We had a wonderful time in the beautiful Hudson Valley of New York State this past weekend.  A refreshing time up in the country once again–this time to pick some apples, raspberries, and pumpkins for the fall season.  This is our favorite time of the year.  The air is cool and crisp, the colors are beautiful, and the times are exciting with things like October baseball and Thanksgiving in the air!

Everybody enjoyed picking apples off the trees which were chock full of Macintosh apples.

Of course we had to sample some of the apples right off the tree.

We also picked some great raspberries from the bushes.

Then it was off to the pumpkin patches.

Apple picking is just a great family activity.  We enjoyed some quality time with Pop-Pop there on the farm.

Before the summer ended, we wanted to be sure to get one last opportunity to spend a week up in the country with Danielle’s family.  It was a wonderful time and the weather was picture perfect all week.  During the week we went to “The Enchanted Forest” in Old Forge, NY.  It was a great place with rides, little scenes from fairy tales, and a petting zoo.  The kids loved seeing all the little houses and characters in the forest.

Chooch is a real card!

Jocy loves princesses.

Cameron Cupcake.

Hanging out with the big guy.

Maniac Makris!

Three Blind Mice (or are there six?)

Yes, I did fit in there.

A Makriella Story.

Not only were there all the neat displays to tour, but there were great rides for the kids.  Jocelyn was the bravest one and was willing to try all of them.

What a good driver he is.

And horseback rider too!

The petting zoo was a lot of fun.  Natalie was having a great time walking amongst sheep and goats.  Then, all of the sudden, one sheep stood there staring at her, lowered its head, and plowed right into her sending her flat on her back.  Thankfully she was not hurt, but she was definitely scared and started.  She just kept saying, “But I did not do anything to the sheep.”  It was just a crazy thing to see happen.  You can be sure I was watching that sheep for the rest of our time at that spot–one wrong move and I would have been in a wrestling match with a sheep–that would have been a sight to see.  Definitely would have been in the Old Forge newspaper–”Crazed New Jersey man wrestles sheep in petting zoo.”

Now the following pictures are not from the petting zoo part.  They put on a great tiger show.  One of them definitely was staring at Natalie though.  Those tigers eat 25 pounds of meat a day–Natalie would have satisfied their daily quota.

This tiger was very temperamental that day.  Gave the trainer a hard time.

At the end of the day we finished it off with a relaxing ride in the “balloons” as the kids called them.

Well, last weekend we went through probably the biggest trial we have ever faced concerning our children. Cameron has had a kidney blockage that has been monitored by doctors since he was in the womb. This past Friday he underwent anesthesia for the surgery which lasted over two hours. Following that was a two night and three day stay in the hospital. Praise the Lord he is doing much better now. There is still a stent in his kidney which will require more anesthesia to be removed in two weeks. It was a real tough time, but through it all God gave Danielle and I wonderful peace. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” (Isaiah 26:3).

Recently Danielle tackled the job of giving Cameron his very first haircut. His hair was getting quite shaggy. He is now a big boy with his neat hairstyle.

This summer was a long one for Danielle because I was at “work” driving a bus for a Christian day camp while she was at home all day with the four kids. But she came up with a great schedule for the kids which included crafts, water time, snacks, etc. Also, the kids were able to spend a week with grandpa and grandma in upstate New York. Pictured below is Isaiah holding the “light saber” he used to give his grandfather a bone contusion in the knee with. The saga will continue next time we go up there. Grandpa is planning to reenact “The Empire Strikes Back.” Here are some pictures recapping the 2009 Makri Camp. Come back soon to see pictures of Cameron’s first haircut.

Last week we celebrated Cameron’s first birthday at church and then at home. He definitely seemed to enjoy himself. He fed himself a piece of cake and was very hesitant at first, but by the end you will see he got into it. He is growing so fast and is busy crawling all over the house. He will not stay in any toy that prevents him from roaming around the house. The train toy is classic because it moves around and Cameron goes chasing after it. We have more to share about our summer and the all new Makri Camp! Check back in later for more about that.

Our family vacation to Rhode Island was a great week. We met my parents, brother, and sister there. It rained most of the week, but we found other things to do. One of the days we went to Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut. We also celebrated Danielle’s birthday while there. Driving through Newport and seeing all the mansions was neat. When we finally got a dry day later in the week, we went to the beach which was only a five minute walk from the house we were staying in. We ended it all with a night in the batting cages, go-carts, and miniature golf course. Danielle remains the mini-golf champion. The trip back home was tough with severe thunderstorms, tornado warnings and three hours of bumper to bumper traffic. We had a great time, but it is good to be back home.

On Saturday we celebrated Jocy’s birthday. We started off with her birthday breakfast. She asked for omelets because “you can see the cheese in it.” We spent some afternoon time at our friends the Bautistas, and the kids enjoyed some swimming time in their pool. Then it was back home for another of Danielle’s amazing creations. This time a Cinderella Castle cake! And of course some presents. Jocy had a great time. Lots of fun!

Isaiah graduated from kindergarten last week. He also played the leading role of Little Boy Blue in “Little Bo Peep.” Hard to believe, but he will be in first grade when fall comes. Growing up fast.

Well, Nat is three! We had a great time celebrating it and Aunt Vae and Uncle Beeb were down from Syracuse to help us celebrate. Danielle made an amazing cake once again. Natalie was thrilled with her presents and repeatedly said “thank you” in her high pitched voice. Next up: Jocy in one week! And she is counting down the days.