And again, they leave us.

My parents have come and gone, and we were sad to see them go. Their time here was jam-packed with fun though. We always try to use our higher adult-to-child ratio wisely. And the weather couldn’t have been more beautiful during their stay. I’ll show you some of the great times we had together:

We enjoyed some adult-only time by going out to eat at Good Stuff in DC. If you live here, try it. You will not regret it.

We took a Sunday stroll through Watkins Park, of course. The pumpkin patch was ready, and the kids were ecstatic, and loved pointing out all the “punkinth” over and over. They were also extremely happy to run around, while still on their harnesses most of the time, thank goodness. It so nice that they don’t eat everything they see on the ground anymore so we can do this, instead of always keeping them in the stroller.

Mom and I went apple picking. It was such a lovely, quiet morning. We couldn’t get enough of the gorgeous countryside. And those apples. . .mmm. More on those later.

We also went out to eat with the kids, which turned out to be a most pleasant time! Of course, we went to the Alamo. Delicious as usual, and quite a different experience from the last time we went there with the babies.

We stopped at the park on the way home. I love to see the babies so incredibly happy as they run free. We chased each other all over that field, and Alex wanted to explore further into the trees. He sees no bounds.

They all enjoyed the new puppets Nana brought for them. Ruby hogs them a little bit. (Look closely, Matt.)

We ate so much good food. I just couldn’t stop trying new recipes, like Grilled Breakfast Pizza, Layered Autumn Quinoa Salad,

Fresh Apple Pie (It's not like me to use store bought crust. At least I tried to make it look homemade, right? Those things just really come in handy sometimes.),and not pictured are Slow Cooked Overnight Oatmeal, White Bean Hash, and Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Pancakes, among other things. All recipes are highly recommended.

And we just enjoyed being together.

I also loved running with Mom and Dad one morning. Made me feel like a true member of the running clan. We also made it to the Amish Market one morning, which was as wonderful as always. Those Amish know how to eat. I bought a chuck roast I am dying make into a juicy Sunday dinner.

We hope to see them again sooner than later. Until then, the webcam will have to do. See you soon, Nana and Papa! We miss you!