G&G Kotter: Friday and Saturday

Friday we headed to Apple Hill. The Fall colors were out and it was nice to see that everything wasn't just dying! We tried a new orchard, El Dorado, for the train ride. Let's just say this orchard has the market on "train rides" and makes Disneyland look like it could be decent deal. :) 

We had our picnic at 'Rainbow Orchards' and enjoyed the quiet, sunny setting. We perused the apples, and made our hot apple cider donut purchases (again, the food thing). The kids played for quite awhile on the tractors and straw bales. 

Our last stop was 'High Hill'. The apple press captivated all of us, even Emma's doll. We continued to stroll down the road and found a kiddie playground that entertained the kids until I pulled them away. There was also a "Fudge Factory" that may have claimed some of our business. I thought with "Factory" in its name, there might be more behind the scenes, but nope---just lots and lots of chocolate and fudge. 

That night, my parents watched the kids so Bryan and I could go to the temple. It was our first time inside the Sacramento temple. It was beautiful and so peaceful.

Saturday, grandma and grandpa flew back on the airplane. I was pleasantly surprised with how well Emma and Luke were doing with the airport drop-off. Well, as soon as the doors were closed and we were driving away, the flood gates opened. Luke was so distraught. He made me promise that I would help him make a paper chain so he would know when he could see them again. That tugged on my heart strings. We love our family.

G&G Kotter: Wednesday and Thursday

Wednesday, we hit up one of our favorite places to show people: Old Town Sacramento and the Train Museum. This prego also makes sure that we include our mini-donut and salt water taffy stop  (thank you Elizabeth) as part of our day here. 

We finished off the day with Luke's last soccer practice and made our own individual pizzas with Rhodes Rolls. I was pleasantly surprised with how yummy they tasted and easy they were to assemble (even with kids). I would switch to convection bake and pop a few trays in at a time for the next go-around. Bryan was out of town on business Monday-Wednesday, it was nice to have him back!

Thursday was a busy morning with the usual routine and then we had a laid-back afternoon. That evening we went to our friends' mandarin orchard and "picked" (you actually clip them off the branch) some of the most juicy and delicious mandarins. 

After we soaked in the sunshine and citrus we headed to Taylor's, a local hamburger and milkshake joint. Have you noticed how much of my entertaining involves food??? It was such a simple night, but easily one of the highlights of the trip.

G&G Kotter: Tuesday

We dropped off Luke at preschool, then "the girls" went out for a little fun. We hit up the local shopping: Target, Ross and TJMax. To top things off, we tried the local donut shop, "The Pink Box." YUM! Definitely a good choice. 

We picked Luke up from preschool and headed to a nearby park for a picnic and watched the trains roll by.

That night we headed to 'Food Truck Mania'. The timing was perfect and the trucks were in Lincoln.  I can't remember exactly what we ordered…heart attack in a basket??? Delicious. The kids loved playing in the plaza after dinner. Great evening.

Grandma and Grandpa Kotter Visit: Monday

I picked Luke up from preschool with the best news.

We were thrilled (obviously) to be picking up Grandma and Grandpa for a few fun days.

We enjoyed the afternoon playing baseball, relaxing around the house and just soaking up the beautiful weather. It's finally Fall around here. 70s and plenty of sunshine for daaaayyyysss. 

My parents brought a suitcase, literally, full of my favorite bread that is only found in Utah. I guess when my mom was purchasing it, the cashier questioned why so much. My mom explained she was taking it to her daughter that lived in California. The cashier's response, "Don't they have bread in California?" Nope-not the good stuff. Love Harper's Homemade.

Halloween Night

It has rained a total of 4 days in the 4 months that we have lived here. Halloween just happened to be one of those days! However, we completely lucked out. It was an absolute downpour five minutes before we headed out. After that, not one drop of rain.

Camera settings corrected, and a much more in-focus pic of our 'Very Hungry Caterpillar' and 'Batman' ready to go trick-or-treating in their rain gear.

Luke showing us his crazy eyes. Emma, as always, checking out what her brother is up to.

We met up with some friends and continued to terrorize the neighborhood. Emma was exhausted after a few streets of trying to keep up with these energetic boys and decided to enjoy the rest of the night at home. We live in a semi-older neighborhood, which has its pros and cons. On Halloween night, Luke (and maybe his mother) thought it was the best thing ever---neighbors matching Luke's excitement of him being Batman and spoiling him with candy at each house. As a mom, how can you not be appreciative and happy when you see other people that engaging and happy for your kid??? It made for a great night, all around.