milk, these cute Pillsbury ones have little buses on them:)
On the fourteenth of August, many, many, many years ago I married my best friend, corny I know, but true none the less. While things have not always gone perfectly, we have always gone through it together and tried to keep our realationship focused on Christ. And I can honestly say, now that I look back, we are so much stronger for it. OK, OK enough of the sappy stuff.
We took the two pictures (above) and through the magic of Photoshop (see photo below) it looks like we got a picture together, gotta love technology!
The gardens were hosting an interesting exhibit of handmade chairs by southern artists. We had so much fun posing and trying out all the unique pieces of art.
In other news, I found a very useful craft idea for reducing our carbon footprint, just a bit. With each passing year our family tries to adopt one or two more ways to become more environmentally conscious and with each new baby, that task becomes even more challenging. This week it was the "One Cup A Day" rule. I found this cute craft and tweaked it for our family and our available craft supplies. It is a cup mat that each child can put their cup on when they are done using it and know where it is when they want another drink. Hopefully this will end the days of one dishwasher load full of just cups! 
