Apple picking

One of the great perks of living in the Mountains is the beautiful fall weather! The amazing leaves, the crisp air, and the fresh apples! The county south of us is one of the largest apple supplying counties in the US. There are TONS of U-Pick farms and today we headed out to one for a family apple picking adventure. It was a ton of fun. We were only there 1.5 hours and we picked an entire bushel, and this was at toddler speeds. My personal favorite was an apple I'd never heard of before today called a Blushing Gold. They are delicious! It was a beautiful warm day and the boys had a great time.

There were plenty of apples at their height, so they had tons of fun.

Sam had an apple in his hand the ENTIRE time. Pretty sure we won't have to worry about constipation over the next few days. They both ate at least 4 apples a piece today!



Gotta love the head cut outs.

We're a little short for the one below.


This one's for you Beth.

Shirtless In October

Who ever would have thought it would be warm enough again for this based on our cold snap at the beginning of the week!

We got Steven a new bike last weekend at the Veritas Flea Market. It has been all the rage. And both boys have loved wearing the helmet (much to my dismay).

Why always on Friday after 5?

At 5:05 to be exact... Steven Edward fell off a swing that we have hung from a tree in our back yard. At first it seemed like any other fall - there was a long pause before the cry for a "wind up," but that can happen for a normal fall. We went through the normal actions. No one ran... no one overreacted or stressed... we stayed calm. Then I noticed blood flowing down his neck. I no longer felt calm. My insides started jumping and I ran frantically to find the phone to call the doctor before office hours were over. Luckily our doctor has amazing after-hours and I was able to get into the system and wait on hold. After getting a look, we decided he probably needed stitches.... so off goes the husband with the bleeding son, and left behind is the mother with the not bleeding son. Turns out that the not bleeding son comes down with a fever in the hour they are gone.... so for sanity's sake, we administer Advil and put on a movie (Cars of course). Steven Edward comes home with 2 staples in his head (for the second time) and a smile on his face. Evidently he didn't even flinch when they put them in.... the Doctor said he was the bravest patient he'd ever had! I bet he says that to all of them, but I'm going to pretend he meant it. So for a fun evening we ate our pasta in front of the TV and finished it off with chocolate ice cream. Man, what an evening.

Bleeding boy excited about ice cream and Cars

Temperature boy not watching the movie and giving you a good fake smile to show off his chocolate stains.

Asheville Citzen Times Half Marathon

In April 2006 I ran a half marathon in Charlotte with a friend. I'm not sure I'd have made it without her support. It was one of the hardest things I'd ever done and I swore I would never do that again. Well..... never say never.

My goal after having my boys was to have at least one race season where I was in shape enough to actually run races. This season so far, I've run 6..... 3 5ks, 2 mudruns, and as of today... a half marathon (13.1 miles).


The course is/was ridiculous. I know I live in Asheville, but there have to be easier places to run 13.1 miles. According to their own website, "the Southeast's most scenic and challenging run, voted as one of the top best half marathons in the Southeast by Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine" Either way...... it was incredibly hilly and I was running with a friend who had never run one before. My goal was to be a support to her (like a good friend was to me 4 years ago), to help her finish, to run the entire thing (no walking on hills! yea!), and to finish. We did all those things with flying colors. And even though this half was post baby, higher altitude, and incredibly hilly, we only finished about 13 minutes slower than my first!






We had an AMAZING fan club. I had friends and family cheering me all along the course. It made for such a fun day and was a huge testimony to how much they love me! Thanks for your support guys!

Steve's 60!

We went to Chapel Hill over Labor Day weekend to celebrate Steve Breedlove's 60th birthday. Nanny and Reese flew in from Montgomery and we had quite the time! We all went to dinner at Bu*Ku - with babysitters watching our kids! It was a great night and I must say I'm lucky to have such wonderful in-laws. I'm blessed to be a part of your family, Breedloves! Yea for Steve.

Steven was the camera man, so there are no pictures of him!
And here are some pictures of my boys over the past few weeks

Steven and Anna procrastinating before nap time. Aren't they cute!
Steven and his friend Caleb enjoying some gum for a "potty treat"

One of the students I tutor was getting rid of things they didn't need anymore and we benefited! Look at our new art easel!

The Joys Of A Stay At Home Mom

So, it is true that God will not give us more than we can handle. But there is no real clarification in that verse.... does that mean without the aid of substances. My particular choice this morning was chocolate covered pretzels, pacifiers, and Advil.

Sam told me he wanted oatmeal for breakfast. So after the 20 minutes it took to fix, we all sit down. Happily at first, but once a bib is part of the equation all else starts to fall apart. First it is Sam's finger. Not quite sure what went wrong with his finger. I kiss it repeatedly but the sobs continue. I turn him around until he gets control. The offer of juice is a healthy motivator and he is able to join the table again. But it doesn't take long before that wears off and we are crying again. Why this time? Not sure. Maybe because he has spilled some of his juice on his shorts. So then a banana is offered. That is great at first, but I give it unpeeled (which was the way he wanted it yesterday... like a monkey). Well, this is a major crisis. Now, even though that banana can be peeled and re-offered it is somehow contaminated and is an unacceptable form of nourishment. It is refused again. He continues to sob. At this point I call a friend for moral support. She suggest Advil. I administer the medical advice in hopes (and fear that this is potentially only one of four) that it is teeth. We as mothers always blame things on teeth no matter the age really. I think I will say that until he is graduating High School, they are fussy... we see drool... it must be teeth. At this point my oldest informs me that he also needs medicine. "No you don't" I respond. To which he informs me he is also getting teeth.... um.... nope. So I offer a vitamin instead. This is a gummy goodness that often soothes problems. Sam gets one as well. This, as well as a cup full of medicine, stop the crying for a brief moment. The oldest is done and the youngest is back to crying. He is strapped in he'll be fine. I decide to email my husband so he can have a feel for the morning... in the background Sam starts screaming finger... finger... I ignore him because his original cry was for no real reason. I eventually turn to see there is oatmeal on his finger. The napkin AND rag he has in front of him are not good enough. At this point I'm done. I let him down, oatmeal untouched (other than by a finger evidently) and off he goes to his room to find his passy.... which should be up on a shelf only reserved for nap time. I head to the fridge to gorge myself on chocolate covered pretzels that I made two days ago. And in the midst of this I ask you... am I treating my children as souls or as animals who have desires that need to be kept at bay in order to keep my own sanity. I dismiss this question and eat some more chocolate as I prepare for departure for the park. At the park I'll have a run and they will be outside.... and we've talked about having another? WHAT?

Will I ever update this?