Set in our ways

It's easy to think that teenagers have little time for tradition,

with all of their activities and friends.

(The activities and friends deserve another whole post, but alas.

When you're doing them, there is little time for blogging them.)

This boy may have turned Sweet 16 in September

(^^^see, he has his own apple named in his honor)

but he is not too old to ask to go to the apple orchard.

He wanted to pick his own honey crisp apples,

because "the little grocery store ones just aren't as sweet."

The people in the front where you pay said the honey crisp were gone,

but Ben was not to be deterred from scouring for stragglers.

The big ones.

Ben also volunteered to go to the pumpkin patch with me.

And no one wanted to be left out of the carving.

Bethany reminded me that we had plans most evenings during the week,

so we needed to carve them on Tuesday.

Lee used to be the back up scraper outer,

but now that his services are no longer needed for that,

he provides the entertainment.

I have to have my own pumpkin to carve.  Always.

Ever since she was tiny, 

Bethany has been our leaf stomper.

Or smasher.

Whichever, it's undisputedly her job.

It's a given that some of them will come right back at us.

You know what's awesome?

I was in the middle of putting this post together when she came in

and asked me to make chocolate chip cookies with her.

Could she have done it herself and let me finish what I was doing?

Absolutely.

She didn't have to.

I'm so thankful the big kids love their traditions too.