L'shana Tovah!

A year ago, Carmela June couldn't even sit up by herself (but she could hold her head up by that point. We think.). Today, she's a totally big girl who can run around by herself, so she joined Mom and Dad on a big adventure to an apple orchard in Skagit County to pick apples for Rosh HaShanah. She had a great time selecting apples for Daddy to pick from the tree and handing them to Mama to get started with a bite. Carmela munched on many varieties of apples: Yellow ones with pink flesh; tart, dense reddish yellow ones; sweet, soft, bright pink ones (a favorite); and old standbys like Gravensteins and Galas. She also got to try Asian pears that tasted like butterscotch (!) and yummy Italian prune plums. She got to ride in the wheelbarrow, too, until she started picking the apples out of the box and tossing them onto the ground for Daddy to pick up. After a few rounds of that game, she was ejected from the wheelbarrow, which she then got to help push. She also waited patiently when Mama finally (finally!) discovered several yards of beautiful, ripe blackberries. At the end of the day, Mama, Daddy, and a very tuckered Carmela June piled back into the car with a great haul of fruits and berries, and Carmela slept all the way home.