The Apple Pumpkin Gang

Its a long post, but I promise lots of pictures too if you endure the reading.
My sister Jill and her girls are visiting this week so we've been busy. Gabe showed up at Grammys house to greet them on Cub Scout night, and Mary was enthralled with Gabe's uniform and the cub scout salute. Gabe has been complaining because while he is at school, we all get together and do something with the cousins and he's left out. But I found out that all he wants is Greta to come over and see his room, but as he said 'she just can't touch my stuff'... that should be easy for an active and walking almost one year old. I figured it would best to NOT tell him that we are having cake on Friday, while he's at school, to celebrate Greta's birthday. He made the cutest present for her real birthday, I will show you all later so that it can remain a surprise for Aunt Jill and Greta. All I can say this that he will be earning the seamstress badge for cub scouts in no time! There really is no such badge, most of you (and Gabe) would have no idea, and I could just make up badges like the 'clean the bathroom' badge, 'wash mommys car' badge, 'eat your veggies' badge, 'make mommy more coffee' badge or even 'change a stinky diaper' badge.
On Tuesday, Jill and I decided to run into Joann Fabrics and pick out Christmas stocking material. I think we quickly discovered there was no running in, well not by the moms. Candy was our first attempt to keep everyone quiet and still, but that didn't last long. Jill and I finally found several fabrics, which was a task since our tastes are different, Mary rearranged the bolts on the shelves and Caleb was running around the bolts of fabric with sticky lollipops....I think the ladies that worked there were glad when we finally dragged our kids out. Sometimes I think the general public forgets that kids are ... well, kids. They are sticky, loud and like to run.
Yesterday Grammy, Grampy, Megan, Jackson, Colby, Jill, Mary, Greta, Caleb, Micah and I headed up to Ellijay, Ga to visit an apple orchard and then a pumpkin patch. The kids loved it! Mary has no problem keeping up with her boy cousins, and she often leads the pack of them. They got to run, see animals, drink cider, slide down this enormous slide (that wouldn't pass the parks and recreation standards), sit on pumpkins (despite the signs posted saying not to), have a picnic lunch by a creek and just have fun cousin time. Aunt Megs was happy because she got fresh apples to eat, Grammy was happy to see her little pumpkins playing, Grampy was happy to eat apple pie and Aunt Jill was even more happy that her girls slept on the way home.
I haven't seen much of Jackson and Colby even though they live about 10 minutes away, but I had so much fun with them. We spent the drive up with Jackson singing songs while I video taped him, then he'd watch it and start another song. He made up the cutest songs that went on and on, and Colby would chime in from the last row too. Then on the drive back we played I Spy, "keep your stinky feet off Aunt Katie" and Colby licked an apple cookie then used it to draw on the van windows. Good times.