TOGETHER

This had to be one of the best days since having Willow. Ryan and I took the boys out with Willow, together, to an apple orchard. It was a gorgeous day, oh and did I mention, we were all together? When I was thinking about this today, I tried to resolve what made it so special. I have often seen a photograph of myself as a baby at an apple orchard with my family. It's one of my favorite pictures. One, I look really cute (in the baby photo; right now in real life, there is much work to be done before I can be called cute.) Two, well why does there have to be a two. It's just a memorable photo. So, apple orchards and family just ring special in my mind. Add that to the fact that this was probably our first outing in public with all four kids in tow. I remember entering the store on the grounds and having a teeny panic moment as I realized I had Willow in a public store. We have been reminded so often that we need to be very careful with her exposure to illness and we were home bound for weeks and weeks after she'd come home from the hospital. I simply held her almost chubby little body a little tighter to make our way to the honeycomb display at the back of the store. To see the hundreds of bees making honey was quite a thing before we made our way out to the apples.
We walked for a very long time through the orchard, sampling apples and then picking what we'd like to buy. The boys had a blast, Willow was so content being held, she never whimpered through the whole trip. We stopped for some photos (as you can see.) At one stage, Ryan took the boys to check out the Mutzu apples. I stood on flatter ground to keep my balance with the baby and slowly pivoted to take in a full view of my surroundings. There was a chilly air, but the sun was so bright and warm on my face and the trees were so green. It was one of those moments of a consuming appreciation when you take the deepest breath, as though you're sucking in even the goodness you feel. Plus, my body was probably having a Vitamin D overload after spending so many days inside of a hospital. It was awesome! I then wondered if there was enough time to ask our friends to do this with us again--apple picking usually winds up in October. Except for my "after I had the baby, baby shower" we really hadn't been able to socialize with anyone at all in about five months. So, naturally, I wondered about sharing great times like this with others.
The boys had chosen their lot of Mutzus and were carrying their heavy bags with fruit gold when we decided we were done and ready to head home. We had one fairly steep hill to walk up to go and purchase our loot. As I got to the top I saw very recognizable faces--my lifelong friend's crew were all walking toward us. It was such a treat to meet up with them. Both families could have easily taken another way in and out of the orchard. But, there we were. It was a simple thing, meeting friends. But, it was pure joy for me and I was so thankful to be able to savor that sweet, brief time. Here they were, with not one, but two of their new sons; one whom they had taken in pretty much at the time when Willow arrived in our family. Both of our families were introduced to new little ones, with comparably complicated situations. Theirs through foster care and eventually adoption of a two and three year old in addition to already having four children. Here we were, meeting unexpectedly after a pretty hectic set of months behind us, making memories with our children.
Did I mention we were TOGETHER?

Here I am, in the 70's in an apple orchard with my family.