Gender Reveal...

We had a small gender reveal party for Candace's family on Sunday, 1st October. We had a pinata which the children took turns hitting in order to see what colour was inside. There was also a little puzzle with our new baby's name inside, too. Our little boy is going to have a baby sister! :) We're very excited to welcome her into our family come February!

 Getting a little bit of help from Mommy.

 It's pink inside!

 Working on the name.

 And there it is!

 Candace at twenty weeks.

Riaan with the two painted pumpkins - one for him and one for his sister! :)

Hiking and Ultimate Frisbee at Shakamak State Park...

We went to Shakamak State Park and met up with Candace's parents at their church camping trip recently. We had a lovely afternoon catching up with friends and family, and I was able to go for a lovely hike in the changing colours of autumn. We even played Ultimate Frisbee with some friends in the early evening. The last time I played Ultimate was back on the ship at the beginning of 2014, so it had been a while. But it was so much fun! :)

 Interesting seeds on this plant - reminds me of African beadwork.

 Pretty white flower.

 Still lots of green in these trees.

 Another forested scene.

 Autumn leaves on the ground.

 Interesting old tree trunk.

 Autumn colours appearing by the water's edge.

 View down towards Lake Lenape.

 Another view as I cross the dam wall.

 A fun game of Ultimate Frisbee to end the day!

Candace is second from the left in the peach shirt. :)

Beautiful Sunrise...

A big red sun rose up over the horizon several weeks ago. It really was quite beautiful to watch!

 Close-up view at full zoom. Breathtaking!

Harvested field on the left and still-to-be harvested field at right.

View looking east towards the rising sun.

Duplo Combine Harvester...

Riaan's favourite thing at the moment are combine harvesters. He often wants to go for a walk so that he can "see a big combine outside." He really wanted one to play with at home, and so Daddy obliged by building him one out of Duplo! The duck driving the harvester was Riaan's addition. :)

 Having fun with his Duplo combine harvester!

Lots of corn to harvest here! :)

Harvesting the Fields...

The corn fields surrounding our home were harvested recently. There were two large John Deere combine harvesters, along with two tractors and wagons, as well as a number of trucks. The combine harvesters offload the freshly-harvested corn into the wagons, pulled by the tractors, who in turn offload into the trucks on the road. The trucks then transport the corn to the farm and the grain bins nearby. It really is quite interesting to watch! Riaan even had a ride in one of the combines! :)

 Combine harvester going past our driveway.

 Big tractor and wagon.

 Candace and Riaan having a ride in the combine.

Heading back to the road.

 A combine harvester at work behind rows of corn.

The combine harvester offloading into one of the wagons.

 Tractor and wagon heading to the waiting trucks.

Trucks waiting for the harvested corn.

Apple Hill Orchard...

Candace, Riaan and I joined some friends in visiting Apple Hill Orchard, a local orchard nearby, on Saturday, 23rd September. We enjoyed apple cake doughnuts and apple cider from the bakery, before going for a little walk through the orchard. It was a lovely morning!

 The sign to Apple Hill Orchard.

 Playing in the play area.

 Outside the pretty wooden barn.

 Riaan choosing some pumpkins.

 Inside the bakery and produce shop.

 Colourful crates outside the bakery.

Peach and apple trees in the orchard.

Apple Cider evening...

We attended the annual family apple cider (juice) evening back on Friday, 15th September. It was lots of fun making fresh apple cider with the antique cider press and enjoying family time together. :) The freshly-squeezed apple juice was delicious! The last one that I blogged about is here.

 A type of bee has a drink from this apple.

 Riaan lends a helping hand.

 Crushing the apples to create apple juice.

 Aunt Hannah with Riaan. :)

 Riaan and Princess. :)

 Riaan trying out the tricycle.

After being cleaned, the cider press is put back into the shed - with the help of Mike's tractor!