Off to the Orchard

Every year my whole family packs up and heads out to Murphy's Orchard for my brother Christian's birthday. We have done this for the last 15 years or so. I make chili(it's usually cold. This year it was 80 degrees). We bring cupcakes and we pick apples and pumpkins. The kids love this more then anything. They run from tree to tree picking apples and eating everyting in sight. The most wonderful part of hanging out at Murphy's Orchard in Bert, NY is that they are family owned and operated. They have owned the property since the days of slavery. In fact they have a fully functional Underground railroad in their barn. The kids think it's so cool. They have been amazing to us. They allow us free reign of their facilities and the charge is miniscual. I have purchased 20lbs of apples. 10 pumpkins and a whole array of veggies from their garden for less then $30! That's awesome! We celebrated Christian's birthday on a very warm day this year. I felt bad for the kids. They had sweat running down their faces as they ran around. We enjoyed our day regardless. Emerson ran non stop that was until he saw the horses. He had a connection I have never seen before. I'm thinking riding lessons are in his future. Grif was over the heat but liked eating the fruit. Max and Alex loved the running from one end of the feilds to the next picking and eating rasberries. Austin was the wrangler. He handled the bags of fruit and kept tabs on the boys! We had a blast! Can't wait until next year!

The Air Show

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My mother and I took the boys to the Buffalo Niagara Air Show in Niagara Falls New York in September. It was a first outing for my mom with just me, Austin and the triplets. This was inetersting to say the least. First we spent 2 hours in the car trying to get close to the show. By the time we finally arrived...OVER, that's right, I said OVER!!!!!! We watched from the car as the stealth bomber flew overhead and fighter planes swooped in and out of the sky. But the final show took place as we were being directed to park. The good news is, we got to walk around and in and out of planes on the ground. I don't think the boys were any the wiser to what they had missed. They just loved the adventure of it all. I think me and Grandma did too! and yes...if you notice, Emerson is punching Austin the the man berries!

I'm Baaaaaack!

OK, I know...it's been forever! Well we have had a ton of new and exciting things happening in the Stinner household since my last post 2 MONTH Sago!!! First and foremost the triplets have started school. That's right, my babies are full fledged students. Well actually they only go for a few hours a day but they do go every day.

They LOVE school. I think it was good to wait but I may have done them some disservice by keeping them home so long. Emerson had a rough go of it the first few weeks of school. Every time I walked up to the the door his teacher gave me the "Guess what he did today?" look. I was in a constant state of panic. He is recieving speech and special ed services through the district for his speech delay so we figured it was just a matter of time before he settled in and guess what? HE DID! Emerson is the music buff! He sits in the front of the class and is the first to raise his hand to work the "Smart Board" . He sits patiently and listens to the teacher explain the days happenings and sings the ABC's and counts with fluency. His speech is coming along nicely. He is able to communicate better. Everyday I am shocked at the new things he knows. I a one proud mama. Maxim adores school. He is my shy boy and sits in the back. He is deffinately further ahead then the other two. He can count to 100 and recite his ABC's without messing up. I asked them to make sure he gets challenged on a daily basis. I think when kids are advanced they get labled as problem children that just act out when they are bored. So far he is doing great. Alexander is my social butterfly. He has no problem making friends and likes to be the center of attention. He reminds me a lot of Austin at this age. He is lovey dovey and is always willing to give hugs. He is too smart for his own good and truth be told a little bit of a tattle tale. He is settling in nicely. Griffin is home with mama now. He loves to get ready and jump in the car to take the boys to school. He knows this is our alone time. We go to the zoo, park and often shopping. Believe it or not he LOVES to shop. During the day it is quiet out. There are no crowds and no drama. He often reads his books or watches videos on my cell phone.

Austin is now a BIG 3rd grader! I can't believe my first son is so BIG. When did that happen? We already had a brief meeting with his teacher who said he was a joy to have in class. He is quieter this year and working hard to get good grades and be a good listener. He reads constantly and is taking Tai Kwon Do. He is turning into a nice young man. As far as David and I...we are great. Business has picked up and David is busting his butt. I am doing my mommy thing. I sit on the PTA board for Austins school and I love it! It's hard finding time for each other but we are hoping to sceduele some grown up time soon!